Some of you may know, TIFFANY NOYAMA isn't just about tweed clothing and elegant dresses. One of the reasons I created this brand was to build a platform that inspires people to gain the confidence to chase their dreams. That's why we came up with our motto: "Celebrate the Confidence in You". I believe confidence isn't something you're born with. It's a skill you can develop, and it's all in your mindset.
Many times, we tell ourselves we lack confidence, and as you know, it doesn't help us feel better about ourselves or move forward. But imagine - what if you could change your perspective? What if you convinced yourself that you have unshakeable confidence, whether it's genuine or a façade? This shift in thinking can have a powerful impact on how you handle life's challenges.
When I look back at my past career, I remember the tough challenges that I encountered. I had been working in Human Resources for most of my career, but suddenly, I was assigned a new role to initiate Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) efforts from scratch for our Tokyo office. It was a daunting challenge for several reasons. Firstly, I was told that our office had previously tried a similar project, but it did not succeed, and there was little interest in attempting it again. Secondly, the cultural complexities in Japan made discussions around D&I particularly sensitive back in those days.
In the beginning, I didn’t have confidence and was filled with worries. I found myself facing a challenging role with no clear plan and strategy. The less confident I felt, the more lost I became in my work. But then, one day, I recalled my first job as a Financial Analyst, where I was responsible for managing financial data for the entire APAC region for a US IT firm. My boss was in another country, in a different time zone, and we mostly communicated through emails. During that time, we didn't have the convenience of today's instant messaging or Zoom calls, besides, he was always tied up in meetings, making him hard to reach.
Most of the time, my boss would send me numerous emails with tasks but without clear instructions. As a recent university graduate with no prior experience (and to make it worse, finance wasn't my major in college), I felt extremely stressed because I had minimal guidance on how to complete most of the tasks. However, I managed to successfully complete everything, and with each task finished, I felt a sense of relief and a boost in confidence. I believe one of the main reasons for my success was that my boss always said, "You can do it! You can do it!". It was this constant motivation that kept me going, and over time, as I accomplished more and more, I began to believe in myself.
Now, let's go back to the story of my new role in D&I. I applied the same strategy to rebuild my confidence. Whenever negative thoughts or worries crept in, I consciously replaced them with positive affirmations, consistently reinforcing the message that "I can do it!". It was a gradual process, but I also held onto a crucial belief: failure wasn't the end of the world. Not every project is destined for success, but as long as I enjoyed the journey and learned from the experience, it was worth the effort. This belief was essential because it allowed me to think creatively and not fear the possibility of failure.
Over time, my efforts paid off. We received quite a few external awards and recognition in a short span of time. On top of that, we fostered stronger relationships with some of our top clients through our D&I initiatives. Our headquarter in London, along with other offices, were very impressed by our achievements. More importantly, I gained a lot of valuable insights and discovered my strong passion for D&I through this role.
This experience taught me that confidence isn't just a feeling; it's a mindset. It's about believing in yourself and being open to new opportunities, even when things look challenging. So, if you find yourself struggling with confidence, remember that you have the power to change your mindset and, in doing so, change your outcomes.
If you have any experiences that can inspire others who may be facing similar challenges, please feel free to share them with us here. Thank you!
Tiffany
