How You Can Boost Your Self-Confidence In Just 6 Minutes
17 tips that will skyrocket your self-esteem
Self-confidence is a personality trait, the core of which is a positive assessment by the individual of their own skills and abilities as sufficient to achieve significant goals for them and meet their needs.
Self-confidence consists of such components as the ability to build boundaries, to say “no”, pragmatism, the ability to plan your life, and build your personal philosophy of life.
Achieving success in life requires a high level of self-confidence. It is impossible to always be self-confident, doubts about one’s own strengths and competencies are normal. The question is how one deals with these doubts. Ideally, it is worth “sorting them out”, understanding what these doubts have grown from, and solving this problem.
If you don’t have enough experience, you need to continue to work in this direction. If you lack knowledge, you need to improve your skills, study in courses, read scientific literature, etc. For a self-confident person, all doubts and obstacles are temporary, they can analyze their problems, solve them, and move on.
But often the reality is quite different. Doubts about one’s knowledge, competencies, choices, and strengths turn out to be so great that strong fear arises, which in critical cases can completely block vigorous activity and force one to abandon what was planned. These doubts cause a person to have self-doubt, which, like confidence, can become a personality trait and greatly complicate life for many years.
The key to self-confidence is learning to trust yourself and respect your own worth. Hence, self-confidence can also be viewed as self-esteem.
Self-esteem and confidence cannot be increased overnight, but they can be developed through a long training process. Stepping out of your comfort zone is essential. So, here are some tips you can implement to help you.
#1 — Record your successes
Make lists of things that have worked, instead of things that you still need to do. All those to-do lists are disastrous for self-confidence. It’s much better to keep track of successes. Cultivating more self-confidence is also a matter of focusing on the positive things in life.
#2 — Set challenging but realistic goals
Don’t try to do everything. If your demands are too high, you can always feel like a failure. Make sure you enjoy the things you can. But also try to do something that is just too difficult for you now and then. The more experience with succeeding in challenges, the more self-confidence you build. And the happier you become.
#3 — Get to know your positive qualities
Write down everything you do well on a list. Don’t be too modest, this is a great opportunity to pat yourself on the back! Use terms like “I am” and “I have.” Carry that list with you, check it from time to time, and update it regularly.
#4 — Look constructively at criticism
Criticism is part of life. Always be open to criticism from others, but know that that criticism is someone’s specific opinion. You can reject or accept it. You decide which criticism is important to you and which is not.
#5 — Hang out with successful people
People with low self-confidence often feel threatened by successful people. They would much rather hang out with people who are doing less well than themselves. While you can learn from successful people. Keep in mind that success attracts success, just as negativity attracts more negativity. Hang out with people you admire and you will be stimulated to achieve success yourself and develop more self-confidence.
#6 — Time for yourself gives you more self-confidence
Just do that Italian course, go for a swim, or go wine tasting. Make time and relax! When you take good care of yourself, you recognize that your needs are just as important as those of others. This increases your self-esteem and cultivates more self-confidence.
#7 — Lower your demands a little
For example, if you find it difficult to interact with strangers at parties, don’t expect to have a “nice, spontaneous conversation.” Determine in advance that a simple conversation, if necessary about the weather, with one person is sufficient. When you’ve done that, be satisfied and reward yourself.
#8 — Accept compliments
“Your work is awesome!”, “That’s not too bad, you should have seen the artworks of my fellow students!” Compliments are meant to boost your self-esteem. So accept them, thank the giver and hand out compliments yourself. It feels good to express your appreciation for others out loud, and you get appreciation in return. Make sure the compliments are genuine and don’t exaggerate.
#9 — Get rid of uncertainty
People with a negative self-image tend to jump to conclusions. That they are apparently not so nice, because they are only invited to a party at the last minute. In the absence of evidence for — or against — that statement, you simply have to allow the uncertainty. Conclude that there is no specific explanation, or that you just have to wait for the true meaning to emerge.
#10 — Invest in your personal growth
Actively invest in personal development. Read books about personal growth. Sign up for a course in assertiveness, self-esteem, stress management, self-control, time management, or communication skills. Coaching is one of the most effective ways to work on yourself.
#11 — Create bonds with others
Everyone wants to belong to others. Unmet can lead to isolation, alienation, loneliness, or depression. A sense of belonging enhances self-esteem and confidence. So, invest in your friends, join a tennis club, take singing lessons or start a reading club.
#12 — Make your phone calls with confidence
Need to make a difficult phone call? Then stand up. This gives a feeling of physical and psychological dominance — even if the other person cannot see you. And smile at the phone. A person who smiles appears more confident and self-aware and is treated with more respect.
#13 — Think more positively
Reprogram your thoughts. Recognize and challenge your negative ideas. Is there evidence for this thought? Do I make things worse than they already are? Do I have anything to do with this thought?
Then substitute positive thoughts to cultivate more self-confidence. You shouldn’t say, “I screwed up and I’m going crazy”. Instead, you can say “Okay, it didn’t go great, but everyone finds it difficult to speak in front of a group. The more often I do this, the better it will go.”
#14 — Watch your body language
Drooping shoulders, avoiding eye contact and a closed posture are signs of insecurity. Do you want a confident look? Then sit up straight, shrug your shoulders back, make eye contact, and smile with your whole face.
#15 — Be assertive
Assertiveness increases the likelihood of success in any human interaction. Be clear and honest, and when you criticize, criticize someone’s behavior, not their personality.
#16 — Don’t always compare yourself to others
Negative comparison is one of the eight thinking errors of people with low self-confidence. Immediately say “stop” when you compare and replace that negative thought with something positive that is separate from the situation. If you do compare yourself with someone else, let that person inspire you.
#17 — Don’t think in black and white
“If I’m not funny, I’m boring.” Black-and-white thinking forms the basis for perfectionism. Either you’re doing it right or you’re a failure. It’s an unrealistic way of thinking. No one is one hundred percent attractive or totally ugly, totally brilliant, or totally stupid. Be aware of the black-and-white fallacy, and don’t allow it any longer. These are common thinking mistakes.
Final thoughts
It’s always worth working on your self-confidence. Self-confident people end up radiating unshakeable sovereignty and deep contentment with themselves and their lives, which is enormously attractive to others. In this way, they not only gain a lot of sympathies but also attract professional and private success.
Thank you for reading!
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