Self-confidence means trusting in your own judgement, abilities, and capacities. It is about valuing yourself and feeling worthy regardless of your imperfections. Self-confident people will also acknowledge their failures and mistakes and learn from them. While self-confidence is something you are born with, you can also cultivate it through your efforts.
Tips on How to Build Self-confidence
A healthy level of self-confidence is crucial as it can help you become more successful in your personal and professional life. Research shows that more confident people excel in many aspects of life. This article will take you through how you can build your self-confidence.
Groom Yourself
A good shower and a nice shave will boost your confidence in ways unimaginable. These acts can seem obvious and simple but they go a long way in changing your mood around completely. If you go before people looking clean and smart, you will automatically feel confident. Grooming will also change your self-image positively.
Do not compare Yourself to Others
The social comparison theory explains that making comparisons is natural. However, doing that will not boost your confidence, it will only kill it. If you find yourself constantly comparing yourself to people, remind yourself that everyone is running their own race at their own pace. Remembering your own strengths and successes and even keeping a gratitude journal will help build and boost your self-confidence.
Kill Negative Thoughts and Practice Positive Self-Talk
Be aware of the thoughts you have about yourself, your self-talk, and what you do. Always replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Negative self-talk will limit your abilities and diminish your self-confidence. Your negative words will convince your subconscious that you “cannot handle” something or the other thing is “too hard” for you to try. Optimistic self-talk will help you overcome self-doubt.
Dress Nicely
Dressing nicely automatically makes you feel good about yourself. You will feel presentable and ready to tackle tasks efficiently. You do not have to wear an expensive outfit. A casual smart outfit can also do the trick.
Be Kind and Generous
Being kind to others and generous with yourself and your time and what you have is a great way to improve your self-image. This will have you start feeling good about yourself and will boost your confidence. You automatically feel good about yourself when you do something good for someone else. Kindness and generosity is one sure way to build your confidence.
Know when to Say No
Knowing your boundaries and sticking to them is one sure way to know that you are confident. You do not always have to say yes to everything just so you please a friend or your employer. If whatever they are asking you to do is something that will leave you feeling uncomfortable or lower your confidence, decline respectfully. Setting emotional and social boundaries can help you feel more in control of your life. Self-confidence partly comes when you have control over your life.
Be Prepared
If you are about to do something, big or small, it is good to do adequate preparation. If you are due for an exam, study adequately. This will give you the confidence you need to do well. Take life as an exam and always be prepared for tasks in your daily life.
Set Small Goals and Achieve them
Before aiming to achieve something great, start by trying out something small that is more achievable. When you achieve it, you get the confidence to set and go for the bigger goals. The small goals you set will act as a pacemaker.
Surround yourself with Positive People
Choose wisely the people you surround yourself with because they can influence your thoughts and attitudes about yourself. Pay attention to how others make you feel. Do they lift you up or bring you down? Do they accept you for who you are or do they constantly judge you? Your circle of friends should make you feel good about yourself every time you hang out with them.
Clear your Desk
This might seem simple but it will do wonders to your self-confidence. If your working desk gets messy, clear it off. The same applies to your house. Declutter any time your house feels congested and stuffy. It is one sure way of getting a little piece of your life under control.
Empower yourself with Knowledge
Empowering yourself with knowledge is one great way to boost your self-confidence. You become more confident by learning new things and being knowledgeable. The internet is a great tool to do some research and gain some knowledge. You can also learn new things from the people around you.
Do that One Thing you Have Been Procrastinating on
If there has been a task on your to-do list that has been there for quite some time, do it the very instant it crosses your mind and get it out of the way. This will make you feel good about yourself and help build your confidence.
Take Care of your Body
It becomes hard to feel confident if you are not taking care of your body. Self-care practices are linked to higher levels of self-confidence. Practices such as healthy eating, meditation and mindfulness, having good quality sleep, physical exercises, and more. When you take care of your body and make yourself a priority, you build your self-confidence as you project to the world that you matter and they will hold you with the same regard.
Face your Fears
Facing your fears head-on is one of the best ways to build your self-confidence. If you have always wanted to apply for that promotion or scholarship but you are afraid, try anyway. It is okay to have a little self-doubt. Tell yourself it is okay to try. That promotion could be yours. You could be shortlisted for that scholarship.
Conclusion
Everyone struggles with their confidence at one time or the other. The good thing is that there are several things you can do to build and boost your self-confidence. Having self-confidence has a lot of benefits including healthier relationships, resilience, high productivity at work, among others. If after trying these tips and you are still struggling with low self-confidence, consider talking to a therapist who will help you better understand your issue and even work with you to build your confidence.