Does it not seem that some people are just born with self-confidence? You watch those individuals walk through life seamlessly, with the confidence oozing out of their pores. For others, self-confidence takes work. So below are 8 actions that you can take to boost your self-confidence so that you can begin living the life that you are meant to live.
- Groom yourself and dress nice. This may sound like a no-brainer; however, we can often fall into a routine of just tossing something on and going. Take the time to groom yourself and put together an outfit that makes you feel good about yourself. By doing this, you can completely alter your mood and it will affect the energy you give off.
- Avoid negative thoughts and think positive. Have you ever caught yourself saying “I am uglier than…” or “I am not as smart as…”? Stop the negative thoughts. Negative thoughts will help bring your self-esteem down and low self-esteem does not equate to a person having self-confidence. A way to get over the negative thoughts is to concentrate on replacing the negative thoughts with positive thoughts. So the next time you think of a negative thought, replace it with a positive affirmation about yourself.
- Exercise. When you exercise, your body releases chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins are the body’s natural way of minimizing pain and discomfort, while bringing about feelings of euphoria and general well-being. Not only will you have that natural happy-feeling, you will also get in physical shape which will be an automatic confidence booster.
- Help others. When you help others you will begin to feel good about the person you are sharing with the world. In turn, the way you treat others is how you are treated therefore others will be kind and help you. It is an all-around benefit for everyone.
- Challenge yourself. Set goals that are progressive. Start small so you build up to the harder goals. Who feels confident when they set the hardest goal for themselves from the start and never meets that goal? So start off making small goals that are realistic to achieve. Once you begin achieving the small goals that are set, you will find yourself building up to achieve the more challenging goals and succeeding.
- Acknowledge your accomplishments. When you achieve the small goals that you have set for yourself, celebrate them no matter how small they seem to you. If you do not acknowledge you, who else will? Acknowledging your accomplishments acts as a positive reinforcement so that you will continue on your road to success.
- Eat well. You are what you eat says ProteinPowderXpert, meaning if you eat bad, unhealthy foods then you will feel bad and ultimately it will show in your physical appearance as well. It is hard to be self-confident if you are not happy with your appearance.
- Stop comparing yourself to others. This is huge, especially in our social media driven world. We can ALWAYS find someone that we think is more attractive or is more successful than we are in life. Accept you are different from everyone around you and use that positivity to continue to push yourself to grow. How boring would the world be if we all looked and acted alike? Focus on what is important to you in life and remind yourself that life is not a competition.
Self-confidence does not happen overnight. Understand that building your self-confidence will take time. Feeling good about yourself starts from within. Once you begin to make those internal changes, your body language will change as you will stop fidgeting, start making eye contact and walking with your shoulders back. That is when people will notice the change in you as well.