How To Grow Your Confidence

Confidence. We’re all in pursuit of it. In fact, a desire to have more confidence is a common reason people turn to coaching. The rise of social media has not helped our continuous battle for more confidence. As more of us compare ourselves to the “successful” people we see online, our levels continue to drop. 

What can we do? Is there a quick and easy way to get more confidence? 

There isn’t a magic wand that can bestow you with ultimate and unshakeable confidence, but there are things you can start implementing into your life to promote self-belief and gently nurture your confidence levels. 

1.     Visualise a future, confident you

Did you know visualisation helps us achieve our goals? Imagine yourself with more confidence. What would you be doing? What would you be feeling? How would your life be different than it is right now? Focus on the details and bring the image to life. Your brain doesn’t know the difference between what’s real and what’s imagined. Seeing yourself as confident could trick yourself into believing you ARE confident. 

2.     Visualise a past, confident you 

When were you confident in the past? Dive into your real memories this time. Perhaps, you nailed a job interview, or delivered an amazing presentation a while back. Reflect on the experience. What did you do to prepare? How could you bring some of the actions from that day into today? Take elements from this past moment of confidence and imbue your present with it to influence current confidence levels. 

3.     Journaling 

Yes, you’ve heard this one before. To increase your confidence, you’ve got to figure out what limiting beliefs show up when you’re asked to do something that scares you. What is it about the situation that makes you lack confidence? What could you do to change your feelings? Through really understanding what your feelings are and where they come from, you might discover simple solutions. Perhaps, you discover you’re nervous about a networking event because you won’t know anyone there. A simple solution could be connecting with attendees prior to the event. 

4.   Embody confidence 

The way you hold yourself and the way you dress can all have an impact on your confidence. Harvard Professor and Researcher Amy Cuddy tells us how posture and the use of ‘power poses’ (think a Wonder Woman pose), can change how we feel. Wearing clothes that make you feel powerful and good about yourself can also boost your confidence levels. Think about how so many of us feel renewed and more alive when we move out of our loungewear and into a new outfit that we love. 

5.     Value yourself

This sounds cheesy, but it’s important. Recognise your good characteristics and traits. Appreciate yourself and take care of yourself by exercising, eating well, and engaging in other self-care behaviours. Taking the time to recognise and honour your worth, you’ll naturally become more confident.

You are an amazing, unique person. The only person’s opinion that matters to your confidence is you