Make a list of special talents you have, or things you do that are
good—morally or otherwise.
Focusing on your attributes helps distract you from those
parts of yourself that you think are flawed. It doesn't have to be a specific
skill or activity either; it can be an approach or an attitude that you
champion through life. Do you always stay calm, cool and collected,
even in hurried situations? Are you very patient with
people? Do you always see the humorous side of things? Are you always there for
your friends?
Find your passion. Whether it's baton twirling, martial
arts, classic cars, or basket weaving, you will
feel
confident pursuing that endeavor by recognizing what you enjoy doing the
most. More importantly, you'll be enjoying your progress.
Choose a role model,whether someone close to you, or
someone famous. Think of the qualities that the role model displays,
whether physical, emotional, moral, and/or spiritual.Make sure they have done something
that is special and related to you. Work towards acquiring their special talents
.
Focus on others. Try not to focus negatively on what others
think of you. Instead, focus more on what they think of themselves, and try to
help them become happier and more confident.
Accept compliments gracefully. Don't
roll your eyes and say, "Yeah, right," or shrug it off. Take it to
heart and respond positively ("Thank you"
and a smile works well).
Know that you have important things to say and do.
When you feel strongly about something, speak loudly
and clearly
and make eye contact with people. Let go of your
fear of coming off as annoying or overbearing. People will judge you all the
time, and usually they'll misjudge you anyway, so why bother trying to cater to
their opinions at all?
Take care of yourself. Eat
a healthy diet and get enough exercise. Don't abuse your body, don't
overload it, and don't deny it any of the things it needs. At the same time,
don't obsess. Buying all the moisturizers, creams and conditioners will not
bring you closer to who you want to be. Those things are only band-aids and
make up. Confidence comes from within. Take the time to reflect on your life
and do some emotional maintenance. In order to be confident, you must value
yourself and understand that your well-being is important.
Stick up for yourself. If people put you down (and
not in a good-natured, joking way), then let them know that their opinion of
you is not held by everyone--most of all yourself. This may, at first, be hard
to do. But once you stick up for yourself a few times, your confidence builds
and you get more adept at it.
Celebrate your individuality. If you know you've
got something special or different, then embrace it—don't hide it! That's
diversity! You may wish that you were taller, or shorter, skinnier, stronger,
whatever the case may be. But you need to realize that if you were like
everyone else, then you wouldn't be who you are. "What am I?"
you ask; the answer's easy: You're a unique individual who is capable of
growing and learning.
Improve your posture. Having good
posture can actually make you feel more confident.[1] Don't
slouch or slump your shoulders. Make sure that your back is straight, your
shoulders are square, and your chest is puffed out slightly (but stay loose,
otherwise you'll appear stiff and uptight). Good posture also helps with deep
breathing, which helps with feeling calm and relaxed.
Take action. It is surprising how powerful the simple
step of taking an action can be. And the action you take need not be something
extravagant or grand. It could be something as simple as tackling a task that
you have been procrastinating, such as writing a letter or tidying up that
corner of the garage that has been out of control for the last several months.
It could also be something as interesting as taking a class in yoga, art,
interior design, anything that interests you that you haven't done yet. Whether
large or small, action brings with it exhilaration, enthusiasm, and the
confidence that other things can be done as well.
