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Want to take a confidence challenge to boost your self-confidence so you can show up confidently?
Do you always talk negatively about yourself when standing in front of the mirror? Do you always make sure that people around you are pleased with you? Do you also have a habit of comparing yourself to others because they seem super confident and show that they have got their life together?
And you can’t even seem to make important life decisions because you are not feeling confident enough.
So the first thing is that you are not the only one feeling that way. Even the most confident people question their decision and self-worth at some point in their lives, and it’s very normal to feel that way.
The problem starts when you start avoiding taking risks and challenges, burn yourself out thinking about what other people will say if you start doing something out of the box, and stop socializing to feel safe.
It’s possible to be confident like you were in your childhood when you did not care about what others had to say about you.
You were happy and confident in yourself.
Or maybe even if you have always struggled with this, you can take this confidence challenge and gain confidence in yourself because it’s never too late to start working on yourself.
What Being Confident Is Not About?
Being more confident in yourself is not about that you won’t again question yourself or doubt your abilities or feel low at some point because that is normal that happens to everyone.
We can’t be confident all the time, and if I say that we can, it would be a lie and not something realistic.
But by the end of this post, you will learn how to get the confidence to show up and do something you always wanted.
But first, let’s talk about basic things to ensure we’re on the same page.
Self Confidence Vs Self Esteem- What’s the difference?
Self-confidence and self-esteem are two different things but have the potential to affect each other. In simple words, self-confidence is when you have something to do, and you know that you will be able to do it because you have the required knowledge and experience, and that skill and experience will make you a confident person.
On the other hand, self-esteem is all about how you see yourself. It’s our own perception of ourselves. Sometimes self-esteem gets affected because we start seeing ourselves through the eyes of others.
Let’s understand with examples:
An Example Of Healthy Self-Confidence: If you are required to speak in front of 100 people, and you have done it before (many times), that experience will make you confident in yourself because you know “how to do it” (you have the experience and you know the “how” part).
The thing is, when we feel confident doing one task and start getting the results, the likelihood of being confident in other areas of our life often gets higher.
An Example Of Healthy Self-Esteem: There are a lot of people around us who will try to manipulate you at times, but if you know you are not what they are saying about you, you will reject their attempt rather than question yourself and go into an overthinking zone.
What do we do wrong that stops us being a confident person?
What are some habits that stop us from being the person that we want to be?
We Make Long Jumps: “I am eating too much junk food. I must stop it completely”. “I hate my job. I’ll resign next week”. We attach our emotions to the decisions we make.
When we see someone doing something, especially when it relates to our situation, we make big life decisions. And unfortunately, those decisions usually lead to negative and upsetting results that can easily lower our self-confidence.
PS– I don’t mean to say that we should not opt for a healthy lifestyle or continue to work in a toxic environment, but with patience and persistence, we can make more mindful decisions that work out in our favor in the long run.
We Don’t Get Clear In Our Mind: The most common reason that causes low self-confidence is “lack of clarity.” When unsure about something, chances are we won’t feel 100% confident when we choose to do it.
Lack of clarity comes from not having the knowledge, or should I say the knowledge from the right source?
I have experienced that when we start anything new, we are confused and therefore listen to a lot of people, follow the advice, and eventually give up because of not getting the results we were hoping for.
Getting clear in our mind is the key to having confidence.
What to do about it? Let’s say you want to start learning to code, and when you talk to your friends and other people about it, they start giving you their opinions. Some of them will say that it’s super hard to learn, while others will tell you it’s just boring.
So, the first thing is you need to understand that coding (or anything else) is not necessarily hard or easy, boring or interesting. It’s just a perception of people and their interest, when you are just starting out and pretty certain about your decision (it’s super important), you want to listen to only a handful of people with the experience.
For example, you want to learn from the best books available out there.
Investing in a course/training from the best people who know what they are talking about and have been in the industry for pretty long to understand it well.
PS– It’s always a good idea to see what resources are available to you and listen to only people you trust so you won’t distract yourself in the process and stay clear in your head.
Take This 30 day Confidence Challenge To Become a confident person
1. Be Open For Change
Most people get scared of change and enjoy living in their comfort zone (as humans, it’s our basic nature to feel safe and avoid unknown) but have you ever heard of any confident person with an easy past? I can tell you with confidence, you haven’t.
Confidence comes from doing things outside your comfort zone because life always wants to throw challenges that require us to be flexible enough to bend according to the situation.
If you are wondering how to be open to change, try these ideas:
- Prepare yourself for the situation.
- Ask personal growth questions.
- Challenge yourself to do something you are scared of (remember, start small and do one thing at a time).
2. Gain experience
As I said above, unless and until we are practically involved in something, we can’t be sure whether or not it will work out.
People think about starting a business all the time, but only a few of them actually start it. It’s not always important to be successful. Sometimes taking action helps us a lot without even making us realize it.
Deep inside, you start building that confidence even if you don’t get instant amazing results. It shows over time.
3. Start Living In The Present Moment
You have read many articles that teach you to plan for the future, and it’s one of the best ways to get results. However, too much planning and getting obsessed with future results can come in our own way and stop us from doing things that need to be done.
That’s why living in the present moment and allowing yourself to think about the present moment should be your number one priority. It’s okay to keep the end result in the back of your mind but don’t forget to take action in the present moment and you’ll feel confident in yourself once you finish a task.
4. Track Your Success
Do you ever feel like you are not making any progress? I am sure you are not tracking your progress. Tracking your progress is one of the best ways to understand how far you have come and feel proud of yourself (a major confidence boost, right?)
Not only this, but it also makes it easy for you to make decisions. For example, you can understand what strategies are working out and what’s not working for you and start putting more time and energy into something that’s converting well for you.
These little things definitely help you boost your confidence when you start working out this way.
5. Create A Vision Board
Creating a vision board is one of the best ways to gain self confidence as it helps you get clear in what you need to do right now and everything you want to accomplish is already is front of you so there won’t be any confusion.
If you haven’t created a vision board yet, then learn how to create a vision board and see how you feel.
6. Affirmations Can Help You Build Confidence
Use phrases like “I am strong and capable”. They are so powerful and can you feel good instantly.
Here are separate posts I have written down for affirmations-
- 100 positive affirmations for a more mindful and productive day.
- 51 Affirmations for self love and healing.
- 41 Sunday affirmations to end your week with positivity.
You can also write compliments about yourself and read them whenever you feel down.
7. Discovery Something Unique In You
We all have something different and unique talent in us. All we have to do is discover that talent and embrace it.
8. Public Speaking
Take opportunities to speak in public to overcome fears and gain confidence.
9. Accept Compliments
Do you have a habit of denying the compliments? Well, learn to accept the compliments other people gives you.
10. Self-Reflection
Spend time alone to reflect on your achievements and personal growth. Here are some journal prompts to do that.
- Related- 71 questions to discover your true self.
- 50 Self growth journal prompts: Get to know yourself better.
11. Mindful Breathing
The next confidence challenge is to take slow, deep breaths to calm your mind and increase self-assurance.
12. Positive Social Media
Since we all spend ample amount of time on social media and that’s why it’s so important to follow account that life you up and inspire you rather than try to show you that how everybody got their life figured out but you.
13. Seek Guidance
Seek mentorship from someone you admire to gain valuable insights and confidence.
14. Walk In Nature
Take a peaceful walk in nature to clear your mind and boost your confidence.
15. Do Random Acts Of Kindness
Do something nice for a stranger to boost your self-esteem.
16. Make Your Strength List
Make a list of your strengths and take a look at it when you need a confidence boost.
17. Dress Confidently
I can’t tell you how underrated this one is. Always wear clothes that make you feel good about yourself and boost your confidence. It really works.
18. Mindfulness Practice
Practice being present and accepting of yourself.
19. Embrace Mistakes
It’s important to understand that making mistakes is normal and learn from them.
20. Self-Care Routine
Take care of yourself by getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and exercising.
- Related- 30 day self-care challenge ideas.
- 65 Practical self care Saturday ideas to rewind after hectic week.
- 13 Introvert self-care ideas.
- 30 Productive 5 Minute Self-Care Ideas
- 7 Ways To Have A Self-Care Sunday
21. Celebrate Achievements
Sometimes we get caught in a process so badly that we forget to celebrate small wins we get in a progress. But not anymore. Celebrate whatever you accomplish in a day or month, take some time to reflect on it and celebrate it.
At the end of this post, all I would say is that if you have always struggled with low self-confidence, then it’s important to remind yourself today and every single day that it’s possible to be a confident person, and I’m sure you’ll start making progress maybe not instantly but with patience and self-work.
