Building your self-confidence can bring several benefits to your life. It can give you the courage to voice your opinion, attract better opportunities, as well as gain the strength and resilience you need to succeed at work. However, it can be hard to believe in yourself if you’ve become trapped in a vicious cycle of self-hate.
Fortunately, it’s never too late to break free and pivot to a more positive direction. If you need some guidance, you can reach out to a professional coach or look into several effective techniques such as cognitive behavioral therapy and human design reading. In the meantime, you can give yourself a head start by reading our tips on how to become a more confident person:
Practice Daily Affirmations
Simply put, an affirmation is a statement that is repeated to uplift and encourage the individual who is saying them.
At first, it may seem like nothing more than a feel-good quote. The thought of motivating yourself out loud may even make you feel silly or embarrassed. However, there are plenty of scientific studies that back up the dramatic effects these positive words can have on your mind and body.
With that said, start making it a habit to affirm yourself daily. Make sure to frame your statement positively and in the present tense. And don’t forget to repeat it to yourself several times throughout the day. By doing this enough times, you’ll eventually get your brain to accept these affirmations as facts. And when you genuinely believe in your capabilities, you’ll greatly boost your performance at work.
Challenge Your Inner Critic
When you suffer from low self-confidence, you become your own worst critic. This usually manifests as an inner voice that constantly attempts to bring you down. And while you can try to ignore it as you go about your day-to-day activities, this inner monologue can eventually wear you down over time.
Instead of enduring this never-ending criticism, face these thoughts head-on and acknowledge that they exist. Then, examine whether said thoughts are exaggerated or even unfounded. Afterwards, list down points that support or refute them.
For instance, if you’re worried that you’re not ready to give a talk on a certain topic, list down all the evidence for and against this claim. Doing so will allow you to look at the situation more rationally, while also identifying how you can avoid the unwanted outcome. Facing your own inner critic head on, goes a long way to minimize fear of failure.
Set Yourself Up for Success
In the quest for self-improvement, it’s easy to fall into the trap of setting your expectations too high. You either overload yourself with too many things to do or feel as if you have to execute every task perfectly. This mindset inevitably causes you to set yourself up for failure.
The trick is to be realistic about the types of goals you set. So instead of pressuring yourself to accomplish seemingly impossible feats, break your goals down into simpler, smaller tasks. Then, tick them off from your to-do list one by one. You’ll find that dividing your big goal into bite-sized chunks makes them far easier to get done. This way, you’ll build up your confidence as you finish one small milestone after another. Soon, you’ll feel brave enough to tackle even the most daunting tasks.
Celebrate Your Past Successes
Receiving a scathing review or less-than-stellar feedback can feel incredibly painful. Unfortunately, our minds tend to focus more on our shortcomings rather than our successes. And when we’re overwhelmed by the weight of our previous failures, we may lose faith in ourselves entirely.
To combat this, don’t forget to keep a list of your successes both big and small. This is what productivity experts call the “did-it” or “ta-da” list. Whenever you feel like giving up, take a look at your list and remind yourself of all the things you’ve already done. By looking at proof that you can actually accomplish your goals, this can help you regain your confidence.
Learn to Say No
It can be hard to turn people down whenever they ask for a favor. As social creatures, we’re naturally inclined to help those in need. At the same time, these actions align with an identity that’s based on being selfless and charitable. Hence, saying no feels like straying away from that self-image. Additionally, it can make us worry that the person requesting our help may feel rejected or offended.
Remember: you need to say yes to your own needs, too. So, learn to choose yourself where appropriate, and enforce your personal boundaries whenever necessary. By regaining control over your life, you’ll help build up more confidence in yourself.
In Conclusion
While you can’t rebuild your self-confidence overnight, you can certainly take small steps toward cultivating a healthier mindset and a better you. The important thing is to keep at it and to never give up on yourself. We wish you the best of luck!
