10 Ways to Instantly Build Self Confidence
Self confidence is the difference between feeling
unstoppable and feeling scared out of your wits.
Your perception of yourself has an enormous
impact on how others perceive you. Perception is
reality — the more self confidence you have, the
more likely it is you’ll succeed.
Although many of the factors affecting self
confidence are beyond your control, there are a
number of things you can consciously do to build
self confidence. By using these 10 strategies you
can get the mental edge you need to reach your
potential.
Build Self Confidence
1. Dress Sharp Although clothes don’t make the man, they
certainly affect the way he feels about himself. No
one is more conscious of your physical appearance
than you are. When you don’t look good, it
changes the way you carry yourself and interact
with other people. Use this to your advantage by taking care of your personal appearance. In most
cases, significant improvements can be made by
bathing and shaving frequently, wearing clean
clothes, and being cognizant of the latest styles.
This doesn’t mean you need to spend a lot on
clothes. One great rule to follow is “spend twice as
much, buy half as much”. Rather than buying a
bunch of cheap clothes, buy half as many select,
high quality items. In long run this decreases
spending because expensive clothes wear out less easily and stay in style longer than cheap clothes.
Buying less also helps reduce the clutter in your
closet.
2. Walk Faster One of the easiest ways to tell how a person feels
about herself is to examine her walk. Is it slow?
tired? painful? Or is it energetic and purposeful?
People with confidence walk quickly. They have
places to go, people to see, and important work to
do. Even if you aren’t in a hurry, you can increase your self confidence by putting some pep in your
step. Walking 25% faster will make to you look and
feel more important.
3. Good Posture Similarly, the way a person carries herself tells a
story. People with slumped shoulders and lethargic
movements display a lack of self confidence. They
aren’t enthusiastic about what they’re doing and
they don’t consider themselves important. By
practicing good posture, you’ll automatically feel more confident. Stand up straight, keep your head
up, and make eye contact. You’ll make a positive
impression on others and instantly feel more alert
and empowered.
4. Personal Commercial One of the best ways to build confidence is listening
to a motivational speech. Unfortunately,
opportunities to listen to a great speaker are few
and far between. You can fill this need by creating a
personal commercial. Write a 30-60 second speech
that highlights your strengths and goals. Then recite it in front of the mirror aloud (or inside your
head if you prefer) whenever you need a
confidence boost.
5. Gratitude When you focus too much on what you want, the
mind creates reasons why you can’t have it. This
leads you to dwell on your weaknesses. The best
way to avoid this is consciously focusing on
gratitude. Set aside time each day to mentally list
everything you have to be grateful for. Recall your past successes, unique skills, loving relationships,
and positive momentum. You’ll be amazed how
much you have going for you and motivated to
take that next step towards success.
6. Compliment other people When we think negatively about ourselves, we
often project that feeling on to others in the form of
insults and gossip. To break this cycle of negativity,
get in the habit of praising other people. Refuse to
engage in backstabbing gossip and make an effort
to compliment those around you. In the process, you’ll become well liked and build self confidence. By looking for the best in others, you indirectly
bring out the best in yourself.
7. Sit in the front row In schools, offices, and public assemblies around
the world, people constantly strive to sit at the back
of the room. Most people prefer the back because
they’re afraid of being noticed. This reflects a lack of
self confidence. By deciding to sit in the front row,
you can get over this irrational fear and build your self confidence. You’ll also be more visible to the
important people talking from the front of the
room.
8. Speak up During group discussions many people never
speak up because they’re afraid that people will
judge them for saying something stupid. This fear
isn’t really justified. Generally, people are much
more accepting than we imagine. In fact most
people are dealing with the exact same fears. By making an effort to speak up at least once in every
group discussion, you’ll become a better public
speaker, more confident in your own thoughts,
and recognized as a leader by your peers.
9. Work out Along the same lines as personal appearance,
physical fitness has a huge effect on self
confidence. If you’re out of shape, you’ll feel
insecure, unattractive, and less energetic. By
working out, you improve your physcial
appearance, energize yourself, and accomplish something positive. Having the discipline to work
out not only makes you feel better, it creates
positive momentum that you can build on the rest
of the day.
10. Focus on contribution Too often we get caught up in our own desires. We
focus too much on ourselves and not enough on
the needs of other people. If you stop thinking
about yourself and concentrate on the contribution
you’re making to the rest of the world, you won’t
worry as much about you own flaws. This will increase self confidence and allow you to
contribute with maximum efficiency. The more you
contribute to the world the more you’ll be
rewarded with personal success and recognition.
