22 ways to build self-confidence

The list of benefits to having confidence is endless and I firmly believe that self-confidence is the key to success in every area of your life.

Once you change your consciousness and build a connection to yourself, you can manage your fears so you then don't feel ‘less than anyone else’.

You are perfectly imperfect and when you build on what you have, you will experience incredible changes in your life.

Your perception of yourself has a huge impact on how others perceive you. How can you be truly happy if you do not possess self-confidence?

When you build confidence you are able to say: ‘I am who I am. Take me or leave me. If I don’t live up to your expectations, that means nothing to me. I accept myself, and if you don’t accept me, that’s your issue.’

Here's my top 22 ways to build confidence:

1. Stop beating yourself up for not being perfect. You are
'perfectly imperfect'. Loosen up and give yourself a break.

2. Study famous people you admire on Youtube clips or read biographies. Model their behaviour. Be who you are but emulate their body language or communication skills - remember confidence is a learned skill, most of them started out without any.

3. Advertise your strengths, not your weaknesses. Blow your own trumpet without showing off. Gently, yet firmly state the facts to others of what you have accomplished and achieved.

4. Keep a success journal and every time you feel despondent or low, add to the list another success, even if tiny.

5. Change all your passwords on your phone and PC to say an affirmation which has to be added manually such as 'I am more than enough' or 'I am loving and loveable' .

6. Do one small thing a day that squeezes you out of your comfort zone, no matter what it is.

7. Go on a negativity diet for seven days. Do not say anything negative and if you do reframe it immediately.

8. Next time you are out socially dare to be bold by approaching someone you don't know and striking up a conversation.

9. Write a list of resentments and on the other side of the paper write why you feel resentful. Get familiar with yourself, your thoughts and feelings - it's incredibly empowering.

10. Get a journal and commit to writing three pages of A4 free flow conscious writing and start watching how fast you will develop your intuition. Confident people always have strong intuition.

11. Say no without explaining or justifying your reasons and watch your confidence rocket.

12. Be more assertive at work, a small  step at a time makes a huge difference.

13. If you normally sit at the back when at an event or lecture, sit in the front row, start becoming more visible.

14. Make a list of what's acceptable to you and what's not, after all how can we set a boundary if we have no idea what we will tolerate and what we won't. Keep the list at hand so you can memorise it.

15. If you have a difficult conversation to face, a job interview or an appraisal, you need to practise, plan and prepare. If you know what you want to say by heart you will feel a zillion times more confident.  

16. Get your body in shape (if it is then keep it in shape) by exercising as this will change your energy profoundly and help boost confidence.

17. Take care of your most valuable asset - make self-care a priority. Do not neglect yourself - drink plenty of water, get enough sleep, eat healthy foods, keep your skin well nourished.  

18. Do NOT socialise with toxic people or those who complain and moan. Socialise with those who champion you, value you and respect you.

19. Stop worrying what others think about you. To raise confidence you must start worrying firstly and foremost about what you think of you.

20. Do not allow anyone to put you down, even in a jokey way. Our subconscious does not have a sense of humour so a put down is a put down and erodes our confidence. When you  allow it or laugh along to a nasty comment, you are in effect putting yourself down.

21. When standing up to someone or saying no, it's not what you say, is how you say it. To communicate in a confident way and be taken seriously  you must be centred and calm and speak slowly and firmly.

22.Your niceness will betray you-of that I guarantee. If someone is being mean, self centred and unreasonable - dare to be bold and set a boundary and stick with it. Then watch your confidence rocket!

MAKE IT HAPPEN - YOU CAN DO IT!

AFTER ALL, ISN'T IT YOUR TIME TO SHINE?