One big difference I've noticed is that when it seems like a project is falling apart outside of my control or something else isn't going to plan, I find myself glancing over at the notebook and reminding myself that I still have to find 3 positives. It helps override the propensity to reach the point that the my-whole-day-is-ruined mindset takes hold.
A small practice that I've found can help build confidence in skills is bringing a possible solution along with a question or concern.
For example, in a design scenario: "How do we meet x code in this situation? I was thinking y may be a possible solution." I found that when my managers were signing off on my solution or just needing to tweak it, that helped me feel more confident in my engineering judgement.
That same approach can also work in leadership skill scenarios. Instead of just saying, "I've noticed a lot of people are doing x incorrectly" you could add, "so I was wondering if I could help write a training for the team" or "I was wondering if I could look into possible presenters on that topic to invite to lead a team training."
At the end of the day, I think a lot of my personal professional confidence came through interactions with people outside my own team. When your clients, other designers, contractors, etc. start reaching out to you instead of always contacting your supervisor, that says a lot about how they see your capability level. I once had a city official tell an out of town architect that they were in good hands because I was very familiar with their requirements, and that meant a lot to me. Although our ultimate source of confidence shouldn't be fully from external sources, that outside reassurance that you're meeting or exceeding expectations can really help reinforce seeing yourself as a professional. (I know this one isn't much of a tip, but taking advantage of industry networking events, project meetings, volunteer opportunities, etc. can increase your exposure to those outside your group which can in turn lead to the above situations.)
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Heidi C. Wallace, P.E., M.ASCE
Tulsa, OK
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Original Message:
Sent: 01-15-2026 01:52 PM
From: Anna Lisonbee
Subject: New Year, New You?
This is incredible! What a great habit. I'm curious if you notice a difference between when you first started and the milestone of Volume 5?
My 2026 resolutions focus on building confidence and trusting my skills. If anyone has rituals or tips they've used to build confidence in the workplace (esp but not exclusively women) I would love to hear your thoughts!
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Anna Lisonbee EIT, ENV SP, M.ASCE
Sandy UT
Original Message:
Sent: 12-18-2025 01:34 PM
From: Heidi Wallace
Subject: New Year, New You?
With the new year rapidly approaching, I was thinking about Resolutions.
Looking back at the 2022 post on New Year's Resolutions, I'm pleased to say that I've stuck with mine from that year.
Each work day, I write down 3 things that went well. I add up the total at the end of each month so I can keep my own "things that went well" statistics.
Next week, I'll be wrapping up Volume 4 of my series, and in January I'll be starting Volume 5.
I'm on track to end 2025 with 714 things that went well this year and 2,670 things that have gone well since starting the list. (Another fun stat is that means I will have worked 890 days since moving home from Mexico in Spring 2022.)
It really has made an impact on my outlook on challenging days since I know I have to come up with 3 positives. If you're on the lookout for a potential new habit, I recommend giving it a shot.
Do you have any resolutions or goals for 2026? Or any you're proud of sticking with from a previous year?
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Heidi C. Wallace, P.E., M.ASCE
Tulsa, OK
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