1. Learn to accept a compliment. People tend to negate whatever it is they are being complimented on. For example, when people say they like your shirt, don’t respond with “it’s old”, or if someone compliments you on the work you’ve done on something, don’t respond with “it’s not as great as I wanted it to be.” I sometimes do this too and it reflects low self esteem. Learning to take a compliment is a social grace that should be cultivated. You don’t have to be cocky but you can still graciously accept it.
2. Affirmations. Positive self talk can work wonders. At least every morning and every night take a minute to do affirmations. Even better, look yourself in the eyes when you do them.
3. Be healthy. Sleep enough, eat well, and exercise. It’s that simple. The healthier your body, the more confident you become.
4. Self efficacy. Know that you are capable of things. No matter what life throws at you, you must know that YOU have everything you need to get through it. This will automatically build self esteem.
5. Self esteem. Know your worth in this world. Demand more from yourself and demand more from people around you. You deserve love, forgiveness, patience and happiness. Don’t forget it and don’t let anyone, including your worst enemy: you, tell you otherwise.
6. Be grateful. Remind yourself of what is in your life that you should be grateful for. This includes the small things because small things are usually big things that you take for granted. Make a list and keep it with you all the time. When things get hard or you feel bad, read it. There’s a lot to be grateful for. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves of that.
7. Say “I Love YourName” out loud. Saying I love you to those you love can never be played out. We are always told to say it as much as possible, to make sure those you love know they love you. So, why don’t we do that to ourselves? By saying “I love _____ (enter your name or “myself”) you are validating that you are an entity in this world that deserves love…so love yourself. Love = confidence.
8. Go after what you want with everything you got. You can never be upset with yourself if you are pursuing your dreams 100%. if you don’t take a step you’ll always be stuck where you are, but if you do take risks and live outside your comfort zone then you never know what you’ll stumble upon and that adventure in itself will build who you are.
9. Don’t ever be ashamed of where you came from and what you’ve been through. In fact, be proud of who you used to be and how it has shaped who you are and how you are still becoming better. By simply acknowledging your progress, you are building your confidence.
10. Surround yourself with people who see the best in you, and see the best in yourself. When people make you feel good, you feel good about yourself.
Stay tuned because the next post will have a list on how to maintain confidence without stepping into cockiness, arrogance, or over confidence. You can never have too much self-confidence, but you can be overconfident.
S.K.
Love it!!! This is my first time coming across your blog and I am really enjoying reading through your posts! I needed this encouragement! Thanks! =)
Sound Advice!
Funny enough but sometimes I think complimenting someone else (relating to your first point) boosts your own confidence. I think the strongest people find it the easiest to compliment others, because only when you are content & confident of yourself can you commend someone else, without jealousy.
At the end of the day, it’s how someone feels about themSELF, which will guide their life. Otherwise, you’re just on the constant look out for external validation: friends, family, boy/girl friend, random strangers, fans.
Take it from me, a long-time blogger and nutrition expert of several years, you need a careful guide to building up self confidence. Try this out for size:
http://realcore.selfconfidenceguides.com/
Guaranteed results, if you follow the programs with discipline. Think you have what it takes to lead a confident lifestyle? I know you do.
Cheers and God Bless!
-Giovanni
great post, especially the first point about taking compliments. its not as easy as people think. i feel really uncomfortable sometimes when i get compliments, but i realized that just accepting them with a simple thank you is the best way for me to deal with it.