Increasing Self-Confidence
We all know that self-confidence is important but how exactly do we go about increasing it?
I have 5 tips for you:
1. Get to know yourself. See my blog post earlier this week, Do you Know Yourself?. Find out what you like, what makes you come alive, what keeps you grounded in yourself, what your strengths are, what your values are, where you get triggered, what you need in order to take care of your physical, emotional, and spiritual needs, how you handle stress, what your fear patterns are, how to comfort yourself, etc. Get to know yourself better than anyone else. Find out all the good stuff about yourself as well as all the stuff that you don't want to know. I promise you that the stuff you don't want to know will probably have more of an impact on your self-confidence than the stuff you do want to know, so don't be afraid to find out.
2. Accept yourself. Once you get to know yourself, find a way to accept yourself where you're at. It doesn't mean that you have to love everything about yourself or that you can't strive to change things, but find a way to accept your starting point (which is who you are right now!).
3. Watch your self-talk. I'm guessing you probably wouldn't find it helpful or inspiring if someone was telling you things like, "you're no good at that, you're so lazy, you're terrible with money, you're so fat, you're never going to get that raise or promotion, no one would want to hire you, I can't believe you are still struggling with that, if people only knew you, you're such a fraud, you don't really know what you're talking about." If these things aren't helpful to hear from others, do you think they're helpful to tell yourself? Of course not. So, watch your self-talk. Shift your self-talk to be the kind of stuff you would tell your spouse, child, dear friend, struggling family member, etc..
4. Believe. Believe in yourself and your abilities. We all have unique and special talents and abilities to share with the world so BELIEVE that you're not exception to that. You may not have yet figured out how to maximize your full potential or best utilize your individual strengths and skill set, but it doesn't mean that it's not there. You're AWESOME and have everything you need to be successful. Believe that!
5. Focus on your vision. Lastly, connect back to your vision. Check out this post on Creating Vision if you don't already have a clear vision. Think about where you are going and what you want to accomplish. Focus on the solution, not the problem. Visualize the end result. How will you feel, what will you be doing, what will this accomplishment mean to you?
"When you know yourself, you are empowered. When you accept yourself, you are invincible." - Tina Lifford
In Ultimate Support of You!
Katharine