“Always hold your head up, but be careful to keep your nose at a friendly level.” — Max L. Forman
Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Eduard Ezeanu on how to boost your confidence.
Eduard is a communication coach that helps people improve their people skills and open new doors for themselves.
Without further ado, here’s Eduard with ways to improve your confidence …
10 Confidence Boosters that Work Right Now
Confidence is a meaningful topic both in my personal life and my work as a coach. There is a lot of advice out there on how to boost your confidence, a big part of which I’ve tested or researched.
Unfortunately, many of the confidence boosters you’ll discover do little more than create a placebo effect, even though they may promise miracle changes. However, there are also some that generate real results.
For this reason, I’ve decided to compile a list with the top 10 confidence boosters I know that actually work. Here they are:
1. Muscle Relaxation
When you feel nervous, the muscles in your body tense. The mind-body connection also works in the other direction: consciously relax your muscles and you’ll start feeling more relaxed and confident. One exercise I often use for muscle relaxation that works great is consciously tensing and then releasing each muscle group in my body, one at a time.
2. Deep Breathing
Another thing that happens when you feel nervous is that your breathing becomes shallow and unregulated. This is why a good confidence booster is to focus on your breathing and consciously breathe deeper and more regulated. As you do this, you will naturally feel more confident.
3. Run!
One interesting thing I’ve noticed is that it’s pretty hard to feel nervous when you energize your body and you release that tension physically. This is why I recommend running: it will take the tension out of your body, stimulate the release of endorphins and naturally put you in a positive, confident mood.
4. Dress for Success
As shallow as it may perhaps seem, our clothes and our look have a big impact on our confidence, even if it may be only momentarily. People who are well dressed, as if they are successful, tend to think of themselves as being that way and they feel more confident. This is why the way you dress is not to be ignored.
5. Have a Rich Life
A rich life breeds confidence. Have a lot going on in your life and you tend to see yourself as an awesome person. Your rich life creates a rich inner world and this stimulates your confidence. So, don’t spend all day in front of your computer or in a chair at the office. Go out there and get the most abundant life possible for yourself.
6. Have A Strong Social Circle
Our confidence level is influenced by our social status. When you have a strong social circle you know that you can rely on others, that you have your back covered. This can be a huge confidence booster. Don’t settle for just having some friends: meet new people, socialize and build the best social circle for you.
7. Face Your Fears
Most of our fears are irrational. They’re based on an over the top perception of what will happen if we do a certain something: if we say ‘no’ to someone, if we fail etc. However, when you face your fears and do what you’re afraid of, you usually prove to yourself that it’s not that bad and that you can handle it. This in turn improves your confidence.
8. Ignore Your Inner Voice
Many times, we lose confidence because we listen to a little internal voice in our heads that tells us all sort of negative things and often creates an inferiority complex: “I’ll fail”, “I’m not good enough” and so on. The good news is that you can choose to ignore this voice and it won’t affect you as much. This technique requires some practice, but it is very helpful.
9. Manage Your Thinking
I believe that fundamentally, lack of confidence is generated and sustained by the way we think, by our habitual thinking patterns. You can learn to notice your thinking patterns, identify what’s irrational in your thinking and gradually change it. By managing your thinking, you can improve your confidence and have a much better emotional life altogether.
10. Constantly Improve
If there is one kind of people I find to have the greatest potential for high confidence, it’s the people who always improve themselves. This is why I encourage you to invest in your personal development, to keep learning and growing as a person, no matter your age. As you do so, you create a solid foundation for confidence.
These confidence boosters may look good on paper (a… your computer screen), but it is applying them that gives their real value. Put them to use in your own life, employ them with perseverance, and you will see real positive results.
Eduard provides communication coaching and helps people put their best foot forward in communication. He also writes on his people skills blog.
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