Self-confidence affects every part of our lives, both personally and professionally. People who are confident tend to work more happily, are more willing to take on new challenges and go for promotions. Low confidence, not ability, is often the reason people are reluctant to chase desired opportunities. Fortunately, confidence is something we can strengthen by embracing some simple daily habits.
Believe in Yourself
Believing in yourself is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Focus on your strengths and achievements. Seek out opportunities to use your strengths to excel at work. Completing a task with excellence can be a great confidence booster. In addition, be sure to reflect upon your successes. Self-acknowledgement reinforces your confidence, can help you identify ways to refine your strengths and serves as a roadmap for future successes.
If you believe in yourself, others will as well. Their confidence in you will inspire further confidence in yourself.
Use positive thoughts to quiet your inner critic. Often, we are our own harshest critic. If you find yourself thinking, “I can’t….”, try changing it into, “How could I…?” Add affirmations to your self-talk. These positive and uplifting statements can help change your self-perception; we tend to believe what we constantly tell ourselves.
Know Your Strengths and Weaknesses
Identifying your strengths and weaknesses will help you choose goals that set you up for success. Embrace what you do well and make an effort to refine those skills. Don’t be afraid to stretch yourself by setting small goals related to areas of weakness. We are often insecure regarding our weaknesses. Pushing yourself to tackle tasks out of your comfort zone can boost your self-confidence when you succeed. If you’re not sure about your strengths and weaknesses, review this list of assessments to learn more.
Increase Your Knowledge
Knowledge is power. Take the time to learn more about areas related to your business. Attend seminars provided through work, read books and trade publications, watch more TED talks, ask questions. Knowing how to handle a complex situation successfully will only enhance your confidence.
You build confidence when you act upon what you know.
Vocalize Your Goals
Confidence often begins with stating your intentions. Declaring your goals out loud and to others can be very empowering; it can make your goals feel more real and enhance your drive to achieve them. When we share our goals with others we gain credibility and will hold ourselves accountable.
Showcase Your Positivity
Self-confidence depends on good physical, emotional and social health. Approaching your day with a smile, a spring in your step and pride in your appearance can change your outlook for the better. Owning your personal space and radiating belief in yourself showcases leader-like qualities. The positive energy you exude will increase your self-confidence and inspire others.
Seek and Give Encouragement
To a certain extent, we are products of our environments. The people who we spend time with have significant impact on our confidence. If you surround yourself with people who encourage you and believe in you, your confidence will reap the rewards. Pay it forward by encouraging and supporting those around you. It feels good to make a difference for someone else and often enables you to feel more grateful. It is empowering, and confidence building, to know you have the ability to improve someone else’s day.
We all have moments when we wish we were more daring, knew more or felt more comfortable in a challenging situation. The good news is we are all capable of making changes to improve our confidence. Many of us already embrace daily habits that boost confidence. Consider experimenting with some habits you are not utilizing to see how your confidence grows!
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This post first appeared on Medium.com
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