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We’re all unique. And that’s what makes us interesting. If everybody was the same in life, life would be pretty boring – that’s for sure. However, it also means that some of us are better equipped to be happy in life. And that some of us have to work that little bit harder to find our happiness. There are lots of factors that can contribute to this, but one of the biggest is confidence. It may sound crazy, but confidence and happiness are insanely linked! Just think about it. Confident people go after what they want, they then often get what they want, and they’re living the lives they want – meaning they’re often quite happy and content. But when you don’t have much confidence, you may hold yourself back in life, and from what you really want. And that can stop you from being happy!
Whether you were born a confident person or not, it’s safe to say that harnessing confidence can help you. It can help you to overcome insecurities, to ask for what you want in life, and to find happiness in your everyday life. But what happens when you’re anything but confident? Can you make this work for you? Sure you can! Here are thirteen tips to help you to do just that!
- Stop Comparing Yourself To Others
The number one thing you need to do in order to have any shot at being confident, is stop comparing yourself to others. Just never do it. Because you will only ever end up feeling bad about yourself. Use these tips from Psychology Today to help you. The second you realise that you’re more than likely just comparing yourself to your perception of, and not necessarily the reality of, another person’s life, you can see just how pointless it really is!
- Be Grateful
When you’ve got that out of the way, it’s time to focus on you. And the very best thing that you can do for yourself and your confidence levels, is to be grateful. When you have more gratitude in your life, magic happens. The more grateful you are for what you have, the more content you feel, and that puts you in the best possible position to go after what makes you happy.
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- Focus On The Positives
As a step on from that, you need to focus on the positive side of life. Do not go anywhere near negativity if you want to be happy and confident. Because the two don’t work together. Instead, start to focus on the positive side of situations and of the things you think of. You’ll be surprised by how much of a confidence booster this is.
- Recite Mantras
Really worried that you’re just never going to believe in yourself? Mantras are what you need! When you recite positive affirmations to yourself, you’ll start to believe them. You’ll replace those negative thoughts in your mind with strong, affirming, positive thoughts, and you’ll find confidence then follows.
- Know What You Want
It’s easy to feel inadequate when you don’t really know what you want in life. But when you know exactly what you want to do with your life, you can feel much more sure about the way life is going. This, combined with more self-belief, will help you to have the confidence to make it happen.
- Take A Small Step
A lot of the time, we stop ourselves from getting what we want by trying to tackle too much at once. If you’re doubting yourself and you’re not feeling confident in your abilities, take a step back – then start small. Don’t rush, do things step by step, and you’ll slowly build confidence in yourself, so that you can go after that bigger goal.
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- Find A Mentor
Another option that works incredible well, is to find yourself a mentor. Just as Goins, Writer talks over, mentors can prove invaluable. By holding yourself accountable to someone you admire, that has experience in areas that are valuable to you, you’re going to build up your confidence in the ways that you need to the most.
- Fake It
Now, something that can be incredibly, incredibly effective, is to fake it. There’s a reason that ‘fake it til you make it’ is such a well-renowned saying. It works. When you pretend that you have the life you want or the job you want, you take on the qualities you need to actually have that life or job. And before long, the lines between faking it and living it for real start to blur. You’ll also gain confidence in yourself, knowing that you can get (and handle) what you want.
- Align Your Actions
But while you’re faking it, and you’re trying to live this life or get this job, or whatever it is that you’re faking, you need to align your actions. You want to be confident? So act it – and get your actions and your thoughts to mirror what you want. From doing the daily activities that you would in your dream job to wearing the makeup you’d wear, these actions help you to have confidence in your abilities to actually get what you want.
- Dress For Success
Something that will help you with the previous two posts, and to feel more confident in general, is to make sure that you’re dressing more for success. Wear the clothes that make you feel confident and empowered. Use beauty products, like SiO Beauty, that make you feel youthful and beautiful. Make sure that you’re putting yourself out there, to feel your best, most confident self.
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- Talk To Someone
Now, if you are aware (or you could suspect) that your lack of confidence is down to a more deep-rooted issue, then you may want to talk to someone. Trying to do this on your own, may not work. Maybe you’re already working on a few ideas, and nothing is working. And you still feel awful! It could be because you need to work through this with a professional. And that’s okay. More than okay! Because when you talk to someone, and you start to feel better, it’s a step that’s always worth it.
- Exercise
Something that really helps us to feel great about ourselves, is exercise. Sure, you won’t always feel like doing it – but it works. When you’re exercising, it not only makes you feel good, but it boosts the happiness in your brain too. So you’ll not only feel mental free, but your body will start to feel great too.
- Put Your Needs First
And finally, you’re then going to want to make sure that you’re just doing your own thing. If you’re always focusing on other people and their needs, you’re only ever ignoring your own needs. Whether you’re always doing things to make others happy, or you do what others want you to do, this is going to really harm your ability to be confident – and happy overall. But when you start to put your needs first, and then help others second, you’ll feel so much more confident in yourself, and you’ll start to notice that you’re happy each and every day!
So there you have it! There are thirteen very simple, yet tried and tested ways that you can work on your confidence. Because you don’t have to jump out of a plane or really change your life to be happy (or you can if you want), you just need to make tweaks that are right for you.
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