There are some people who just ooze confidence that you can’t help but wonder how they do it. Were they born confident, or were they raised in a specific way? Have you ever thought that, perhaps, they taught themselves to be confident; that they made changes in their lives to become the confident people they are today?
If you are struggling with self-confidence, and you need a boost, maybe you are allowing some toxic behaviors to control you. Maybe you need to let go of these behaviors, and when you do, your confidence will get a massive boost!
Boost your confidence!
Yearning for everyone’s approval
You may not be aware of it, but you may be a people-pleaser. You might have the tendency to want people to approve of you, your opinions, and your actions. As a result, you live your life to get the approval of others, and when you don’t get that, you feel inept and your confidence suffers from a huge blow.
Fix it: Let go of the need to have the approval of others. You are an adult who lives your own life. You don’t need the approval of other people to make decisions and do the things that make you happy. Do what is right, and don’t wait for anyone to tell you they applaud you.
Making excuses as a crutch
I had this colleague who used to have an excuse for every single thing. When he was late, he would say, “The traffic was awful.” When he couldn’t meet deadlines, his response was, “I am meticulous, so I don’t work as fast as others.” There was always something, but he rarely owned up to his shortcomings.
And that’s where the fix is: Own up to your mistakes and shortcomings. The most confident people know that they are not perfect. They acknowledge that they have fallen in the past and that they will most likely fall again. The important thing is to stand up again.
So don’t be afraid to admit that you’ve made a mistake. Do what you need to do to fix it, and you’ll see that you’ll be more confident, instead of burrowing yourself in a corner beating yourself up.
Second guessing yourself all the time
There is such a thing as intuition, whether you’re male or female. When you have that gut feeling, follow it. You can even stop and analyze it if you want to, but if it’s persistent, and you know what you have to do but you just don’t want to face it, stop second guessing. Believe in yourself. That’s when your confidence will shine through.
Avoiding new experiences
Many people who lack self-confidence are averse to expanding their horizons. They like to stay in their comfort zone – which is understandable, that is why it’s called “comfort” zone. However, if you never foray out of that zone, and you don’t encounter new experiences, then you’ll also probably never improve your confidence.
The solution is simple: welcome new experiences. They don’t have to be huge things. Baby steps…
I leave you with this:
“Do one thing every day that scares you.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
Originally posted on October 28, 2014 @ 8:00 am
