by Ruchika Kalsi Kapil – Updated 16-09-2021
Looking for ways to Boost Your Confidence? – Being confident comes from practice and here’s how you can do it!!
Being Confident is the most attractive trait anyone can possess as it helps us navigate through the everyday humps and dumps in our lives. It is situational and easily gets busted and that is the reason why, we need to keep looking out for ways to boost it.
Self Confidence is often considered a key ingredient to success in one’s life. For some, being confident or looking confident could be a part of their personality while for others, it might be a skill that they should learn and acquire.
This article talks about ways in which one can grow oneself into a super confident person who has a high self-esteem and believes in not just their own abilities but also, in what others are capable of.
So, let’s look at these ways and learn how you can boost your confidence.
1. Learn
Being confident requires learning – updating knowledge and upgrading skills.
There’s nothing more alluring in this world than knowledge. The more you read and experience, the more knowledge you have. And today, when everything is available right at the click of a mouse, learning is easier. So, gain knowledge, learn new skills and gain confidence.
If you are up for a meeting (Formal/ Casual), ready yourself with the information you need to know, prepare and this preparation is what will boost your confidence.
Pro Tip: Once you are in the meeting, LISTEN, be CURIOUS and surely, share the information you have.
2. Practice Confident Body Language
An individual’s posture, gesture and facial expressions can give powerful cues about how he/she feels irrespective of what he/she says.
Hence, practice a confident body language for that confidence boost, like:
- Smile
- Don’t Slouch, keep your Spine and Shoulders Erect
- Look Straight, not down, have an Eye Contact
- Chin Up
- Have a Show of Hands, don’t hide them in your pockets
- Have a Superman stance
- Have a Firm Handshake
It’s important to understand that the equation here works both the ways i.e. you practice a good body language and hence look confident. And also, you are confident and hence, you show a good body language.
3. Dress Well
Nobody likes shabby dressing and as a matter of fact, the way one dresses has a great impact on how one feels. So, if you want to feel good and confident then you have to dress good and confident.
Always dress appropriately, according to the place and occasion and ensure that the garment is clean, neat and properly ironed.
4. Pay Attention to Grooming
Grooming like Dressing has an impact on confidence. Obviously, unkept nails and hair wouldn’t make one look impressive.
So, make a point to have regular manicures and pedicures with regular haircuts and hair coloring (if you require it).
It’s important to spend a little time taking care of yourself because it will help increase your self-esteem.
One might feel that addressing body language, dressing and grooming is very superficial but here we need to understand the fact that self-image issues hurt an individual’s self-esteem that in turn impacts his/her confidence. So, it’s necessary to take them into consideration as well.
5. Face Your Fears
Our personal fears are our biggest confidence busters.
Do you have an important presentation coming up and you are afraid of public speaking and being everyone’s centre of attraction? OR
Are you stuck in a bad relationship and fear the consequences of taking the right decision? OR
Is it something as simple as, making a choice between a black and a red dress for a date because black would make you look thin and your last break up happened when you were wearing red??
Whatever is our personal dilemma, they are Spot On and cause self-doubt!! But the best way to gain confidence back is by taking charge of the situation and facing them Head On!!
Pro Tip : Prepare well and evaluate your pros and cons.
6. Set Goals with Deadlines and meet them
Our lives must progress each day with the achievement of a goal. It’s very important that we set realistic targets and make every effort to achieve them in the stipulated time lines. After all a goal without a deadline is just a dream.
When we consistently achieve within our deadlines, that is what gives our self-confidence a boost.
7. Believe in Yourself
Self-belief is the foundation on which the realms of self-confidence are built. Whereas Self-belief is something more intrinsic and focuses on a person’s values, belief systems, abilities, thought processes about one self, Self-confidence is extrinsic. It comes from experiences, learning new skills, qualifications, overcoming obstacles and achievements. A gradual exposure to these would either increase or decrease self-confidence.
Hence, ensure that you never talk negative to yourself about your capabilities. The chat with the inner self has to be positive always. Because when you are positive inside that positivity reflects on the outside and has an impact on what you do and how you do it.
8. Say No
Are you a Yes Person?
A Yes Person is somebody who has difficulty in saying ‘No’. Such people are always trying to please others even at the cost of their happiness and welfare.
Frankly, not being able to tell a ‘No’ can be quite stressful, especially when you want to and you are not able to. Hence, the solution is to practice saying ‘No’, starting with smaller issues and gradually proceeding to those that really matter.
No wonder ‘Practice maketh a man perfect’, and a woman too. 😊
This ability of being able to say the right thing at the right time will help you to be more confident.
9. Identify your Strengths and Weaknesses
Have a peek into yourself, your experiences, accomplishments and think about which were your defining moments. Ponder on the factors and traits that helped you achieve something. While it’s important to know your positives or strengths, it is also favorable to know the negatives or weaknesses.
It’s always a mix of your strengths and weaknesses that help you accomplish in life. And when you accomplish, you gain confidence.
10. Act good
Anything and everything that’s positive like extending or accepting a help, being kind and generous, showing gratitude, sharing, complimenting others etc will make you feel good about yourself. And when you feel good about yourself, you think positive thoughts and that is what boosts your confidence.
11. Change a Habit You Don’t Like
If one wants to quit smoking OR wants to sleep early so that they can get up early. – Then all of these changes would require some extent of effort, perseverance and persistence.
And after all the hard work, if one ends up achieving what they wanted, don’t you think that will boost their confidence!!!
12. Do the Right Thing
It really matters to know the difference between the right and the wrong and then make a conscious choice of Doing the Right Thing. Have you ever wondered about which moments in your life have made you feel jumpy, may be guilty?
Think about it and you will realize that these included certain events where in you had lied, hurt or taken advantage of somebody, been unfair or wronged someone in some way.
So just as doing positive things make you feel good, doing a negative thing will make you feel bad and thus affect your confidence negatively.
13. Take Responsibility
Being responsible and accountable for something is not everyone’s cup of tea. Most people shrug off as soon as they hear the word responsibility. But it can be a powerful tool for those who really want to achieve their dreams and move in the direction of success.
So, being in charge of something will definitely help you increase your confidence.
14. Chew On
This is more of a trick than a tip, when you want to boost your confidence levels.
Whenever you feel anxious about something and think that you will not be able to meet up to the expectations because probably, you don’t have the skills or you are not adequately prepared, then chew something like a gum.
Because when you chew, the brain perceives it as a situation that’s relaxed otherwise you won’t be eating something. This makes you feel better almost instantly.
So, chewing would actually not make you more confident but would reduce the stress and anxiety that pull your confidence down.
Hope this helps. Always remember to never let your inner shine fizzle out. Be bold, be adventurous, be amazing and unleash confidence since that is what makes you unstoppable.
About the Author
