“With realization of one’s own potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world.”
-Dalai lama
Self-confidence means belief in one’s ability to succeed. It is defined by a positive yet realistic view of individuals about themselves and their situation.
Self-confidence is essential for success in personal as well as professional life.
When you lack confidence you just compare yourself to others, what you think about yourself it’s directly going to affect your behavior and attitude.
Not everyone is born with an inbuilt sense of self-confidence. Sometimes it can be hard to develop confidence, either because personal experiences have caused you to lose confidence or because you suffer from low self-esteem.
So here are some tips on how to boost your Self-Confidence.
- Believe in yourself
Believe in what you do and believe in the people you stay and work with. Believing in yourself means having faith in your abilities and capabilities. Once you start believing in yourself you will overcome the self-doubt that will bring out the positive attitude which will help you to get things done. Having good Self-confidence helps you to show your good personality and that leads you to the best version of yourself.
2. Think Positive
“Change your thoughts
and you change the world.”
-Norman Vincent Peale
What you think is directly going to affect your attitude, if you’re stressed or sad or tired you won’t gonna talk to anyone in a good attitude. Positive thinking just means that you approach unpleasantness in a more positive and productive way. You think the best is going to happen, not the worst.
Positive thinking also starts when you talk to yourself. Most of the time self-talk boosts your self-confidence on a different level. Negative thoughts lower your confidence and your physical energy. That’s the reason you get tired of just thinking negatively, like the mistakes you have made in the past and worrying about the future. Just thinking positively helps you to focus more on good things.
3. Stop labeling yourself
The word “labeling” means something is assigned to a category. It means you labeled yourself by saying things like, “I’m an introvert”, “I’m an extrovert”, “I’m shy”, “I’m too funny”, and etc. By saying this you are limiting your capabilities, abilities. Which will drag you back. Labeling could have either positive or negative perspectives. Like, if someone has been labeled that “he/she is so genius” what if they got failure or got bad marks. They won’t take it casually because they have forgotten that it’s ok to fail. They constantly think about what people will say because everyone thinks that he/she is a genius who never gonna fail. This is how we label ourselves and limit our abilities. So just be you, it’s ok to fail, it’s ok to be not good at something about something you don’t know. Anything can happen in life, so just be who you are, do what makes you happy without labeling yourself.
4. Accept yourself the way you are
The first thing to keep in your mind is “No one is Perfect”. So, stop comparing yourself to others. Self-acceptance helps you to realize your potential, skills, and qualities. It helps you to acknowledge your character and habits. It includes body acceptance, self-protection from negative criticism, and believing in one’s capacities. Accepting yourself doesn’t mean only accepting what is good in you. But you must have to accept what is bad in you too. Accepting your faults helps you to improve yourself in a more positive way. Try to view your mistakes not as failures but as learning opportunities, and have the strength within to realize you control your reality and you’re the only one who can change it.
5. Remind yourself of your strengths
Every individual possesses unique qualities.it is very important to discover the strengths that you possess. Focusing on strengths not only boosts self-confidence but also motivates one to further take on challenges. Remind yourself, your qualities, your achievement, the way you have tackled the problems in your life. Make a list of everything you have achieved that you take pride in. And also make a list of your further plans and how you will achieve them. Read this list whenever you feel low and remind yourself of all the great things you have done!
6. Take good care of yourself
Everyone wants to look smart and cool without working for it. People don’t give enough time to themselves for betterment. But just wishing for it. You need to eat healthy food and keep yourself fit by following a proper regime of physical exercise. Always be nicely dressed. Though clothes do not define anyone, they definitely affect how people think about the person. When you are not dressed at your best, it affects your behavior with other people. When you are dressed well, it automatically makes you more confident. This will definitely make you present yourself in a more confident manner.
7. Do activities you enjoy
Make a list of your hobbies. Think of anything you do in your spare time that you find enjoyable or calming.
Like painting, biking, riding, cooking, etc. Everyone has different hobbies, explore them, take some time to do the things which bring you happiness and inner peace. Feeling good helps you to look more confident and pleasant. When you are happy from the inside it affects your outer behavior and personality.
8. Stay away from negative
“Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution.”
– Albert Einstein.
Negative people often have a demanding nature and put pressure on those close to them. Just observe with whom you stay and the way they treat you. Maybe there are some people who show you that they literally care for you but when you take steps for a good chance to the betterment of yourself or for improvement they don’t support you at all. And try to fill negative thoughts in your mind like, you can’t do this, this ain’t good for you, and so on. Instead of supporting you. Being with them leads you to lower your confidence and always doubt your potential.
9. Adopt an assertive self
Assertiveness is not the same as being aggressive. There is a fine difference between the two. While aggressive behavior is disliked as being negative, assertive behavior is always appreciated. Assertiveness is just being able to say what your own will wants you to say. It is being able to gather self-confidence to say ‘No’ or ‘Yes’ whenever you think it best to say.
10. Work towards developing new skills
It’s very important to enhance your knowledge and new skills to be able to feel more confident about yourself. Whatever you are going to do in your career you must have proper and complete knowledge and information about it. So, you could perform well and bravely. Reading more, joining a course, getting an additional qualification, etc. not only help maintain self-confidence but also help in growing both professionally and personally.
Confidence thrives on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection, and on unselfish performance. Without them, it cannot live. – ‘Franklin D. Roosevelt
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