One of the biggest things to learn in life is trust. Not only how to trust, but who to trust, and even when to trust. In business, as in your personal life, you often know by a gut feeling. Or, you might check references and feel good enough to take a risk. Most of the time it works out, although sometimes it doesn’t – and you have to learn to trust again. But one of the biggest trusts to learn in life is that of yourself.

This is a lesson I strive to teach my sons as well as my employees. From a business perspective, I have found that 99.9% of the time if I trust my gut, the right thing happens. It’s when I doubt myself or listen to too many other opinions and go against my gut that things usually go awry. I’ve had to learn to recognize that if I only trust myself, I am led down the right path. It isn’t always easy – the world is noisy and everyone has an opinion.

It’s my goal to live every day in a way that shows those around me that trusting yourself – having that confidence – is so important. And to give them examples of how to accomplish this. I want my sons – and my employees - to be strong, confident individuals that know what they want, and know that they are valuable enough to get it – that they deserve true happiness and that is accomplished by trusting and listening to themselves. I also want them to portray this trust in how they live and work in their daily lives.

At work and at home I believe you can help encourage those around you to trust themselves by helping to instill that confidence and giving your children or employees or colleagues the right to make decisions on their own. Providing guidance and support is key – but let them process the situation and come to the final decision on their own. A few key points:

-       Remind them of a time when they made a tough decision and it turned out okay.

-       Give them an example of how you’ve trusted yourself even when everyone else had a different opinion. For example, when I left college for a while to “find myself” and figure out what I wanted – rather than what everyone else wanted for me – I was told by friends, professors and family that I shouldn’t do it. Or if I were going to do it, I should join the Army so I wouldn’t go astray during my time off – that I would stay disciplined. I was told I would never go back to school and finish my degree. I left anyway, took 1.5 years off and returned to not only finish school but to do so while managing three jobs, a pretty active social life and good grades. I moved to Boston immediately thereafter and as it stands now, I think I did a pretty good job “recovering.”

-       Instill confidence. It’s easy to do by sharing positive words of encouragement, reminding them of their attributes and giving them perceived permission to be strong individuals. When someone feels confidence from those around them, they feel confidence in themselves, too.

-       Show support even when a decision goes wrong. We can’t all make the right decision every time. But as you know, mistakes are how we learn. Help them to assess the situation and take something positive away from the experience that they can apply to a future situation. Share a story of how you learned from one of your own mistakes in the past. And make sure they continue to feel your support, love (for kids), and trust in them even when they make mistakes.

How did you learn to trust yourself? What lessons can you share to help readers not only learn to trust themselves, but to support others to do so as well – whether kids, employees or friends.