Did you know that confidence isn’t something you’re
born with? Astounding – I know!
In our every day life, we’re exposed to so many stories
and images of successful, confident people, that it’s
easy to assume they naturally started out like that.
And, that they’re confident all the time.
Take Sheryl Sandberg , for example. Being the Chief
Operating Officer of Facebook, you could easily think
she’s never grappled with insecurity or self-doubt. But
she revealed in her book, Lean In , that she has at times
felt like an imposter.
Another example is Academy Award winning actress,
Meryl Streep, who said to a reporter in 2002, “I don’t
know how to act anyway, so why am I doing this?”
Despite what you may think, confidence isn’t something
you’re born with. It’s something you learn through life
experience, adapting to new situations, and doing those
things you thought you’d never be able to do.
You can boost your own level of
confidence, and here’s 6 tips to get you
started.
1. Do Something New
Every Day
It’s completely normal to want to stay inside your
comfort zone and stick to what you know. But stepping
over the barrier that separates you from “where you
are now” and “where you want to be”, is a crucial step
to feeling more confident.
You don’t have to take up skydiving or make a drastic
move to a different country to stretch your zone of
comfort. There are many simple, every day steps you
can take to build your confidence just the same.
Personally, if I want to add some adventure to my day,
I pack up my laptop, walk into town, and visit a coffee
shop I’ve never been to before.
This might seem simple, but the change of scenery and
environment triggers a whole range of new ideas, new
perspectives and newfound confidence inside of me.
Take a few minutes to think about what you can do
today to feel more alive and inspired.
2. Wear Confident Outfits
The way you dress has a huge impact on how you feel
about yourself, and how others see you. If you wear
clothes that are uncomfortable, restricting, or clearly
too big for you, you won’t feel comfortable, and you
won’t look confident.
On the other hand, if you wear outfits that mould your
body comfortably, and you incorporate a splash of
colour, you’ll naturally feel and look more confident.
How do you create a confident outfit? There are two
important elements you should focus on.
First, darker colours convey more authority . Second,
high-contrast colours make you stand out .
When you put together your outfit in the morning, find a
way to add black, charcoal, or navy blue to your outfit.
Then, incorporate a contrasting colour, such as white,
yellow or light blue.
3. Use Confident Body
Language
We’ve all heard of Amy Cuddy’s TedX talk about power
poses.
If you haven’t seen this yet, I highly recommend you
check it out here:
Although some may believe that you have to feel
confident inside before you can project confidence to
others, let me tell you through personal experience, it
can work the other way, too. Power poses are perfect
for business meetings if you’re tired of never getting
your opinions heard.
They can also work in social situations when you’re
trying to win an argument with your friend. The idea
behind power poses is to take up more space and to
use open body language postures. So instead of sitting
down with your arms folded and your legs crossed, rest
your arms on the armrests and claim your space.
4. Speak With a Confident
Voice
Most people overlook the importance of their voice
when trying to create a confident image. You might
plan carefully the words you’re going to say, but it’s
how you say them that matters more.
The biggest mistake I see, even recently with a
television presenter, is the upswing. An upswing is
when you create a rise in intonation at the end of your
statements, making your statements sound more like
questions.
For example, “On Saturday I went to the movies?” , or “ On
Saturday I went to the movies.” Repeat these two
sentences, the first with a rising intonation at the end,
and the second with a downward intonation at the end.
Which sounds more decisive and powerful to you?
5. Don’t Compare Yourself
to Others
Comparing yourself to others who have taken a
different path in their life and have made different
decisions is a sure-fire way to a downward spiral of
never feeling good enough.
This is one of the most common confidence crushers
because you’re always focusing on what you don’t
have, rather than on what you do have.
Here’s what I recommend: create a gratitude list of
everything you have (tangible or intangible) that you
are thankful for. Whenever you start to compare
yourself against a friend or coworker, take out this list
and read it over three times to remind yourself of all
the wonderful things you have, or have achieved in your
life.
6. Use Positive Self-Talk
Every Morning and Every
Night
If you’re going to take away just one piece of advice
from this post, this is the most powerful piece of
advice you can take with you: commit to positive self-
talk every morning when you wake up and every night
before you go to sleep.
When you start and end your day with positive,
confident affirmations, you can really change your
outlook on life. About a year ago I started this process
myself. I created a mantra that I now repeat three
times every morning and every night.
The mantra I use is really quite simple, and I invite you
to use it too, if it’s the right fit for you. The mantra I
use is, “I’m worthy of success” . If this mantra doesn’t
feel right for you, you can create your own. But the
most important part is to commit to repeating it every
morning and every night, until it becomes a part of you.
posted by Hari Krish
Addicted to greatness 