If you are a teacher or a parent, you have likely read a lot of articles or perhaps even attended classes on how to build children's confidence. One thing that many of these resources leave out is that modeling self-assuredness is a strong teaching method. Of course, boosting your confidence has many benefits for you, too. Here are some tips on how to embrace how truly wonderful you are.
Know Your Strengths
An easy way to build your confidence is to figure out what you're good at. There are many different tests that help you discover your strengths as well as resources that teach you how to develop them. However, that's only the beginning.
The next step is finding ways to use your strengths in your everyday life. What part of your job really allows you to shine? Pay attention to the things that are easy for you or the issues that everyone seems to come to you to resolve. Focus on how you can improve those skills even more.
Take Care of Your Mind, Soul and Body
Overall wellness is a key component of confidence. After all, it's hard to believe you are awesome when you feel lethargic or stressed. Prioritize the practices that help you stay grounded and healthy:
- Meditation or prayer
- Creative pursuits
- Regular exercise
- Nutritious diet
- Solid support system
Trust Yourself
Some people seem to trust their gut instinctively. For others, though, it's not so easy. Learning to believe what your intuition is telling you can be a challenge, especially if you grew up in a household or experienced relationships in which your judgment was frequently questioned or mistrusted. Even if second-guessing yourself seems like second nature to you, you can still overcome it with a little work.
It's nice to maintain a positive outlook about life in general, but the ability to do so starts within yourself. Be on the lookout for negative self-talk. Try to replace these thoughts with positive affirmations that focus on what you can control (your effort) rather than what you cannot (the outcome). Keeping a journal or some other record of good habits can be a powerful reminder of your progress and accomplishments.
Do Your Best
Sometimes you do everything right and still fail. You can give a great interview and still lose the job to someone who gave a better one or is simply more qualified. You can be kind and thoughtful to someone, and they may dislike you anyway.
While these experiences are hard, they don't have to ruin your self-concept. Confidence doesn't come from winning all the time. If you do your best, that's still something to be proud of, regardless of the outcome. Striving for excellence and good character are fantastic goals all by themselves.
Practice Humility
A humble nature may seem to be the opposite of confidence on the surface, but the truth is that the two virtues go hand in hand. You don't need to be arrogant to be confident. In fact, some of the most self-assured people are those who are also known to be humble.
One possible explanation for this phenomenon is that when you are truly humble, you don't need to have your ego validated very often. You can make mistakes without being embarrassed about them. As you give up your need for others to see you a certain way, you become free to accept and be who you are.
It's important to raise self-assured children. It's just as vital, though, to cultivate your own confidence. Once you get into the practice of believing in yourself, you may be amazed at how much more smoothly life goes.
