Channeling Your Inner Confidence

Being confident within yourself is key when it comes to living your best life! And if you are wondering how, well if you have that inner confidence you are going to know what you want from life, not be afraid to go get it and you will not let anyone walk over you. Yep, it’s important in all areas of life from relationships to working life. But what if you don’t feel confident, how do you become more confident? Whilst there isn’t a ‘confident button’ you can press, there are a few things you can do today to kick start the inner confidence….

Stop comparing yourself.

In the age of social media, it can be easy to just go on Instagram and think everyone else has it together BUT I’m here to remind you that other people are not you. Your uniqueness is what makes you great. 

As cliche as it may sound it is important to remember that the only person you should compare yourself to is who you were yesterday – commit to growing daily.

The next time you find yourself comparing yourself to someone else, stop, take a breath and remind yourself your journey is unique to you! Feeling bad about yourself is a waste of energy! Look to people as inspiration – we should feel happy for people and remember that if someone else can do something, so can you!  

List your accomplishments.

We often get so caught up in achieving our goals we don’t take a moment to remind ourselves of how far we’ve come! In the same way we create to-do lists, start creating a daily accomplishment list, and every day before you go to sleep list all the things you’ve accomplished. It doesn’t have to be career-focused – perhaps you set a goal to become healthier and didn’t reach for the sugary snacks, or you wanted to get more steps in so went on a long walk, or maybe you read some more books rather than reaching for your mobile, whatever it is, add it to the list.

Be positive about yourself.

We can have a habit of talking negatively about ourselves when the reality is how we speak to ourselves or about ourselves is extremely important, as over time if you constantly run yourself down it will subconsciously impact you. If you tell yourself you are not worthy, you’re going to miss out on opportunities e.g. you see a job but don’t apply for it or ask for that promotion because you think you’re not capable or you settle for a crappy relationship because you don’t think you’re worthy of anything better.

Whilst I’m not saying to walk around and constantly tell everyone how great you are, you can tell yourself. An exercise to do is when you wake up say a positive affirmation to yourself. If you’re not sure of what affirmations to say, write the following down and start saying them to yourself….

 ‘I make a difference by showing up every day and doing my best.

 ‘I am becoming a better version of myself one day at a time.’ 

‘I am worthy of having what I want.’ 

‘I am grateful for my journey and its lessons.’ 

And on this, the next time someone compliments you accept it gracefully and give the person a compliment too – share the love! 

Practise, practise and more practise.

Identify the areas you don’t feel confident in and work on them. The more you practise and do something the more you will get better at it and thus feel confident! Let’s take the example of wanting more confidence when it comes to making new connections. Of course, with covid, you might not want to try the usual tricks of starting small and making small talk with people out and about, but you could join an online group – there are so many online communities on Facebook and other platforms. Perhaps you have an interest in photography, then join a group and introduce yourself. Start small and that will give you the confidence to go onto bigger things! 

Fake it till you make it.

Whilst I’m not one to focus on the outer appearance there are a few things you can do to appear more confident, such as sitting up straight, making eye contact with people you are talking to. When it comes to dressing confidently, you don’t have to wear a power suit, you can look confident in a t-shirt and cycling shorts if you stand straight and walk with confidence. Appearing confidence will in turn boost your confidence. 

And lastly…

Life is too short to drag yourself down so treat the world as your catwalk and strut down the world’s runway every day – listen to some sassy tunes and remind yourself that you are beautiful, deserving of everything you want and you’re a gift to the world!