It’s tough to go through life not feeling good enough. So that’s why we put together this guide to build confidence. Stay hopeful that you can work through difficult feelings and get to a better place soon. It involves using certain strategies, and that’s where we come in.
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Not Worrying What Others Think
Yes, your mom said this once or a hundred times growing up: don’t worry what anyone else thinks about you. Well, she was right (as usual). Your energy is better spent putting the attention toward you and improving yourself rather than wasting it worrying about the opinions of other people. The good news is that it’s possible to overcome self-doubt with a little extra effort on your part. You need to first believe in yourself if you want others to do the same. It’s that simple, really. Here are the concrete steps to build confidence:
Identify What’s Holding Your Back
It’s important to dissect your emotions and what might specifically be holding you back from feeling confident. Maybe it’s that you didn’t perform well on a big project at work or that you were unsuccessful at a new hobby. Becoming more aware of what scenarios or instances have made you feel uncomfortable in the past can help you better tackle these types of situations in the future.
It all starts with changing how you look at these situations. Stop seeing them as failures and instead look at them as learning experiences. When you start to do so, you’ll likely find you have an easier time trying to build your confidence in the upcoming days.
Challenge Yourself
Now, when you are unconfident, is also the perfect opportunity to challenge yourself without having any set expectations. The more difficult the situation you put yourself in, the easier other scenarios will be to handle going forward.
Every experience you have is a chance to build confidence and witness for yourself that you can successfully overcome your fears. Get out of your comfort zone; it’s a critical first step for you to be able to stop overthinking every move you make. And this is when you start truly living.
Exclusive Tip: Pick one activity each day that you feel is challenging. Over time, this action will get easier.
Improve Your Beauty Routine
When you have physical insecurities, you’re less likely to take time with your physical appearance. I remember I used to go days without brushing my hair. It just wasn’t important to me as I didn’t value myself.
When you take care of yourself, whether it be a simple act like showering in the morning or a spritz of perfume, you will likely find you feel fresher and at least a bit better about yourself than before. Taking time for yourself is really worth it. You’re telling yourself that you’re worth the time spent on these activities – and you are!
Focus and care for YOU. When you look good, you simply feel good and will have a brighter outlook on life and your place in it. Taking time to enhance your beauty routine is a strategy to overcome any physical insecurities about the self.
Take pride in how you present yourself, from the clothes you wear to how you style your hair. Also, invest in products such as long-lasting makeup, trendy nail polish hues, and razors that leave your skin feeling silky smooth. You can go online to learn more about the beauty products you need to have as part of your daily beauty regime, so you always look your best.
For example, did you know that applying a coat of mascara, which only takes a minute or two, can help you instantly look more awake? It doesn’t have to be an ultra-expensive brand either. Maybelline mascaras are affordable and long-lasting.
Be More Curious
When you approach situations with curiosity instead of fear, you’re likely to feel less anxious. And, ahem, more confident. Focus on all the possibilities that come from having an open mind. Think about what could be, instead of assuming you’re not good enough right from the start.
Why is being curious important? It will position you as a problem solver, seeking out more information to find answers rather than focusing instead on worrying about if you might fail.
Curiosity is the foundation of personal growth and learning. It is the route to expand your mind and knowledge base. This strategy can make you more comfortable taking on new experiences and enjoying life with all there is to discover in it.
Talk to Others about How You Feel
At a time like this, it’s okay to reach out and seek encouragement from others. It could be you discussing your apprehensions with a close friend or family member, or even working with a professional life coach. The key is to open up and get input from those around you, so you can begin to see for yourself all you have to offer.
They may be able to point out strengths you haven’t even noticed in yourself, which can help you feel good and build confidence. Gather feedback both in your personal life and at work to help you pinpoint what you’re doing well so you can continue to excel in these areas.
Recall Your Strengths
One way to help you when you lack confidence is to sit down and recall what you’re good at and have already accomplished. It’s easy to forget about all the talents you have when feeling down about your abilities.
Exclusive Tip: Make a list of what others say are your strengths. Then review this list to help you boost your confidence.
Spend time affirming yourself. That’s right, make sure your inner voice is supportive and not working against you. Identify your strengths to get more in tune with reality versus letting your mind spiral into “you’re good at anything” and other negative thoughts.
Keep a Positive Attitude
Pay attention to what you’re telling yourself daily. Be an active player in creating a better self-image. Keeping a positive attitude throughout your days will help build confidence. It’s important to be able to pick yourself back up and continue trying to succeed if you want to overcome a lack of confidence. Here are some related points:
- Actively filter in positive messaging
- Don’t let other people or circumstances easily sway your self-image
- The more positive your attitude, the quicker you rise above adversity
Conclusions on How to Build Confidence
Know that it’s normal and natural to go through periods of life when you lack self-confidence. Take time to apply these tips to help you through trying times. Learn to be more accepting of who you are and what you’re capable of achieving in a day, week, month, and so on.
You have to be able to find inspiration from the inside and have less concern for what others think about you in order to build a brighter future for yourself. Enjoy the process of self-growth and track your progress to see how far you come after just a short while of using these suggestions. Build confidence, yes – It all starts today!
Hello, I really like your blog and have nominated you for the Liebster Award. I hope that you will accept the award and that you enjoy answering the questions. I have already added a link to your blog. With love, Debby Winter
Thank you, Debby!
Really needed to read this today. Thanks Christy.
You deserve only the best, Alison!
Great advice. Especially the recalling of advice paragraph.
Positive reminders can do wonders! :)
These are all great tips. I’ve been focusing a lot on identifying what holds me back in various parts of my life. It’s been quite the enlightening process.
Good for you Jeri for taking time to self-analyze. Many people just avoid it as it’s easier to 1) find dirt and then 2) stick head in it ;)
Love your inspirational posts Christy. <3
And I love your taking time to read them, dear friend!
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Great post Christy! I remember reading in a book, that somehow woman have been conditioned to self-doubt and withdraw from taking complete credit. And it is so important to come out of it and finally take the appreciation, the confidence and the determination that we so dearly deserve!
I’m cheering at what you wrote as it really is motivational, Prajakta!!
Wow, what a great post! As a new mom I feel like I constantly need to remind myself every day to be proud and let the guilt go away. Thank you!
Let go of guilt… yes. Do it for YOU not for anyone else xx
Great post! We women are our worst critics and sometimes (often) have to work at building confidence. These are simple but powerful suggestions. The more we are challenged, the more confidence one has. These are useful to anyone at any age!
Aw your words of support are lovely to read today, Jo!
That was a really good post, Christy. I think the suggestions are all really solid and this can benfit people. Cheers!
Thanks Chris!!
Great post, Christy! I think it’s so easy to be hard on ourselves; I know I do it sometimes, and my family points it out. :) Happy weekend, my friend. xo
Great post! Just what I really needed to read. In fact, I do some of these already. I’m always better to criticize myself or think I’ll fail at something even when I haven’t started. I really enjoyed the section about seeing things from a curiosity position rather then with fear, that makes a huge difference. Thanks for the post!
Curiosity over fear, 100%. It is wonderful to read that this post helps you xo
Hi Christy,
When I find myself lacking confidence, just changing my perspective from what bad might happen to what can I learn, makes all the difference in the world.
And asking others what they think our strong points are helps because we tend to focus on our shortcomings and minimize our strengths.
Great post!
Every day is a learning opportunity, my friend. Every day.
Great post, Christy!
You’re awesome, Lisa xo
So are you!
Hugs!