5 confidence building tips to start using right now

One of the traits that successful individuals share is confidence. But how do you get more of it, exactly? Apply these 5 confidence building tips.

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Money Kinetics, Singapore’s definitive guide to financial literacy, from understanding costs to achieving financial freedom.

Before getting into the strategies though, let’s define confidence.

What is confidence?

Confidence is what enables you to handle the challenges of daily life. Everyone has the ability to learn how to be confident in every area of their lives, from school and work to relationships.

A self-confident individual inspires other people to develop their own sense of confidence. And is usually admired by others around them too.

Self-confidence consists of being able to do two things well:

• Take calculated risks, and
• Confront fears directly

Regardless of what challenges come your way, you have the assurance that you can move beyond them.

When you have confidence, you are likely to observe your life from a positive perspective, even if things go wrong. A confident person usually has respect for who they are and is content with their choices.

Mastering confidence building tips

A high level of confidence on a daily basis is an awesome thing. And the good news is that you can have that.

Lacking self-assurance is not a situation that you must live with for the rest of your life. Just like other skills in life, confidence is learnable.

Yes, you can master it. But before anyone else can believe in you, first you have to believe in yourself.

And here are the ways you’re going to start doing exactly that.

5 confidence building tips

When you first start using these strategies, they might feel forced. Okay, it’s more likely than not you’ll feel that way.

Inside you’ll probably feel like it only seems you’re confident. Over time though, your poise will grow from an authentic place.

As the saying goes, fake it till you make it.

Let’s do this!

1. Stay positive

One of the key steps to grow your confidence is assessing your group of family and friends. This activity can be challenging but take the time to honestly look at those relationships.

It’s essential to think about excluding anyone who diminishes your independence and continually puts you down. Even a short break from a negative person can have a significant impact on your sense of self.

That break (or full disconnect) from a particular person might be exaclty what you need to move towards a high level of confidence.

Essentally, you’re building a positive, supportive network. One that helps you gain assurance of your self and boosts your esteem.

Of course, you can’t be Debbie Downer in this environment. At least not if you want these confidence building tips to work.

That means that even if you do not really feel positive, you need to make an effort to be more enthusiastic when interacting with other people. To do so involves first reflecting on your thoughts and actions.

Now that you’ve taken out any negative people from your family and friends network, hopefully this process is a bit easier than before.

Create excitement about the things you want to do. Set goals so that you will have something to look forward to (if it’s changing your career then read this simple guide).

And here’s a must:

Rather than paying attention to the difficulties in your life, start to focus on finding solutions to your problems. And make positive changes to reach those end points.

2. Body language and appearance

Next, focus on aspects such as making eye contact, smiling, and maintaining good posture.

Stand tall

Simply standing upright can give an instant air of poise.

Smile

You can make people feel more comfortable by smiling, which will also make you feel good. Of course I’m loving that smiles are part of the confidence building tips!

Envision a confident person who has a bright smile and good posture. Then become her.

Eye contact

Do your best to look at people when you talk to them. Eye contact indicates confidence. Take time to speak clearly and ensure that people understand what you tell them.

Appearance

Your appearance positively relates to your self-confidence.

Dressing well and styling your hair, those are worthwhile steps towards improving your image and overall sureness. Looking good helps you feel good and other people will perceive you as being poised.

If you buy new clothes, put them on a day or two before you wear them out of the house. Make sure they fit well and you’re comfortable in them before going out. That way you’ll feel your best and make the best impression possible too.

More confidence building tips

3. Stay on track

Everything in life has a solution, which means that you do not have to quit every time things get tough.

Succeeding under difficult circumstances is a major confidence booster. Negative thoughts often lead to fear and self-doubt.

Thus, if you dismiss yourself constantly, and believe you are not capable of achieving anything, you will be predicting the worst outcomes for your own life. And make them come true possibly too (boo, hiss).

So switch off negative thoughts and focus on positive affirmations instead.

4. Preperation

You should always be well prepared for the things that you think are likely to come your way. Take time to learn all the things you need to know about your next presentation, for example.

On a broader level, get to know those things about your job that you’ve been putting off, study industry trends, and finally join Toastmasters to conquer public speaking.

Really you can brush up on anything that you are expected to deal with professionally as a way to boost self-confidence.

While you can’t prepare for everything, a lot of it you CAN. If you want to take out a loan, for example, do ample research before choosing a financial institution and ultimately signing a contract. From student loans to home loans; they differ considerably, and so research can make you feel more confident.

Proper preparation combined with the required knowledge will cause your confidence levels to rise. For positive results.

5. Create a list of achievements

As you follow these confidence building tips, there will likely be times when self-doubt starts to creep in.

With all the challenges that can arise in life, it happens. So, it’s always a good idea to create a list of things that you are grateful for. As well as a list of the things that you have achieved professionally or personally.

After making these lists, post them somewhere that will constantly remind you of your purpose. A few suggestions for where to put those lists are:

• The bathroom mirror
• Refrigerator door
• Side of your computer desk

Looking at the great life you have and believing that you are a great person will help to revive your sense of self when it starts to waver. Using these lists as reminders will hopefully inspire you over and over again.

Writing in a journal is also helpful for observing your thoughts and getting to know yourself better. One day you will look at the list you made and realize how far you’ve come.

Benefits, bring on the benefits!

Self-confidence is important for many reasons that have likely become clear during this read. It enables you to have a positive approach to life and increases the possibilities of doing new or enjoyable things.

It also increases self-worth that makes it easier for you to maintain your confidence over the long-term. With poise, you can also take control of your life and achieve your goals.

There are different ways to build confidence. During the process you get a chance to learn many more things about yourself and become more positive.

All while doing things that might have previously scared you.

More and more possibilities can arise from applying these confidence building tips. That’s because you’re changing your mindset towards accomplishing the things you want to do.

In other words, your focus is on what’s doable rather than what’s missing.

Conclusions on confidence building tips

These strategies range from getting rid of negative thoughts and changing your body language to surrounding yourself with a supportive network. Oh and and learning more about yourself too along the way!

Confidence is something that everyone can develop as time goes on. That’s true even if you’re on the low end of it right now.

Although everyone has self-doubts occasionally, low self-confidence can make you feel insecure. So you have to analyze what things are having an adverse effect on your assuredness, such as loneliness or comparing yourself to other people.

No matter what influences your self-confidence and overall opinion of yourself, there are many things you can do to improve your confidence. Even if you takeaway just one of these confidence building tips, that could have an great effect on your life.

With practice and time, you can be a more confident person and become a source of inspiration for others.