Self-confidence has a direct bearing on how successful you are and how good you feel about yourself.
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I’ve always played a lot of basketball, and one thing shooters are always told is “if you think your shot’s doing to go in, then it’s going to go in … but if you think your shot’s going to miss, then it’s going to miss”.
Such is the power of self-confidence. It has a direct bearing on how successful you are and how good you feel about yourself. And thankfully, like many personal attributes, it’s something you can develop. So without further ado, here are 7 things you can do to improve your self-confidence.
1. Remind yourself of all you’ve achieved in the past.
Whenever you feel overwhelmed by a task or think that you may not be “good enough” to do something, remind yourself of all you’ve accomplished up until that point to date. Let your previous victories give you confidence that you do have the ability to win at whatever you’re trying to do now.
2. Prepare.
Preparation gives you the confidence that you can meet any challenge that you’re about to be faced with. Failing to prepare on the other hand let’s thoughts of “I’m not ready”, “I can’t do this” or “I’m in trouble” creep in – and these thoughts are experts at destroying your self-belief.
3. Take pride in your appearance.
I know this sounds superficial, but most people feel more confident when they put effort into the way they look – so if you take the time to do your hair, shave, splash on some cologne and wear nice clothes, you’re almost guaranteed to feel better about yourself.
4. Set small goals and strive to achieve them.
Setting small goals and then subsequently achieving them is a sure-fire way to build your confidence – and after you’ve developed your confidence by achieving a number of little things, you’ll eventually have enough belief in yourself to be able to achieve a “bigger” thing.
5. Stop spending time with toxic people.
To varying extents, you are influenced by the people around you. If the people surrounding you are encouraging and supportive, then it’s likely to strengthen your self-confidence. On the other hand, if the people surrounding you are negative, unsupportive, and constantly drag you down, then it’s likely to damage your self-belief. As a result, it’s best to minimise the time you spend with these people.
6. Exercise.
Again, in this context this may sound superficial, but it’s undeniable that the more in shape you are, the more confident you’re likely to be. So if it’s being overweight that’s making you feel bad about yourself, make the choice to go to start exercising more. And if you want to get ripped up to feel like a stud, then go right ahead.
7. Be mindful of all the things you’re good at.
Often it’s dwelling on our weaknesses that undermines our self-confidence. But when you find yourself doing this, remind yourself of all of your strengths. If you do this, I’m willing to bet that you’ll conclude that you’re far more talented than you give yourself credit for.
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What about you? What are the things you do to give your self-confidence a boost when it’s feeling a little low?
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If you enjoyed reading this post, you may also like Danny’s book titled “MY RECOVERY BLUEPRINT – How I overcame depression in three straightforward steps and how you can do the same.” Grab your copy from Amazon here.
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Photo: extranoise/Flickr
