Have you ever met someone who you are instantly drawn to or who is so uniquely themselves? The odds are they have bucket loads of confidence! And as the old saying goes ‘confidence is key’!
So today we want to talk about what confidence is and discuss some ways we can develop our confidence for the better.
But, not everyone is naturally confident. In fact, confidence can be hard to develop due to personal experiences or low self-esteem. It is completely dependent on the individual and their personality.
Despite this, there are several things we can do to build our confidence.
Let’s start by discussing what it means to be confident and why we should care.
What is confidence?
Confidence means having a positive self-image and healthy sense of self-worth. Being confident also means embracing who we are and being comfortable with our strengths and weaknesses.
In addition, confident people:
- Do what they believe is right (even if it’s unpopular)
- Admit their mistakes and learn from them
- Can accept compliments
- Are optimistic about the future
- Are willing to take risks
But why should we care about being more confident?
Research shows that building our confidence can result in a greater sense of overall wellness and mental health. In addition, overcoming poor confidence can help us achieve our professional and personal goals. As an added bonus, learning to love and accept ourselves can also make it easier for other people to do the same thing.
Tips for building self confidence
Now onto the tips for building our confidence!
Building our confidence is a process. As with any process, it’s important to give ourselves time and kindness as we learn to have more faith in ourselves.
1. Be kind to yourself.
While we all have things we want to work on and improve, we might find it easier to work on ourselves when we have a foundation of loving and accepting ourselves. When we accept where we are, working on ourselves becomes more like helping a friend than fighting against an enemy. A great example of this is if someone is dealing with a negative body image, they could prioritise self-acceptance over a new diet. Confidence will develop faster starting from where we are opposed to where we want to be!
2. Make a list of positive qualities.
Everyone has strengths and talents. What are yours? These can be the mostly seemly insignificant things, but as we get going, we may realise we have more to offer than we first realised. Recognising what we’re good at, and building on these things, will help us to build confidence in our abilities.
3. Set goals for yourself.
We can tackle self-doubt in small doses by performing daily or weekly tasks to challenge ourselves and improve our confidence in specific areas. Maybe you can take that class you have always wanted to take one week or remove an activity that no longer serves you the next.
The more we venture outside our comfort zone, the more opportunities we will have to develop our confidence!
Over to you…
While we may think we are alone having a lack of confidence, the truth is many people struggle with confidence issues, including many whom we’d never guess would.
Sometimes we just have to fake it until we make it to build confidence. Standing up straight with your shoulders back is a great place to start.
Now go ahead and Win Your Week!
