Be Confident & Believe in Yourself!

A lot of people seem to think that confidence is something that you’re born with. You either have it or you don’t. But that’s not true at all! Confidence is something that you can learn and develop over time. The good news is that there are a few simple things that you can do to start building more confidence in yourself. Keep reading to learn how to be confident and believe in yourself!

First, what is confidence?

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, confidence is:

con·​fi·​dence (kän-fə-dən(t)s) noun

• a feeling or consciousness of one’s powers or of reliance on one’s circumstances
• faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way
• he quality or state of being certain: certitude
• a relation of trust or intimacy
• reliance on another’s discretion
• support especially in a legislative body
• a communication made in confidence: secret

In simplistic terms, confidence = trust. If you have confidence in someone, you feel you can trust them. If you have self-confidence, you have trust in your skills and ability. Having self-confidence is having trust in one’s self.

Why is confidence & believing in yourself important?

 

Self-confidence is the belief that you can handle whatever comes your way and that you have the skills and abilities to succeed. Self-confident people trust their judgment and don’t second-guess themselves. They also tend to be resilient in the face of setbacks and view failure as an opportunity to learn and grow.

Confidence is essential and can make a huge difference in your life. It can be the difference between getting what you want and watching others achieve your dreams. Confidence is asking for a pay raise versus waiting, hoping, and praying that your boss will give you a pay raise. It is introducing yourself to the cute guy on the other side of the room or wondering what could have been.

But how do you become more confident? Let’s find out.

How can I become more self-confident?

There are many ways to improve your self-confidence. Too many to list actually…so here are a few of my favorites to help you be confident and believe in yourself:

1. Get to know yourself.

 

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it is really important! The better you know yourself, the more confident you’ll be in any given situation. Why? Because you’ll know your strengths and weaknesses, and you’ll be able to play to your strengths while downplaying your weaknesses. Spend time each day reflecting on who you are and what makes you special. Write it down if it helps. The more you remind yourself of your best qualities, the more confident you’ll feel.

 

2. Set realistic goals.

 

Part of being confident is knowing what you’re capable of achieving. If you set unrealistic goals, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment—and that lack of confidence can bleed into other areas of your life. So, sit down and make a list of achievable goals that are important to you. They can be big or small, but they should all be things that are within reach if you put in the work. Then, start tackling them one by one. As you check items off your list, your confidence will grow along with your sense of accomplishment.

3. Practice positive self-talk.

 

This means speaking kindly to yourself both in your thoughts and out loud. For example, instead of saying “I’m such an idiot,” try saying “Everyone makes mistakes sometimes.” Or instead of thinking “This presentation is going to be a disaster,” tell yourself “I’ve prepared well for this and I’m going to do my best.” Pay attention to the language you use when talking about yourself—it makes a big difference!

4. Surround yourself with positive people.

 

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” – Jim Rohm

People tend to mimic and be influenced by the people they spend the most time with. If you surround yourself with people who are constantly complaining, have a poor attitude, or blame others for their circumstances your self-confidence will eventually be eroded. Instead, spend time with friends and family members who make you feel good about yourself and who believe in your abilities.

5. Take care of yourself physically

 

Living a healthy lifestyle has a positive effect on your mental well-being and your self-confidence. When you eat healthily and exercise regularly, your body releases endorphin hormones which boost your mood by making you feel relaxed and happy. Being relaxed and happy provides a positive boost you your self-confidence. To put it simply, when you look good, feel good, and like what you see in the mirror, your self-confidence will improve.

Additional Resources

Those are my top 5 suggestions to start improving your self-confidence. As mentioned earlier, there are many ways to improve one’s self-confidence. Following are a few more activities and resources that can help you be confident and believe in yourself.

Books

 

Any of the books I suggest in my blog post “10 Best Books That Can Improve your Life!” would be beneficial to improving your self-esteem, self-worth, and self-confidence.

 

 

Psycho-Cybernetics: Updated and Expanded

 

 

This is my new favorite book! The author, Maxwell Maltz, was a plastic surgeon who began studying why some people had a greatly improved self-image after undergoing a plastic surgery procedure versus those people who had no improvement in their self-image after undergoing the same procedure. The results of his research were the foundation of this book “Psycho-Cybernetics“. Maltz believed that self-image is the cornerstone of all the changes that take place in a person. If one’s self-image (or self-confidence) is unhealthy or faulty — all of a person’s efforts will fail. I highly suggest reading this book!

Activities

Workshops/Seminars

Conclusion

Confidence is key to achieving success in any area of life. And while it may seem like some people are born with it, the truth is that confidence is something that can be learned and developed over time with some effort and practice. So don’t wait around for someone else to give you the green light to be confident and believe in yourself—go out there and get started on building up your confidence today! Who knows where it might take you tomorrow?