“I would never be able to score the highest marks in my class!”
“I would never be capable enough to get into my dream profession!”
Have you ever whispered these words to yourself? Have you ever considered yourself not “good enough” for any person or position? Ever felt like everyone around you is confident, and it’s just you who is lagging?
Well, if you have ever found yourself in any of these situations, let me assure you that it’s absolutely fine. No one is brought into the world with boundless levels of confidence, neither weren’t you. However, this doesn’t imply that you don’t have to build up this pivotal life skill. You have to work on it until your heart says, “You got this!” every time life bombards you with a new hurdle to cross.
If somebody has incredible confidence in themselves, this is probably because they have been working to enhance it for quite a long time. Odds are, they had questions very much like yours. So what’s the mysterious deed they’ve discovered that fostered their confidence? Let us discover secrets to confidence together!
Why is self-confidence so important?
Before you learn how to be confident in yourself, let’s try comprehending what the word “self-confidence” exactly means? Self-confidence, in simple words, is your faith in yourself and your potentials. It’s the positive vibe that arises within your body every time life has a new challenge for you.
“Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your hand brake on.”
Maxwell Maltz
Self-confidence is the fundamental agent that helps one survive in the present competitive world. You have to be confident in yourself; because if you won’t have this potent weapon, there is a high probability that you will find yourself continually collapsing between those super-confident people around you.
Ways to be confident in yourself
So, let me share some unique ways that you could use to foster your self-confidence!
Enhance your body language
Do you what is the easiest way to become more confident? Simply act like it!
Think of the most confident person you have ever come across? Was that your fellow student or your co-worker? Ponder over the traits that made them appear “confident” in your eyes.
Did they make consistent eye contact with you or shake your hand firmly? Or just stood upright at all times? I am sure you realized that the way they portrayed themselves and how they moved around depicted that they were confident about themselves. You see, how your body language is the foremost expression of your self-confidence? It is a strong communication skill; hence, work on it.
How about you? Quickly take a look at yourself in the mirror. What’s your posture? How do you move around? How do you communicate your ideas? Reckon them, and manifest them as needed.
Your body language is a crucial non-verbal cue, and you should never ruin it! Try incorporating the following traits into your personality to make your body language better:
- Make direct eye contact;
- Stand upright;
- Nod your head;
- Cross your arms around your chest;
- Cross your legs;
- Smile;
- Learn to listen.
Follow these mini-steps and see how you become more confident in yourself in no time!
Be positive
Imagine you have an exam at your college. You have exactly twelve hours remaining to prepare yourself for it. The course is extensive and undoubtedly significant for your final grade.
There are two types of approaches you could adopt in such a situation.
“I just have twelve hours to complete such a long course. I would never be able to do it” and “12 hours? It’s more than enough. I will definitely ace this time!”
Do you see how there are two directions where your mind naturally goes? One is the negative one, and the other is the positive one. I’m sure you know which path would be the better one for you!
Having an optimistic mindset can help you in several ways. It changes your primary focus; remember where focus goes, energy flows. Rather than getting hung up on all the manners in which something could turn out badly, focus around all how it could go right instead.
Supplant negative words with positive ones and begin seeing the bright side of circumstances. By changing your focus, internally and externally, you will be confident in yourself unconsciously, and that’s the point when you are winning!
Stop comparing yourself to others
Whether you compare your physical appearance with your online friends or your salary with your neighbor’s income, they aren’t healthy acts. These comparisons are vicious; always maintain a strategic distance from them.
Individuals who had a habit of comparing themselves with others always encountered envy. What’s more, the greater jealousy they encountered, the more terrible they felt about themselves.
It may be an endless loop and trust me, it would consume you so much until you would start hating everything about yourself. Remember, comparisons are made between similar things, and since you are entirely different from every other one on this planet, there is no need to draw vague conclusions.
Such acts dramatically lower your self-confidence. It disintegrates it into pieces that are too difficult to be assembled again, so please don’t compare yourself. Everybody is running their own race, and life isn’t a competition.
Here are a couple of tips to help free yourself from the snare of such disastrous comparison cycles:
- Be good to other people. When you’re your best self, you might be less inclined to contrast yourself with others. Helping other people, particularly those less fortunate than you, can help you reckon how honored you genuinely are.
- Count your blessings. In case you’re feeling desirous of another person’s life, help yourself remember your own qualities and triumphs. Consider keeping a personal gratitude diary. Write about all your blessings there. It would help you concentrate on your own life rather than someone else’s.
- Cut-off unhealthy knots. Identify and maintain a distance from people who let you down and from individuals who are always criticizing you or judging you over the stuff you can’t necessarily control about yourself, such as your looks, wages, living conditions, and so forth. Break all ties with them.
- Build healthier relationships. Tie knots with people who encourage you to be a better person, the ones who are happier than yourself whenever you achieve something.
Take Care of Your Body
It’s challenging to be confident in yourself if you’re mishandling your body. You would feel like you aren’t groomed enough for a meeting or not dressed appropriately for an occasion, and hence, you might end skipping it. Your loss, again!
However, if you practice self-care, you would automatically feel good. You’ll realize you’re accomplishing something good for your brain, body, and soul, and you’ll naturally feel more confident about yourself.
Here is a couple of self-care rehearses connected to more elevated levels of self-confidence.
- Diet. Having a rich diet accompanies numerous advantages, including better physical, mental health and hence higher levels of self-confidence. When you fuel your body with the correct food sources, you feel better, more grounded, and more stimulated, which can boost positivity within yourself.
- Meditation. Specialists say that meditation can help foster self-confidence. It causes you to perceive and acknowledge yourself, leading to more self-acceptance and escalated levels of inner peace.
- Exercise. One of the healthiest activities is to do some exercise daily. Taking care of your physical fitness comes with a lot of advantages. You will look better, feel better and become more persistent. Besides setting up healthy habits, it is the best way to build confidence.
- Sleep. Holding back on sleep can negatively affect your confidence, though quality sleep has been connected with positive character attributes and a healthier overall body framework.
- Dress well. This is so important! Take care of how you look. Don’t leave your home with messy hair and night pajamas. Dress up appropriately according to the occasion. Get a decent dress, apply some perfume, and get a nice pair of shoes to put on!
Some words to remember
Always remember that you are not born with confidence. You have to create it, and trust me; you can do it! You can speak as fluently as your classmate does, and you can act as confident as your fellow employee does. It takes time; just know that you aren’t alone. Everybody battles with confidence issues at some point in their lives.
However, remember there is a fine lining between confidence and overconfidence. Make sure you don’t cross this delicate border. Overconfidence does no good; you might just assume you know everything while you actually don’t. Therefore, having the ideal dose of confidence in yourself is essential, not too much or too little.
Have I missed something? Go ahead and share with us your thoughts in the comments.
