8 Steps to Greater Self-Confidence
We all want more self-confidence. Self-confidence can mean the difference between
enjoying life and being afraid. Not all of the factors that contribute to self-confidence
are under your direct control. But enough of them are to make a huge difference. You
can develop the habits and skills that make self-confidence automatic.
With more confidence, you’ll achieve more, too. Self-confidence is personal power.
Become more self-confident and enjoy all that life has to offer:
1. Keep track of your successes. Do this all day long. Start each day with a fresh
sheet of paper and list your successes. It might be a good performance at a
meeting or completing a report on time. This system will change your focus and
increase your self-esteem.
You have plenty of successes each day, but you only notice a few spectacular
successes each year. It’s also easy to notice every little failure. Make a list
of all your successes, big and small. Avoid thinking about your failures.
2. Pay attention to your body language. Strong, confident people stand tall and
sit up straight. Maintain good eye contact. Keep your body open. Smile. Pay
attention to your surroundings. Imagine the most confident person or movie
character you can think of. How do they stand, walk, and move?
Adopt the physiology of someone confident, and you’ll feel more
confident. Try it! Pretend you’re a highly confident person and carry
yourself as one.
3. Do something that makes you uncomfortable. Having success outside your
comfort zone is a fast way to increase your self-confidence. Take a speech class or
jump out of an airplane. When you can deal with discomfort and experience
success, your self-confidence will grow rapidly. You have countless
opportunities to test this theory each day.
4. Get rid of the negative voices in your head. Those self-defeating thoughts that
never seem to stop can be a major drain on self-confidence. Catch yourself
when you’re making negative comments to yourself. Change your self-talk to
something more positive.
5. Be over prepared. A lack of preparation can sap your self-confidence. Whether
you’re unprepared for a speech, a test at school, or a vacation, preparation is the
key to confidence.
6. Make of list of all the great things about yourself. List them all: your smile,
sense of humor, and ability to play the banjo are all fair game. List everything
about yourself that’s even slightly positive. Notice how great you already are.
Then notice how much more confident you feel after making the list.
You can probably rattle off all your faults. You’ll probably require more
time and thought to make a list of your positive qualities.
7. Be assertive. When you ask for what you want, you feel more confident. When
you go after the things you want, you feel more confident. Taking control of
your life results in greater self-confidence.
8. Focus on others. By focusing on making a contribution to others, you don’t have
time to worry about your own perceived flaws. One way to stop thinking
negatively about yourself is to put your attention on something more
important. The positive feelings and respect you’ll receive will also allow your
self-confidence to grow.
Be all that you can be. All you need is a little more self-confidence to kick-start your way
to greater accomplishments and more peace of mind.
Self-confidence ebbs and flows, depending on the situation, but a healthy level of
self-confidence is a powerful trait to possess. If you’re feeling stuck, a little more
self-confidence might be the cure.