Self-confident people are greatly appreciated by others and motivate those who lack the self-confidence to emulate their energy. Confident people are willing to put their time and energy into trying new things. They are not afraid to take risks because they know regardless of the outcome they will be able to overcome any obstacle. Furthermore, self-confident people tend to be more positive and as a result, attract more positivity into their lives.
Is having this self-confidence appealing to you? Wouldn’t it be nice to live your life free of negative self-esteem? Well, I am here to tell you, that regardless of your age, or where you are currently at in life, it is possible to become a confident person. Here are 10 actions you can take today to boost your self-confidence.
Actions To Boost Your Self-Confidence
1. Find out what your strengths are and focus on them
Make a list of all of the things that you are good at. Maybe you are good at cooking, helping others through a difficult time, cleaning your house, organizing your office, etc. There are a lot of things that we are good at that we often overlook because we assume that everyone else is good at them as well. If you are having trouble coming up with a list, try asking those around you what they think some of your biggest strengths are. By focusing on yourself, you will begin to boost your confidence and feel better about yourself.
2. Learn something new
People with low self-confidence often hide in their comfort zones, afraid to take risks because they are worried about what the outcome may be. As a result, these individuals often don’t have an understanding of what they are capable of, preventing them from reaching their highest potential.
Instead of living in this comfort zone, try doing something new, or learning a new skill. You would be surprised at how many things you are good at that you would not even be aware of if you don’t try it. By succeeding at something new, you develop faith within yourself which boosts your confidence.
3. Exercise
Exercising is a great way to boost your self- confidence. Exercise not only affects your physical health, but it also affects your sense of well-being. By exercising for only 15-30 minutes a day, it allows your body to release endorphins which in turn boost self-confidence.
4. Limit the amount of time you spend on social media
Social media is without a doubt a confidence killer. The majority of people scroll through social media and compare themselves to others. We see photos of other people and instantly feel bad ourselves as they appear to be living the most perfect life. The truth is, it is just a highlight reel, and the majority of social media is not real life. According to D’amore Mental Health, the false portrayals create a gap between what social media users actually look like and what they believe they should look like, resulting in extreme body image and self-esteem issues. Once you begin to spend less time on social media, you will gradually start to see the positive effects it has on your confidence.
5. Stop the negative self-talk
Do you often find yourself having conversations with yourself? If so, this is completely normal and is also shown to be beneficial for your mental health. However, you must draw attention to what kind of conversations that you are having and what you are telling yourself.
We have all looked in the mirror and thought to ourselves, “I hate the way I look,” or, “This outfit makes me look so ugly.” You must slow down and realize the effects of these negative phrases. As our thoughts affect everything that we do, we must change the narrative and work on speaking to ourselves in a positive manner. Most importantly, thoughts are just thoughts. Most of the time, we don’t have any evidence to support them, however, we believe they must be true.
As a way to try and rid yourself of this negative self-talk you may experience, you must first recognize the negative phrases you often repeat to yourself. Each time you catch yourself thinking a negative thought, immediately correct yourself and replace it with something positive. While this is easier said than done, if you make an effort to stop the negative self- talk, you will begin to see positive results over time.
6. Put more positivity out into the world
A study performed by psychologists at Harvard University found that negativity not only spreads faster than positivity, but negative people also have a greater impact on our mood than positive people. By using negative words to put someone else down, in turn, affects how we view and feel about ourselves.
Make it a goal of yours to say at least 3 nice things a day to either a stranger that you see in passing, your coworkers, or your loved ones. By putting more positive thoughts out into the world, we are more likely to attract more positive people into our lives and will also boost our self-confidence.
7. Celebrate yourself
You are amazing and you are on this earth for a reason! Celebrate yourself and become your own cheerleader. When you accomplish a goal, take the time to reflect on all of the hard work that you put into it and be proud of yourself. Those with low self-confidence, tend to focus on the negative and all of the things that they did wrong, even though they should be proud of themselves for following through. Try not to be so hard on yourself all the time. Realize that you are trying your best and just keep working on becoming the best version of yourself.
8. Accept that you make mistakes
No one is perfect and we all make mistakes. Forget about the idea of trying to be perfect and please everyone around you. By trying to live up to this “perfect” standard, it creates unnecessary pressure and negatively impacts our confidence levels. Allow this mistake to teach you a lesson and become a better person because of it.
9. Make a list of all of the things you are grateful for
It is no secret that life isn’t easy. We are constantly faced with setbacks and when things don’t work out in the way we had hoped, it is hard to remain confident. However, you must realize that even through tough times, there are always things to be grateful for.
If you are having a difficult time, sit down and make a list of all of the things in your life that you are grateful for. Your house, friends, family, clean drinking water, food, etc. Then, make another list of all the goals that you have accomplished in the past, or things that you have done that make you proud. Post this list on your refrigerator, and whenever you need a confidence booster, read the list.
10. Surround yourself with positive people
Have you ever been spending time with someone and then once you leave, you notice that your energy is drained and you don’t feel good about yourself? This is because the people that you surround yourself with greatly influence how you feel about yourself. Take the time to evaluate those whom you spend your time with, including family members and friends.
While it may not be easy to fully distance yourself from others, you must consider even taking a short break from them. By allowing yourself to take some space away from these individuals, you will begin to see a huge difference in your confidence.
Final Thoughts
I hope that you enjoyed reading some of the actions you can take to boost your self-confidence. Don’t forget about what you just read and think to yourself that you will worry about it later. Starting today, you should incorporate these actions into your lives. While becoming a confident person is a journey and doesn’t happen overnight, you will eventually begin to feel the confidence growing within you!
