Self-confidence is the positive and honest belief in your own value. Healthy self-confidence is at the root of success and achievement. Self-confidence helps you set realistic goals, accept responsibility, collaborate, take risks and embrace your dreams.
Self-esteem doesn’t come from what you look and feel like on the outside, it comes from within. Your core beliefs determine your self-worth. You can choose and create a new belief about you- you are great!
Whether you already possess healthy self-confidence or need a little nudge in the right direction, here are some ways to boost your confidence and celebrate you today!
List your attributes.
A fun challenge is to make a list of your best qualities. Write it down on paper to fully experience the awesomeness of you. Write it in color. Draw pictures. Make it uniquely you.
If this exercise is difficult for you, you can start by asking others for help. Ask a trusted friend to help you brainstorm your strengths. Use this brainstorming session as a starting point and add to your list as you can.
Accept your limitations.
No one is perfect. I repeat, no individual is perfect, and you don’t have to be perfect to be great.
We all have limitations and you can better use your strengths if you are aware of your weaknesses. Your weaknesses don’t define you, they are simply the boundary between what you can and can’t do. You can’t be it all or do it all, and that’s okay.
Your limitations make you accessible to others so don’t hide who you are- embrace yourself!
Don’t “should” yourself.
“Should” suggests obligation and usually serves to make us feel guilty, and “should” commonly creates negative expectations of yourself.
Starting today, strike “should” from your vocabulary. There is nothing in life you should do to be a great individual and live a happy life. There are things you can do, and ultimately what you do is your choice, and that choice itself is usually neither good or bad.
Be honest with yourself and others.
Many people have learned to exaggerate thoughts and feelings. Being honest with yourself and others minimizes dramatic mood swings and extreme thinking that may accompany low self-esteem.
If you find yourself getting caught up in self-judgment (positive or negative), ask yourself, “where’s the evidence?” A feeling isn’t true just because it feels true, and very few situations in life as bad or as good as we give them credit for. A balanced, honest self-image allows for healthy self-confidence.
Try something new.
A sure way to build confidence is to tackle a challenge! Whether or not you succeed is less important than challenging yourself and learning about you in the process.
If you succeed on your first try, you’ll know you can do it! If you don’t succeed at first, you can assess what you learned and try again. Succeeding after failure is a bigger confidence booster than succeeding on the first try!
Practice positive self-talk.
What you tell yourself is more important than what others tell you and you will believe what you tell yourself, so tell yourself something positive about you.
You may not be able to stop negative thoughts from popping up, but you can consciously think two positive thoughts when you catch yourself thinking negatively.
Better yet, say your positive self-talk out loud. Say it to yourself in the mirror. It may feel strange at first, but it will begin to feel great!
Accept compliments.
A simple, “thank you” is a great response to a compliment. A self-affirming response would be, “thank you. I really worked hard and I’m proud of my accomplishment. I appreciate your acknowledgment.”
When accepting a compliment, avoid qualifying or negating the compliment. Chances are you deserve the praise if you’re receiving it.
Show others how to treat you.
How you treat another person tells that person how you feel you deserve to be treated in kind. Treat others with respect, compassion, kindness and honesty and it’s likely they’ll return that to you.
Did you find these tips useful? I wrote a book that contains a lot more information and exercises around this topic, and it’s currently available for pre-order! Click here to learn more!
I love your comments! Today, I invite you to respond by leaving a comment with at least one good quality about you.
Image courtesy of shinesforyou.