When you see people who appear to be self-confident and sure of their every move, what goes through your mind?
Do you know someone who seems to succeed at everything they do? Are you convinced that it’s because they are smarter, luckier or better than you are?
It’s very likely that none of those things are true. Self-confident people generally do have one special thing going for them though. Would you like to know what that is?
They understand the impact of believing in themselves and relying on their abilities.
This confidence ultimately creates opportunities for success and with each new success another boost to their self-confidence. Success builds on success creating a self-confident mindset that is reinforced with each new accomplishment.
A perception of a self-confident person changes how they view their world. When people perceive themselves as able to achieve anything they set their mind to, this perception shapes their reality.
Yes, perception shapes reality and you can become the confident, self-assured person you want to be.
Here are 7 helpful tips to boost your self-confidence.
1) Acknowledge and list existing areas of self-confidence.
Any area in your life where you are producing good results is an area where you have confidence in your own abilities. Take some time to examine and list those areas along with the beliefs and feelings that support them.
2) Start where you know you can succeed.
One effective way to build your self-confidence is to choose an area in your life where you know you can take control. No matter who we are, there is always some area in our life where we feel a level of competence. Start by setting a reachable goal in that direction and then take action.
3) Rinse and repeat.
When you experience success, set another reachable goal in that same direction and follow through with more action. Continue this pattern until you become comfortable with your ability to produce your intended outcome.
4) Expand your efforts.
Next, choose another area in your life where you have a degree of competence and repeat the process. As your feelings of confidence grow, allow yourself to identify with your success. Learn to view yourself as a successful person and attach feelings of approval to your positive experiences.
5) Enlist some external feedback.
Explain your challenge to a friend and ask them to provide you with some positive feedback every time you succeed in producing an intended result. Now you will have both an external and an internal positive validation.
6) Walk the walk and talk the talk.
Adopt the external characteristics of someone with a great deal of confidence. If you walk, talk, dress and conduct yourself like a person who is very confident, you will send signals to your own nervous system that say, “I am very self-confident.” You will also send those same messages to every one you come in contact with.
7) Make self-confidence part of your identity.
Embracing a positive view of yourself that empowers you to confidently take action in the direction of your goals is a huge step in your personal development. If you experience any disappointing results don’t link them to your personal identity. They are just part of the process. Make adjustments and move on.
Once you have established a pattern of success you develop the emotional viewpoint of a successful person. This mindset will give you the self-confidence to continue the successful pattern. Because your actions have produced positive results in the past, you have every reason to believe that they will produce successful results in the future. This is the kind mindset that will fill you with optimism and give the courage to take on new challenges with confidence.
