Many a times we may have all the correct tools to soar higher in life but the only thing that may be cutting our wings short could be the lack of self confidence.
Self confidence fuels our dreams and goals to their destinations. One may have gold medals and distinctions in his field but a simple job interview or an invitation for public speaking can make him sweat his palms off.
Luckily, lack of self confidence is not like painting the moon but adopting a few corrective self behavioural changes can make it achievable.
There are many ways in which you can gain self confidence, let's look at some few here.
- Appearance. It's always easy to make external changes than internal. Sharply dressed and well groomed individual wins the heart of others at the very first glance. When we get accepted & approved by others we feel confident, that's human nature. Look clean, smell good and carry that bright smile always.
- Posture matters. The way you carry yourself in front of others, shows how you feel about yourself. How do you think we label people as proud, arrogant, unfriendly without even talking to them? Carry yourself tall, walk with a pep in your step, sit adopting the posture of your chair & make eye contact! People will automatically get the point that you mean business.
- Love yourself. This is in queue with point number 1. Whatever your physique may be, learn to be comfortable with yourself. If you are overweight/obese (seriously, you need to loose weight for health reasons) accept the fact but do not let it interfere with your job affairs. Take it as a challenge and do something about it to change it. When you are happy with yourself you will be more confident.
- Believe only after self experience. Don't believe in hearsay and lose your self confidence early. People describe others according to how they perceive them and through their experiences. It is therefore wise never to judge a new person before getting a chance to get to know them. Similarly, there is no need to be scared of anyone as long as what you doing is right.
- Be calm and composed. When the sudden bout of lack of confidence strike you, one of the best option is to be calm and composed. Do not talk unless questioned. Meanwhile you can take few deep breathes and gain control over your nervous wreck.
- Voice your opinions. In a meeting/group discussion it is a good practice to participate by speaking out your ideas instead of retaining them and keep wondering "What if I had." Your inputs may or may not get approval , but that is secondary. Slowly you will gain confidence to express yourself in public.
- Knowledge is power. I believe in this seriously. At the end of the day self confidence only comes and stays there when you know you have enough basic knowledge in your field. When you do so, you will fear no challange and no one. Hence, constantly be in touch with the updates in your field of interest.
- Get up and keep moving. That's life! Failures are part of life. You may fail at multiple attempts but when you keep trying you keep learning from your mistakes and no one can stop you from achieving your goals. After all, teaching is learning twice! And failures are teachers.
- Diary: Your secret weapon. Indeed it is 80% added self confidence when you know your fears. Have them jotted down, all your drawbacks & failing points. Jot down ways to overcome them besides each of those. Implement one by one and see yourself gain back your self confidence.
- Have a positive outlook. Life is all about ups and downs. Everyone faces hurdles. Step back for a while and go through all the good things that you have in your life and compare them to the have nots. This will teach you to be humble and grateful. Whatever you have achieved so far has all been an exam, yet you succeeded. Life will keep giving you challenges, face them, survive them. Never let negative thoughts conquer you. You must know by now that your magic mantra is you CAN do it. Praise others whenever you get an opportunity, this will earn you more friends and more confidence.
The above list of ways to gain self confidence is of course not exhaustive. Feel free to share your fears and how you overcame them in the comment box below.
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