“Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your hand brake on.” -Maxwell Maltz
Feeling down and out and insecure is no way to live your life. Fear of failure and lack of confidence can keep you from achieving your goals and living the life you were meant to live. Everyone feels a lack of confidence sometimes, but it’s when you more often than not question your self worth or abilities, it’s time to look in the mirror and have a reality switch.
When you believe in yourself you will be more likely to achieve success in your career, people will respect you more, and you will end up respecting yourself more. You’ll be able to look back on your life and feel the utmost pride that you took life by the reins and made the most of your existence.
Check out these ways to boost your confidence and stop living your life through fear and insecurity.
Stop comparing yourself to others
Comparing yourself to others is one of the best ways to give away your confidence. It’s so easy to be jealous or down on yourself when you see that someone got a new job, is exceeding in their life, traveling a lot, has a great relationship, or is having more fun than you. However, you are your own person and spending energy focusing on that person is only taking away energy you could be using on creating a better life for yourself and achieving greatness.
Take uncomfortable risks
One of the best ways to become a confident person is to get out of your comfort zone and take risks. If lacking confidence causes you to stay inside and play it safe, do the opposite, right?
Maybe you’re scared you won’t nail that interview, impress your new friends, etc, but the best thing to do is try and fail or try and succeed. The more you fail when taking risks, the easier it will get to take risks in general. And if you succeed you can look back and be proud that you did something scary, which in turn, will give you more confidence in yourself.
Put yourself out there and be proud of yourself for taking a leap.
Take care of yourself
If you look good and feel good you will do good, it is often said. This is very true for achieving more confidence. If you are proud in the way you look and feel it will radiate confidence from the inside out.
Improving your hygiene is a great place to start. There’s nothing wrong with a little bit of self care to make yourself feel good. This is a great time to buy proper products and tools to make yourself look and feel better. Figure out how to take care of your skin with the right products, buy some clippers that are actually good, and make sure to tweeze, clip, and exfoliate when necessary.
Working out and eating well are also crucial to feeling your best. If you don’t workout, now is a great time to start a beginner workout routine. Working out can help you look your best which will give you confidence and give you a boost of endorphins to start your day.
Dress well
Upgrading your personal style can also be a great way to kick up your confidence factor. Ditch the outfits you used to wear five years ago and put yourself in an outfit that speaks true to who you are today. Clothes are not just for comfort, society, or professionalism, they are a valuable piece of self expression.
Check out Stitch Fix to have a personalized stylist pick out your clothes for you based on your unique style.
Invest in yourself
You might be a frugal person but, actually, investing in yourself is a great way to get the confidence you want. If you invest in something you believe in, the return can be so much sweeter.
Instead of putting all your money in the stock market, find a way to give it back to yourself. Maybe you want to further your education, get a new suit for work, or a new watch. Whatever it may be, loving yourself enough to make investments towards your feeling of self worth is always worth it.
Remind yourself of your strengths often
This is one of the simplest of confidence building tactics. Simply write down what your strengths are and say them out loud to yourself in the mirror once a day.
Even if some of your strengths don’t automatically make you feel confident when doing them, repeatedly letting yourself know that you are good at things will make you feel good and give you confidence. If no one else is telling you that you are good at things, someone has to remind you, so let it be you, the only judge that matters.
Set goals with rewards
Setting realistic goals is a great way to boost your overall confidence, when completed. Seeing a goal in front of you everyday that you actively work at completing will make you feel accomplished and organized.
Set intentional goals that actually can be completed. A SMART Goal is a great type of goal setting to actually see results. Make sure to put a reward next to your goal as an incentive to work harder and further invest in yourself.
Don’t listen to self doubt or doubt from others
It’s so easy to overthink everything. Your friends, family, significant other, and even society in general might be telling you that you are not good enough, strong enough, smart enough, manly enough to achieve what you want to. This is a major reason self doubt and lack of confidence may arise.
Don’t let others’ expectations or expired expectations of your own stand in the way of achieving what you want.
Don’t beat yourself up
So you had a bad day. Maybe you gave up on something, walked away from a goal, let self doubt creep in. That’s okay, we are only human. It is okay to lose sometimes, it only makes when you achieve something that much sweeter.
Don’t call yourself names or wallow in self pity during these times. Don’t agree with others if they say you should’ve done something different. Just reflect on what happened and know that there is always tomorrow to start over again.
Get real with your emotions
Emotions are a tricky thing that can definitely make you feel less confident. The good news is that they are only emotions and cannot hurt or define you. However, listening and tapping in to what is hurting you or making you feel down and out is the key for solving the problem.
Think about the things that trigger you; When do you feel the most insecure? By listening to what your subconscious and your body is telling you, you can begin to solve where the problem lies and become a more emotionally mature individual. Recognize that it is time to let go of that trigger that is holding you back and remind yourself that you don’t care about whatever that trigger is, your immature emotions do.
Go to a therapist if you need to or talk to someone like a friend or relative to figure out what your feeling further.
Understand the power of presentation
Realize that how you present yourself to a room of people is a reflection of who you are and how you feel about yourself. Presenting yourself in the way you want others to perceive you can in turn make you feel more like that person you wish to be and increase your confidence.
Focus on your posture, charisma, openness, and friendliness upon entering a room. Are your shoulders rolling forward? Are you radiating nervousness or negativity? Be actively cognizant of how you are presenting yourself to others and it will reflect back positively to how you feel about yourself.
Let go of arrogance
Many people think that an inflated ego is the same as confidence. It is not. Having a cocky attitude is really the opposite of confidence and everyone will notice this. If you want to be truly confident, it comes from respecting yourself and liking the person that you are. Self acceptance is key to radiating confidence because it doesn’t have to be forced, you either like and accept yourself or you don’t.
Finding your confidence takes work, but once you know the key parts of what is blocking you, you’ll be able to roll your shoulders back and build that confidence up. It doesn’t happen overnight, but having a confident attitude can really make or break how the course of your life goes. Work on yourself today, so you can have the confidence to achieve your goals and live a fulfilling life tomorrow.
Confidence Quotes To Help You Believe In Yourself
“The most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence.” – Blake Lively
“Experience tells you what to do; confidence allows you to do it.” – Stan Smith
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.” – Henry Ford
“Sometimes, if you fake confidence long enough, you’re going to be confident.” – Elle King
“You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.” – Zig Ziglar
“Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment.” – Thomas Carlyle
Always be yourself and have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and try to duplicate it. – Bruce Lee
Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will. – Suzy Kassem
