According to forbes.com, many successful people credit their sense of self and their confidence to their success. But how do you build that skill? Confidence is built on choices and accomplishments that feed the passion, and that makes you feel happy and proud of who you are. So how do you build confidence? For me it is about repetition. Practice the skill, so that it is not new to you to use. Be persistent about it. Practice, practice, and practice again. In addition, it is important to not accept “no” for an answer. Look at JK Rowlings. She shopped the Harry Potter idea to 12 publishers before she got her book deal. Now that is persistence.
Below are a few other tips to help you build your confidence.
1. Get Things Done
Confidence is built on accomplishment. If you achieve small and big goals, you're going to feel much better about yourself. Keep in mind that progress is incremental, and significant changes do not happen overnight. If you accomplish the goals you set for every day, chances are you will begin meeting weekly and monthly goals, which brings you in range of your bi-annual and annual goals. Set a goal for yourself, and go for it.
2. Monitor Your Progress
The best way to reach your goals, big or small, is to break them into smaller goals and to monitor your progress. Try to quantify your accomplishments: the number of applications you're submitting to jobs or graduate schools, what you're eating and how much you're exercising, write down whatever your goal may be. It will help you stay on course, and you will build confidence as you see the progress you're making in real time.
3. Do The Right Thing
Most confident people live by a value system and make their decisions based on that value system. Your actions and decisions define your character. Ask yourself what the best version of yourself that you aspire to be would do, and do it. Even when it's, and it's the last thing you want to do. You're going to like yourself more and be prouder of who you are.
4. Exercise
Besides benefitting your health in general, exercising helps memory retention, improves focus, helps manage stress and prevents depression. It's harder to be anxious when there is no excess energy to draw upon, and outside of being uncomfortable at times, exercise improves every aspect of your life. So stay active, and create time for yourself.
5. Be Fearless
If you set big goals and have big dreams, you're going to feel overwhelmed, and you're inevitably going to feel like you can't do it. In those moments you have to look inside yourself, and gather every ounce of courage you have and just keep going. Think about how much you want to achieve your goal, then put your fear to the side, one day at a time.
6. Stand-up For Yourself
When your goal, or project, is in its early stages, and someone says that your goal is stupid, or that you can not do it, it's tempting to believe them. You have to tell those people, especially the voices in your head, that they're wrong. You have it in you, so tell them you believe in your goal, you believe in yourself, so you're going to accomplish it. Don't let anyone, ever make you feel like you don't deserve what you want.
7. Follow Through
People respect people when they say they're going to do something and they do it. More importantly, you will respect yourself if you say you're going to do something and you do it. Action gives your words meaning, and it will help you pave a path to accomplishing your goals.
8. Think Long-term
Big goals require significant sacrifices, you have to dig deep and really discipline yourself. At the moment it is tedious and frustrating and makes life significantly harder, but it will pay off, and the pride you feel will be worth it.
9. Don't Care What Others Think
There are going to be so many people who will tell you-you cannot accomplish your goal. While they say you the odds are against you, etc., just remember most people are wrong about most things. Don't listen to them, believe in yourself and keep going.
10. Do More Of What Makes You Happy
What do you love to do in your spare time? Whatever it is you, love, create space for it, because life is short, you need time to enrich your life and to recharge to be your best self.
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