Confidence, as defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary, is “a feeling or consciousness of one's powers or of reliance on one's circumstances.” A second definition found, states it is a “faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way.”
So in other words, confidence is derived from our thoughts and beliefs about ourselves and others. While confidence seems to come easily to some, others may struggle with it, which is normal.
Luckily, confidence is something we can all develop with time and concentrated effort.
The following are five ways you can boost your confidence.
1. Recognize and Acknowledge Your Strengths
One of the reasons we lack confidence is because we spend way too much time and effort focused on our weaknesses, rather than our strengths.
We all have so many skills, strengths, experiences, and knowledge, gained through our education, life experiences, and environmental influences.
So, instead of focusing on your weakness, acknowledge and embrace your strengths...the places where you excel...the places you make the most impact and gain the greatest satisfaction.
This is where you have the most to offer.
2. Try Something New
Trying new things helps you develop your skills, knowledge, and confidence, while also helping to break your normal routines and patterns.
Start with making a list of all the things that you are interested in trying, learning, or experiencing.
Related: 4 Mindset Shifts For Success in Life, Leadership, & Career
For example, if you’ve been wanting to go rock climbing, or on a trip to an exotic location, or have an interest in writing a book, do a mind dump of all the things you need to consider and plan around, and then prioritize each task in a sequence so you can begin taking action towards your particular goal.
3. Start With Small Achievable Goals
One of the biggest barriers to achieving your goals is not setting specific and realistic goals from the beginning.
Think SMART GOALS. Let's use the example, “I’m going to write a book.” This is obviously a notable goal, but it requires some planning upfront in order to become your reality.
So, instead of keeping the goal so general, start with something like l like “I’m going to write 300 words a day and finish my book draft in six months.”
This is specific, realistic, and measurable.
4. Monitor Your Thoughts
We can become trapped in our thoughts and fall victim to them.
The good news is that they’re just thoughts and you can control and change them.
First, however, you have to be aware of them. Pay attention to what you tell yourself. Phrases like, “I never get what I want,” or “I’m so stupid,” are negative and don’t support your success.
Once you've identified a negative thought, try reframing it to a more positive one like, “I can do this," or “let’s see what I can learn something new today”
5. Take Good Care of Yourself
It’s difficult to feel confident when you don’t feel well.
This is why self-care is so important. Taking care of yourself and your health has a dramatic impact on your confidence level.
As often as you can, try to identify areas where you might take a little bit better care of yourself, and then begin implementing those habits into your life daily.
The more you become accustomed to feeling confident, the easier it becomes to tap into.
Confidence in yourself and your strengths, skills, and abilities can permeate every area of your personal and professional life.
So, start with writing out a list of everything that you’re good at, or the things you’ve accomplished, and are proud about.
Then, find a goal that you want to achieve and break it up into smaller actions that you know you can stick to.
Once you've created a pattern of success for yourself, you'll feel more empowered and find it easier to tap into your reservoir of confidence.
And when you need an extra boost of confidence, pull out your list of accomplishments, or what I like to call a "brag book," to remind you of just how far you've come and how much you've accomplished.
Struggling to gain more confidence in your life?
Download Your Free Bundle: Master Your Confidence Guide & Workbook. This guide will show you 10 areas to focus on to boost your confidence.
