Self confidence is an important factor in anyone’s success, in whatever venture. This, however, is very different from cockiness or arrogance. Both of these are a result of misplaced self-confidence.
If you’re one who balks at spontaneous encounters with bigwigs, fails to impress bosses because you falter in conversations or pitches, and you pretty much keep to yourself for fear of being judged; you have a strong case of low self confidence.
On a good note, there are ways on how to build self confidence that you can practice until such time that you’ll start wearing confidence like a second skin.
How to Build Self Confidence
1. Take stock of your life. Where are you right now and where do you want to be? What have you done or haven’t done to reach where you want to go? Figure out what obstacles are in your way – real or imagined – and then accept that it is up to you to change the course of your life.
Focus your mind on your goal and have the determination to follow through no matter what happens, no matter how many detours you have to take and no matter what anybody else says.
2. Believe in yourself. No one can make you feel inferior without your consent, as someone once said. Keep your head up, shoulders straight and walk tall no matter what is going on in your life at the moment.
Believe that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to. Obstacles are challenges that will make your success even sweeter. Don’t look at them as dead-end streets that will stop you from achieving what you have set out to do.
3. Don’t be a defeatist. This means foregoing defeatist thoughts. Face the challenges as they come, don’t make-up obstacles in your head that haven’t even arisen, yet.
Do away with failure thoughts and all the other negative thoughts that you have been harboring all these years. This includes being a worrywart. Don’t worry about things that may not even happen.
4. Think positive. This is actually in conjunction with your relieving your mind of defeatist thoughts. As you eliminate your negative thoughts one by one, replace these with positive thoughts and ideas.
This is even more important when you are facing difficulties. Believe that there is a silver lining in every storm cloud. This also includes counting your victories and letting go of your losses.
5. Don’t let other people define who you are. Your perception of who you are is far different from what people think and believe that you are. Learn to take compliments graciously but don’t let these go to your head.
In like manner, learn to take criticisms constructively instead of using these as more excuses to withdraw and lose confidence in yourself.
The bottom line is, in order to build-up your self-confidence, you must first believe in yourself before others can believe in you. If you think and act poorly; so too, will people think and act poorly towards you.
