What if I fail?
What if I can’t do it?
What will everyone else think of me?
When we think of questions like these, of which we often say to ourselves, it becomes very easy talk yourself out of taking the actions you want to take and also can breed insecurities. Being self-confident is often the one factor that can make or break whether you take any action or not—it’s the difference between “I can’t” and “I’m willing to try.”
Having a lack of confidence in yourself or in the actions you are about to take can leave us feeling very insecure and thus putting any action we want to put in place on hold. It is not that you are an insecure person, but just feel very insecure about the potential road you are about to go on, and the troubles you might have to face. However, with practice, you can break out of that mindset and confidently make decisions and take action.
Here are seven actions you can start practicing today, that are guaranteed to give your self-confidence a boost:
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Embrace the Rocky Road To Success.
It’s OK to fail. Instead of fearing failure or avoiding it all together, try embracing it. Finding out and understanding that something doesn’t work isn’t failure, but a learning experience helping you to understand yourself and your body to a greater extent. When trying any new thing, let failure be a part and parcel of the journey. Fail enthusiastically and keep going.
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Don’t be afraid to say NO.
Do you find yourself saying “yes” when you want to say “no?” Do you easily let things slide, because you are too polite to comment? Practice saying what you really mean. It can be scary. Start small if you need to. For example, politely let the waiters know you asked for your sauce on the side and smothered all over your dinner. These small honest statements will make saying the bigger ones easier. Practice saying what you mean, every day.
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Make sure you look the part.
Make sure you are feeling confident in your appearance and what you are wearing. For some, that might mean putting on your power heels and red lipstick before a meeting. For others, that might mean wearing your comfiest t-shirt when going in for a training session. Whatever the occasion, and whatever makes you feel your best, dress the part as a way to tell yourself “you got this.”
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Aim Small, Achieve Big.
Many people find big goals to be very overwhelming. Therefore it is really useful to break them into smaller goals. This will then enable you to take the first small step, and many more small steps, toward those bigger goals. This allows you to identify a starting point and gives you multiple opportunities to succeed along the way. If you want to run a marathon, set the goal of running three miles first and go from there. Does running three miles still feel overwhelming? Start with a goal of running one mile. Accomplishing small goals offers large boosts in self-esteem and give you the confidence to eventually tackle the larger goals.
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Change your “worst case scenario” mantra.
It is easy to find yourself thinking that the worst case scenario is just around the corner. But you need to avoid those thoughts and reinforce your positivity with positive thoughts and affirmations. For example, tell yourself, “I am fully capable of handling difficult outcomes.” This is really important because the things we make up about ourselves can hold so much power to either instrigate action or cause us to stop in our tracks and backpedal to a safe haven, keeping us from moving forward with confidence. You have handled all the difficult outcomes of your life to date. Tell yourself you can handle hard things and move forward accordingly.
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Pump yourself up.
Imagine you are trying to pump your mate up or boost their confidence. Instead of kicking yourself or second guessing every action, give yourself a pep talk. Things like “I am assertive, I am confident, I can ask for what I want.” Saying these things will really boost your confidence and belief in yourself to do the things you want to do. You deserve pep talks from you.
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Celebrate your successes.
Celebrate any and all successes. Hit your first small goal? Awesome! Did you conquer a small fear? Congratulations! Did you try something and fail? Way to try! Learn from your failure and have the courage to try again! There is not always someone else who is going to appreciate and celebrate the obstacles you tackle from day to day, so sometimes you can just do it for yourself! Celebrate when you tackle something new, and let your confidence shine!