You probably know someone who just exudes confidence. You might even have wondered, ‘What’s his secret? How can he be so positive about himself?’ The good news is that you, too, could be that confident. Self-confidence does not happen by accident.
It comes from repeated practice and small successes which build into large successes. With the right commitment and effort, you can build your self-confidence in a short period of time and, as you continue with the positive habits, your self-confidence will continue to grow.
Self-confidence is not some sort of gift that you are born with. For many people, self-confidence may appear to have come naturally to them but it is more likely that they had confident role models in their life, from whom they learned the appropriate confidence building behaviors.
These people will have imitated the behavior they saw from their role models and, they habitually do them now. By practicing these same actions, you’ll be taking giant strides to building your own self-confidence.
Do More Of What Makes You Happy
What do you love to do in your spare time? Is it to get outside, hike, kayak and enjoy the outdoors? Or do you live for lying on your couch and watching all the excellent television that’s available? Whatever it is you love, create space for it, because life is short- you need time to enrich your life and to recharge to be your best self.
Don’t Care What Others Think
There are going to be so many people who will tell you you can not accomplish your goal. Whether is it rejection from employers, schools, or just negative feedback from friends or family, people will try to tell you your goal is too big, or that you’re not ready, or that you can’t do it, that it’s never been done before, etc., and you absolutely can not listen to them. You must be resolute. While they tell you the odds are against you, etc., just remember most people are wrong about most things. People change the world every day, despite everyone around them telling them it can’t be done. If you think you can do it, you can it. Don’t listen to them, believe in yourself and keep going.
Identify your strengths
Take some time to reflect on your skills, talents, and achievements. Make a list of your strengths and remind yourself of them regularly. Focusing on your positive qualities will help boost your self-confidence.
Celebrate yourself
Acknowledge and celebrate even the smallest achievements. Rewarding yourself for reaching milestones boosts your self-confidence and motivates you to continue progressing.
Accept your imperfections
Perfectionism is just a mechanism used to inflict pain upon yourself. Perfection is neither a possibility nor a necessity. Nobody has ever been perfect and nobody ever will be. Rather than seek to achieve perfection, you can always try to do your best. Then, you can learn from the experience and strive to do better next time around.
The key thing to remember is that once something is done, it can always be improved. You get feedback from other people, from results or from the world at large. As you review the feedback, you can identify any improvements you need to make, The feedback loop allows you to continuously improve anything – whether it be a skill, a personal trait, a project, a product etc.
If you wait for perfection before you take action, you will never start. And if you never even start, you will never be able to get feedback as there is nothing to improve. That’s why done is better than perfect.
Wherever you are is OK, because as long as you are willing to take action, receive feedback and make improvements, you will keep making progress. This way, you will constantly improve without the stress inducing pressure of always trying to be perfect. Imperfections only show that you’re human – not that there is something wrong with you.
Wear what makes you feel good.
You look your best when you feel your best. So, ignore the trends and build a wardrobe that makes you happy. Trust me, your inner confidence will make you look amazing.
Keep Calm
There is usually a correlation between confidence and calmness.
If you feel confident about a task then you will likely feel calm about doing it. When you feel less confident you are more likely to be stressed or nervous.
Trying to remain calm, even when you’re under stress and pressure, will tend to make you feel more confident.
To do this it is useful to learn how to relax. Learn at least one relaxation technique that works for you and that you can use if you’re feeling stressed. This may be as simple as taking some deliberate deep breaths both in and out.
Eat a healthy diet.
A balanced diet helps you look and feel your best, so load up on fruits and veggies. On the other hand, limit how much junk food and sweets you eat because they’re less nutritious.
Surround Yourself With Positive People
Take a moment and think about how your friends make you feel. Do they lift you up, or do they bring you down? Are they constantly judging you, or do they accept you for who you are?
Exercise
Studies consistently show that physical exercise boosts self-confidence. For instance, a 2016 study found that regular physical activity improved participants’ body image. And when their body image improved, they felt more confident.7
Meditation
More than just a relaxation practice, meditation can help boost self-confidence in several ways. For one, it helps you to recognize and accept yourself. Meditation also teaches you to stop negative self-talk and disconnect from unhelpful mental chatter interfering with your confidence.
Help Others
If you want to feel good about yourself – help others! By helping others, you get a personal sense of satisfaction knowing you made someone’s life a little easier. The gratitude you get from them builds your self-worth, and feeling valuable builds self- confidence. Also, by focusing on the contribution you are making to others, you do not focus as much about your own faults. The more you help to others, the more you will be rewarded with personal success and recognition.
Take Risks
Take risks in life. Put yourself out there! Do not succumb to fear of failure. Approach new experiences with courage and belief in your abilities. View new experiences as opportunities to learn and grow. Doing so opens you up to new possibilities and chances to find out more about yourself. Not doing so diminishes your opportunities in life to find your true self.