From an early age, we are encouraged to be the best version of ourselves. Typically, this means that we must be the most confident version of ourselves – as confidence is directly attributed to other positive traits, such as the ability to communicate effectively and connect with others. However, despite this, it’s important to understand that confidence is a lifelong journey – and the levels of your confidence will change as you grow and develop or find yourself in new surroundings. Despite what other people may have you believe, nobody feels confident 100% of the time.

Photo by Jordan Donaldson | @jordi.d on Unsplash

Nevertheless, there are certain steps you can take that will enable you to feel a little more confident in your daily life. Here are just some ideas to get you started! 

 

• Begin by understanding that it doesn’t always matter what people think of you. No matter how hard you may try, some people you come across in life will simply not like you – and nothing you say will change this. By accepting this as a simple fact of life, you’ll find that you begin to attribute your worth to yourself instead of what others think of you. As a result, you will naturally begin to feel more confident. It also means that you will become the most authentic version of yourself – as it means you have abandoned people-pleasing tendencies and know how to take care of yourself first. 

 

• Confidence is often directly linked to the way in which we view our physical appearance. As a result, taking better care of your appearance is a great way to increase your confidence. For example, one way you can do this is by focusing on improving your oral health so that you can obtain a bright, shiny smile that will be the envy of those around you. Thankfully, achieving the perfect smile is rather straightforward – you simply need to take care of your teeth. In addition to regular brushing, you should also ensure that you floss twice a day. If you find that too time-consuming, you should check out https://instafloss.com/, as this software enables you to floss your teeth in just 30 seconds.

 

• The easiest way in which you can begin to build your confidence is by setting yourself new challenges. This is because we often gain a sense of innate satisfaction whenever we tick a goal off our list, which changes how we perceive ourselves for the better. Therefore, if you feel as though your confidence levels are dropping, it may be a sign that you are ready for a new challenge. This could include signing up for a new exercise class, trying out a hobby you’ve always wanted to try, or even switching career paths. 

 

• As mentioned previously, confidence has to come from within. Therefore, you will never be able to feel confident if you continue to put yourself down. As a result, you should try to change the way in which you perceive yourself. One way in which you can do this is by stopping negative thoughts in their tracks. Any time that you begin to think negatively about yourself counter that thought with something positive instead. While this may feel a little forced to begin with, it will soon become second nature, and you’ll notice that your confidence grows considerably. 

 

• While much of our confidence is built upon our internal perception of ourselves, it can easily be broken down by those around us. Sometimes, this may happen in a subtle way that is not immediately obvious. For example, as opposed to somebody outright criticizing you, your confidence may be broken down slowly by an overly critical friend who makes the odd comment here and there. As a result, you can increase your confidence significantly by choosing to spend time with people who make you feel good about yourself, as opposed to those who cause you to doubt yourself. While breaking off a friendship may seem difficult, especially if you have known this person for a long time – you deserve to dedicate your energy to the right people. 

 

• Whenever you feel low in confidence, you must be kind and gentle with yourself. Giving yourself some time to pick yourself back up is an essential act of self-care, as it allows you to build up your confidence instead of having to pretend things are okay when they aren’t. However, that being said, it’s important to understand that when it comes to confidence, you have to fake it until you make it. The more confident you pretend to be, the more you will trick yourself into actually becoming confident.