Self-confidence. Whether we feel we have it (at least to some extent), or that we don’t, most all of us feel we need more at some time in our life. 
The good news is that you can rather easily boost your self-confidence by focusing your energy on just a few key aspects.
To start off, consider WHY you feel your self-confidence levels are low? One caution… when evaluating yourself and your feelings, look for symptoms of feeling worthless or “not worthy.” If these feelings are significant, it might be necessary to speak with a professional. However, if they are merely mild and/or annoying, rather than severe, then keep reading because these tips can likely help.
It is important to regain your confidence because it affects everything we do, including your career, friendships, and relationships.
Focus your energy on these tips below to get yourself back in the game. Stray away from thoughts such as, “I could never do that,” or “I’m afraid of failure.”. These thoughts prevent you from bettering yourself and moving forward.
There is ALWAYS room for improvement when it comes to self-esteem or self-confidence.
Consider these 6 tips to improve your self-confidence and improve your life.
- Create Lists
When seeking to improve your self-confidence, set goals and objectives – large and small – to work towards over time. Especially, be sure to write your goals down. Making lists - seeing your goals in words and writing – helps pave the pathway to improvement.
A key to achieving these goals, is ensuring they are realistic and attainable, so they don’t overwhelm you.
But that’s not the only lists you should create. You should also make lists of things in your life for which you’re grateful. Numerous studies in recent years have shown that simply acknowledging the good in our lives can have a direct correlation on our own feelings of self-worth.
What are you grateful for in your life? Write this down in addition to your goals. If you seem to struggle coming up with things to add to this list, get basic. Maybe it’s your family? Friends? Job? Or something as simple as having a roof over your head and food in your stomach. These things don’t have to be huge or even big. Maybe it’s even as simple as your ability to change a tire.
Once these lists are created, keep them handy and look back on them in times of low confidence or when you need to raise your spirits.
The website Early To Rise, shares a tool called WorkFlowy. It is a great tool that aids you in keeping your lists organized.
- Don’t compare yourself to others
Dr. Suess once said, “Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you.”
And he’s exactly right. If you want to compare, compare yourself to the person you were before (“before” anything) and how far you’ve come. There will always be someone out there who is “doing” their life better than you. But that’s their life, not yours. Your life is all about you.
- Accept failure as part of the journey
Don’t ever let yourself feel like a failure, even if you’ve wound up in a bad place. For example, knowing or realizing you’re in a bad place means you’re self-aware, which is good. Once you are aware of your own shortcomings, that is the first step. It also means you can then take action to fix the situation. Failure is life’s way of making us stronger. Don’t feel worthless, feel motivated to improve.
- Hush your inner critic
As stated above, it’s good to be self-aware. However, don’t let that voice of “failure” in your head consume you. Use that voice to move forward and improve. If that voice has consumed you, read the lists you wrote from Step 1. Remind yourself that you are good enough. Accept that and acknowledge it. Then block out any ideas or conceptions of being a “failure” and move forward on your journey to self-confidence improvement.
- Exercise
Early To Rise claims Australian researchers have found that exercising for health and fitness also leads to higher self-esteem. Being more physically active leads to feeling more energized. Progressing in exercise means that you’re pushing your own limits. Knowing you’re progressing, means that you are confident that you can accomplish more each time you are active.
- Explore and experiment
Experience is similar to knowledge. The more you “do” in life – even if the only accomplishment is the actual act of “doing” something – the more confident you will become. Facing your fears – such as the uncertainty that comes with new adventures – opens a door for you to explore even more areas in which you can succeed.
Buy that plane ticket. Sign up for ziplining through the forest. Reach outside of your comfort zone on a regular basis. You’ll increase your confidence and have exciting new stories of adventure to share with your friends and family because you’ve, “…been there, done that.”
English
Spanish