Having more confidence in yourself is only going to help you further in your personal and professional life. It’s common not to have high self-confidence, so don’t feel bad if you’re someone who struggles with being confident.
The good news is you can quickly get more of it if you put your mind to it and are up for the challenge. There are a few secrets to unleashing your confidence that will get you started on the right foot. You won’t know until you try, so it’s at least worth putting forth some effort and seeing where these tips take you in your own life.
Exercise Daily
Exercise isn’t only about having a healthy heart, but also keeping your weight under control and mind right. There are so many benefits to working out that you’d be silly not to do it daily. You’ll quickly see your mood lift, you’ll feel better about yourself inside and out, and this will all bring about more confidence in you. Also, use exercising as a way to reduce your stress and release any toxins and negative thoughts you’ve been carrying around.
Attend to Your Mind & Thoughts
What you want to do is get to the bottom of why you’re not feeling confident. The only way to do this is by reflecting and working through your racing thoughts. Notice them, but try not to let them consume you. Use meditation and time by yourself to sit in silence and try to figure out what’s holding you back in life. Once you understand the reasons better, you can take action to change it. A lot of your self-confidence issues could be stemming from negative thoughts about yourself that aren’t even true.
Challenge Yourself by Taking on a Project
Stop sitting around waiting for positive events to occur and instead start doing. This way you’re not constantly worrying about what’s wrong with you, and you’ll start proving to yourself all that’s positive about yourself. For example, volunteer to throw your best friend a birthday party or get on the planning committee at work for your holiday gathering. Do your homework and come to the table with ideas for making each party a hit like using Wine Design to purchase bottles of wine specifically made for the occasion or person you’re celebrating. You’ll be proud of yourself for the hard work you put in and will likely receive a lot of praise from others too, which will only boost your confidence.
Journal your Feelings
Not only should you sit and think about what’s going through your mind, but you could also choose to write down your feelings and emotions in a journal. Do this on a daily basis if you want to truly understand what’s triggering your anxiety and making you feel self-conscious. You may come across information you weren’t aware of and now seeing it on paper will allow you to move past your previous mishaps. Not only write down what you’re worried about, but also what you’re good at and the positive aspects of yourself. Journal what you’re grateful for and record all the blessings in your life.
Make it A Goal
Becoming more confident won’t happen on its own. You have to make this a goal of yours and work toward it every day. Write it down and put measures in place that allow you to inch closer to having more confidence in your daily life. Without a goal in place, you’ll simply have these ideas floating around in your head and never take action because you won’t see a clear path on how to meet your objective. Take the process seriously by writing down your goal and making notes about how you’re going to achieve it.
Sift through Fact vs. Assumption
Pay attention to your self-talk, and you may start to realize a lot that goes on in your head isn’t fact, but assumptions and judgments. Get a better handle on what’s a true fact about yourself and what is actually you thinking you’re reading people’s minds about you. For example, if you think you’re heavy then look in the mirror, weigh yourself and see how you match up to the average person. You may start to see that you’re judging yourself too harshly and no one sees you as overweight except yourself. Another example is if you say you’re stupid, but can prove you’re not because you have a good job and have graduated from college.
Think Positive
Your confidence will soar when you’re more positive about yourself and your life. Negativity has the power to drag you down and make you think you’re not good enough. You can’t hope that you’ll think more positive, you have to change your habits so that you’re filtering in uplifting content and thoughts on a daily basis. For example, read positive daily affirmations instead of watching depressing news updates. Make a gratitude list instead of assuming that your entire life is terrible and always will be.
Face your Fears
There’s no better way to gain confidence then to put yourself to the test by facing your fears. If you’re afraid of public speaking, then volunteer at work to talk at the next conference. Going through these types of experiences will make you more confident in the long run. You’ll start racking up these instances, and over time you’ll see all that you’re good at and how much you’ve already accomplished in life. You may surprise yourself in the act of doing so or find you truly enjoy these activities you were so fearful to do in the first place.
Conclusion
Having confidence is when you know you can accomplish a goal even though others doubt you. It’s okay if you’re not feeling very confident at this moment. You now have strategies you can use to help you unleash your confidence and break free from your shell. Be patient with yourself and know that change doesn’t happen overnight. Take it one step at a time and never stop believing in yourself or your abilities.