Have you ever wondered why groups around the world that push the agenda of self-empowerment and empowerment in general always encourage their members to work on their self-confidence and self-esteem? Your guess is as good as mine. Self-confidence is essential for one’s self-development. It is an attitude about your skills and abilities. It means you accept and trust yourself and have a sense of control in your life. You also know your strengths and weaknesses well and have a positive view of yourself. You set realistic goals, communicate assertively, and can handle criticisms of all forms.

Greater self-confidence does the following:

• It allows you to experience freedom from self-doubt and negative thoughts about yourself.
•  It helps you to experience more fearlessness and less anxiety. 
• It makes you more willing to take smart risks.
• It makes you more able to move outside your comfort zone.
• You also enjoy having greater freedom from social anxiety.

Below are tips to adopt in building one’s self-confidence.

• Set some goals

 Set some goals and set out the steps you need to take to achieve them. They don’t have to be necessarily big goals; they can even be things like baking pastries or putting your house in order. Just aim for some small achievements that you can tick off a list to help you gain confidence in getting your stuff done which would gradually help you in achieving bigger goals with time.

• Talk yourself up.

You’re never going to feel confident if you entertain negative thoughts or have negative commentary running through your mind telling you that you are no good. Think about how you would treat your best friend and cheer yourself on.

• Look at what you’ve already achieved.

It’s easy to lose confidence in yourself if you believe you haven’t achieved anything. Make a list of all the things you are proud of in your life, whether it’s getting a good mark in an exam or learning a new skill such as graphic designing. Keep the list close by and add to it whenever you do something you’re proud of. When you’re low in confidence, pull out the list and use it to remind yourself of all the awesome stuff you have done.

• Think of things you’re good at.

Everyone has strengths and talents. What are yours? Recognizing what you’re good at, and trying to build on those things, will help you to build confidence in your abilities.

• Get a hobby

Try to find something that you’re passionate about. It could be gardening, photography, sport, knitting or anything else. When you’ve worked out your passion, commit yourself to giving it a go. Chances are, if you’re interested or passionate about a certain activity, you’re more likely to be motivated and you’ll build skills more quickly.

In conclusion, people who are confident about themselves stand out wherever they may find themselves. It is a great thing to be self-confident as you would enjoy life better and sail through every circumstance whether good or bad.

If you’re not feeling better

Sometimes the quick fixes may not help in the long term. If you still feel like things just do not seem to be improving, it is worth talking to someone who knows how to help. We at Forty Lives are readily available to provide listening ears and support in the form of counseling.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch with us.