Confidence is the answer to many of the riddles in our lives. It helps with everything from decision making, to performance at work and play, to being comfortable socially. So it comes as no surprise that many of us would love to have a little more of it. Well, the good news is there are a variety of things we can do to elevate our confidence and enrich our lives while doing so. Confidence is basically a state of mind that is continually fed input from areas of your life. The beauty of this is that it allows us to work on the primary goal of gaining confidence through small manageable steps. So read on if you are interested in doing some simple things that can help you gain confidence.
Make Confidence Your Goal
A good way to start is by making confidence a goal. Not an idea or wish, but a goal. Put your excuses aside. Write it down; write down why you want to be more confident. Put it somewhere you will see it often like your desk, the fridge, your pocket. This is not a static thing- you can move it or add to it or do whatever helps toward this goal of being more confident. The point is to look at it often enough to remind yourself that your goal is confidence and more of it.
You can take this idea as far as you want. Some people make vision boards and put pictures and quotes and other things that feed confident thoughts or raise the desire to be more confident. It does not matter how it looks or works as long as it helps you focus on being confident.
Feel Well and Be Confident
To be confident generally, is also to feel well and there’s nothing quite like an exercise in helping us do just that. One does not have to become an exercise junkie but a little movement and some stretching can go a long way. Try it right now- stand up, take a breath and stretch your arms up and out, stretch your back, stretch your neck and legs. Take a moment. Do you feel better in some perceptible way? Chances are good that you do and from there it’s easy to imagine that a little exercise might actually be helpful. So whether you walk, swim, play ball, dance, do yoga, hike, take an aerobics class or anything else that moves your body, get to it. The big help is in just doing it. Your confidence will appreciate the boost.
Good Exercise and Good Diet
Try not to counter all that lovely exercise with a bad diet. Nutrition has become big news these days and there are many takes on healthy eating. One thing most of them have in common is to eat a balanced diet with as many whole foods as possible, lots of fruit and veggies. But it boils down to eating in a way that makes you feel your best. It can be hard to always do that in this busy world, but the more we do it the better we tend to feel physically and emotionally. And you guessed it when we start to feel better in those ways we tend to become a bit more confident.
If you are not already engaged in some sort of prayer or meditation practice, it’s something you might want to consider as you quest for confidence. The depth of connection and understanding available in these practices can strengthen us from within and what more is confidence than a measure of strength from within.
Get Rid of Negativity
Do your best to eliminate negative self-talk because it’s hard to be confident if you are always telling yourself that you’re a piece of junk. Remember that it is a process and don’t give yourself a hard time because you exercised three times and prayed last week and are not instantly the most confident person walking around your neighborhood. A healthy level of confidence is usually tempered with at least a dab of patience.
Spend time with positive people
Being treated with love and respect will help your confidence more than being treated with anything less than that. And what’s not to love about love and respect. Spend some time doing something you that makes you feel good whether it’s volunteering or making art, or applying for a new job, or make one or two of those phone calls you have thought about for 6 months. Sometimes just being proactive can remind us that we do have at least a little courage-born confidence, it may be nuanced and dusty but it is there and starting there is better than starting nowhere.
