To most people, a confident person is the picture of success. They seem to radiate with an unmistakable energy of power, accomplish their goals with ease and have a lasting and positive influence on the people around them. Many of the most celebrated leaders in the world have given credit to having a confident attitude for their achievements.
If you struggle with your confidence all is not lost. With determination and a vision for yourself, you can become more self-assured and aligned with the best version of yourself. If you want to learn the secrets to building your confidence then here is everything that you need to know.
What Is Confidence?
To be confident is to be sure of yourself and your abilities. It means that you regard yourself in a positive light and know exactly what you are capable of. Confident people don’t put limitations on themselves nor do they doubt what they can do – they have a sense of awareness that enables them to go after what they want.
The most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence.
Confidence is attractive, people treat you differently when you are sure of yourself. It can help you to step out of your comfort zone and have faith that you will make it.
Confidence is the ultimate feeling.
The Benefits of Being Confident
Be it your relationships, performance at work, sex life or the way you interact with strangers, having confidence can change your life. There are many benefits that have a positive impact on your mental health. It can even help you to reach your goals and open up a new world of opportunities.
When you familiarise yourself with the feeling of having more confidence you can create the life you want. Without the limitations that a meek and timid mindset the ‘impossible’ suddenly becomes within reach. With confidence, you can take on the world and win.
Here are some of the benefits when you develop more confidence:
- Less anxiety
- Feeling more determined
- Better self-belief
- Improve chances of success
- Increased sense of self-worth
- Improved social life
- Increase in overall happiness
- More willing to take (positive) risks
The possibilities of being more confident are endless. There are so many avenues that you can take and many parts of your life that will change for the better. With all the positivity that it brings there’s no reason why you shouldn’t work on this area of your life.
How You Can Become Confident
There are several ways that you can learn how to be more confident. By implementing these steps you can shift your mindset and improve your mentality. Here are the secrets to building your confidence…
Get To Know Your Blocks
When you understand the root cause of your confidence issues you can start to break down the issues and tackle the problem. Confidence issues can arise from childhood experiences and the way you have been treated by others. The external factors in your environment and the effect of others words can have a detrimental effect on your wellbeing and confidence.
In some cases, it can just be that you have developed negative beliefs about yourself. Whatever the cause of your confidence issues you need to know what they are and where they stemmed from before you take action. You have the power to rewrite the script of your life and determine the person that you want to be.
Nobody can dictate who you are. Whatever you believe about yourself is the truth, therefore now is the time to choose positive and affirmative statements about yourself. No matter what has happened in your past or you were treated by others you can overcome the impact that it has had on your confidence and redefine who you are.
Get Comfortable With Saying No
When the thought of saying no fills you with guilt, you know that you need to make a change. First, it’s important to understand that there is nothing wrong with saying no. Your time and energy are invaluable therefore no one should make you feel as though you can’t decline an invitation. Confident people have no qualms about saying no, if they feel uncomfortable saying yes or have no interest they will simply communicate this.
If you find that you are easily manipulated into doing something that you don’t want to do or you feel obliged to say yes whenever someone asks you to do something then you need to stand up for yourself. By just acknowledging this area of improvement you will take a step toward being more proactive and conquering this problem.
It’s all about setting boundaries and outlining what you are and are not ok with. Saying no doesn’t have to mean that you are rude or ill-mannered, it is your right to set the tone of how other people treat you. The more that you say no the less of an obstacle it will become, in the long run, people will respect you for laying out the law.
It will help you to build your confidence and take the first step to feel better about yourself. Stand tall and improve your communication skills.
Stop the Constant Comparisons
There’s nothing worse than going on social media and seeing everyone living their best lives while you feel down about yourself. The saying ‘comparison is the thief of joy’ is more relevant than ever in this digital age. The constant need to keep up appearances and the pressure of conforming to a certain way of living is enough to knock most people’s confidence.
The more you draw comparisons between your life and another person the worse off you will feel. Not only can it affect the way you feel about yourself but it can evoke feelings of jealousy and envy – two unhealthy emotions that plague the mind. These feelings can take away your peace and harmony.
If it means taking a break from social media or keeping a healthy distance from someone who makes you feel inadequate – do it. That’s not to say that you need to remove these people or things from your life but you need to take the time to work on yourself first before reinstating them.
Make a list of everything about yourself that you like about yourself. From your personality to your life and the way you look, write them all out and start feeling good. Focus more on gratitude to appreciate what you have and bring more abundance into your life.
Implementing this wellness exercise is a surefire way of increasing your confidence. Every little helps, the more that you recognise how great you are the better you will feel.
Be Conscious Of the Company You Keep
Your support system is one of the greatest tools that you can utilize. Having a group of positive and loving people around you will help you to feel more confident and self-assured. There’s nothing like the loving and uplifting words from the people you love the most to elevate your mood and instil a sense of self-belief.
Having high vibe friends and family members that help you to believe in yourself is crucial, however, and this is a big however, they must be well-meaning and positive – not yes men! You can’t grow and develop when you are surrounded by people that agree with your every move. Learning to build confidence needs the right energy and momentum to keep you going.
We’re talking about a healthy kind of confidence, not arrogance. Therefore your loved ones should help you to feel empowered and aligned with the best version of yourself. If you notice that your inner circle could do with a shake-up now is the time to make those changes.
Do your friends build you up or do they tear you down? Are your nearest and dearest rooting for you or are they waiting for your downfall? Be honest and start weeding out the people that hold you back from working on your confidence.
You deserve to have the best people around you who can help you on your journey. When the right people are by your side there is nothing that you cannot achieve.
Confront Your Fears
The more confident you are the more courageous you’ll feel. Developing more confidence will help you feel more empowered to go after what you want and claim the success that you crave. It takes practice, the more you face what scares you the more confident you will feel in the long run.
If you wish you were better at public speaking try to put yourself in situations where you need to address large groups of people. If you don’t feel confident enough to start your own business because you are afraid of failing, take a leap of faith. When you put aside your fears, confidence will take over.
Every successful person has been afraid of not achieving their goal or of a certain obstacle. The difference is that they still went after what they wanted and decided their worth. They knew that they were above their fears and when you believe in yourself so will you.
Don’t doubt yourself or entertain thoughts that discourage you. Confidence is a mindset that you can master the moment you decide to be fearless. As the saying goes, feel the fear and do it anyway.
Book Recommendation
The Chimp Paradox is an incredibly powerful mind management model that can help you become a happy, confident, healthier and more successful person. Prof Steve Peters explains the struggle that takes place within your mind and then shows how to apply this understanding to every area of your life so you can:
– Recognise how your mind is working
– Understand and manage your emotions and thoughts
– Manage yourself and become the person you would like to be
