5 Powerful Ways to Boost Your Self Confidence Instantly
Building confidence in oneself and outwardly projecting that confidence to others starts with a strong sense of self-worth—an initial emotional base of high self-esteem. Everyone struggles with their inner personal disposition at times, even the most seemingly self-assured individual.
As we know, life happens; we face rejection personally and professionally on a regular basis in the course of our daily lives. So if you are currently grappling with a bout of the self-confidence doldrums, know that you are not alone. Every single man, woman, and child on the planet can relate to an event or situation in life that shattered their confidence.
So what are some strategies for rebuilding confidence when it takes a nosedive?
Actually, the process is so damn easy if you do it the right way. Follow these steps below andyou will regain your self confidence and become less vulnerableto any of life’s future adversity:
1. Perform the “I Like Myself” Exercise Daily
Ways to Start Practicing Self-Love
This is an easy self-esteem and confidence building exercise that will take you less than a minute to perform each day; it is based upon two well-known psychological principals. The first is called the “facial feedback hypothesis,” which simply means if you force yourself to smile you will become emotionally influenced by this physical action. Therefore, just by smiling you will begin to experience the positive feelings associated with that facial movement.
The second is documented by reams of research into the effect of positive words on the psyche and subconscious mind. Many studies have been conducted demonstrating that positive spoken words affect our emotions in a favorable way. Brian Tracy, a well-known self-help guru and public speaker, is famous for preaching the benefit of standing in front of a mirror, looking into your own eyes, and repeating the phrase, “I like myself, I like myself, I like myself, I life myself, etc…”
I realize this type of positive affirmation exercise is often the fodder for many a late-night comedy routine. Yes, I initially thought it was incredibly silly, especially when I first saw a video of Brian Tracy intensely staring into the camera with a crazed, wild-eyed grin echoing that phrase.
The reality is: it works! I challenge you to gaze into a mirror and speak the words, “I like myself, I like myself, I like myself, etc…” over and over again without smiling. I will speculate you cannot utter that expression more than five or six times before you begin to smile or laugh. Yes, such a quick, easy, and ostensibly silly, repetitive exercise will actually do wonders for your self-esteem.
2. Celebrate Your Talents
Everyone has a talent in something; maybe yours is playing an instrument, singing, writing poems or creative stories, composing music, participating in sports, dancing, drawing, painting, cooking, sewing, etc…Whatever your talent; take a break, invest some time in yourself, and express it!
Celebrate your talents; savor and enjoy the moment!
This will give you a great sense of pride and accomplishment, a fundamental step toward building your confidence.
3. Remember Past Achievements
Think about a past achievement or event that filled you with great feelings of joy and happiness. It could be as simple as an email or letter of praise from a colleague, friend, family member, teacher, or significant other. It may be an award, medal, ribbon, or accolade you once received for a specific personal triumph, or even just high marks on a paper, project, or exam you completed. Focus on something that filled you with a deep sense of personal satisfaction.
Hold a physical reminder of that past achievement or event in your hands; look at it, feel it, and allow yourself to relive the experience of that jubilant emotional moment.
Remember your past achievements; they are a tangible testimonial of your inner, reflective self-worth.
4. Incorporate Aerobic Exercise into Your Daily Routine
Motivate Yourself for Meditation
The benefits of some form of aerobic exercise are not only physical, but also mental and emotional. There are both biological and psychological reasons why exercise contributes to positive emotions, self-esteem, and building confidence.
When we exercise, increasing our heart rate substantially for at least fifteen to twenty sustained minutes, our body releases chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins react with receptors in our brain generating a euphoric feeling. Therefore, just a little exercise, such as walking briskly outside in the fresh air, can induce positive emotions.
Incorporate aerobic exercise into your daily routine; leverage the core biological and psychological chemical machinery of the body to facilitate building your confidence.
5. Surround Yourself with Positive Supportive People
How People Affect Your Success
No one is immune from encountering people who produce negative emotions by tearing down their self-esteem or confidence.
In my book, Mentor Me: GA=T+E—A Formula to Fulfill Your Greatest Achievement, I wrote:
“Surround yourself with only those people who are supportive of you, people who give you positive energy. Get away from the people who suck your energy by feeding you negativity or who batter you emotionally. If you cannot completely eliminate contact with those people, such as family members, who are not supportive of you…then do your best to minimize your contact…This should be one of your personal goals—to only surround yourself with those who give you love, warmth, care, and support.”
By surrounding yourself with people who reinforce your inner confidence, feed your positive emotions, andpledge their unconditional support, you can build an impenetrable fortress against future marauding attacks on your self-esteem. These positive supportive relationships are invaluable; they regenerate your confidence when you falter and help preservethe daily purity of your inner sanctum.
In contrast, eliminate your contact with emotionally destructive rabble. Technology is truly a beautiful thing with respect to avoiding detrimental relationships; it allows us to keep our distance from peopleif we cannot, due to practicality, completely disassociate from these individuals. Let them exist solely in the world of voicemail, e-mail, and text messaging, which may provide adequate space to prevent these vermin from wrecking your self-esteem.
Those with whom you regularly associate are an essential part of building your confidence, as well as maintaining a rock-solid, impervious barrier to subsequent incursions against your self-respect.
Surround yourself only with those who have a positive, supportive effect on your well-being.
Implement the five steps above and you will see, building and maintaining your confidence is damn easy if you do it the right way!
