Kiran Athar
Confidence is an essential element of life; it’s the backbone of success and without it, pursuing our dreams and goals becomes difficult.
But confidence doesn’t always come naturally to everyone. In fact, most of us have to work pretty hard at improving our confidence levels!
If you feel the same way, don’t worry, in this article I’m going to share 15 simple and effective ways to boost your confidence, starting today!
1) Take care of your appearance
If you’re looking for an effective way to boost your confidence right now, let’s start with your appearance.
The truth is, the way we look massively affects how we feel.
So to get a much-needed confidence boost, get up, get clean and get fresh!
Even if you’re working from home and you’re tempted to relax on personal hygiene, it’s not worth the effect it can have on you mentally!
2) Dress to impress yourself
And while you’re attending to your appearance, don’t skip out on your clothing.
Clothes, believe it or not, can have a profound effect on our confidence levels. Pajamas are for feeling comfortable, your best killer outfit is for feeling powerful and confident!
But remember:
You’re dressing to make yourself feel good – not to impress other people.
3) Exercise
Another simple way to boost your confidence today is to add some movement to your day.
Even if it’s a quick walk on your lunch break, or dancing to your favorite song while you’re cooking dinner, exercise releases important endorphins which can lead to increased confidence and better moods!
And regular exercise will help you with this next point:
4) Pay attention to your posture
Whilst studying at university for my Journalism degree, we were taught that sitting up straight, stretching your arms out wide, and assuming a powerful position can all increase your confidence levels (we had to do this before going live on air or in front of the camera).
So if you do one thing today, it should be to get out of that hunched position (which signifies defense and protection) and sit up straight.
Find your power pose and use it whenever you need a confidence boost!
5) Learn something new
Just as you’re learning new things from this article, another way to boost your confidence today is to learn new skills.
They don’t have to be incredibly complex or difficult, but things you can learn in a short space of time, like baking a cake or learning how to use Google search more effectively.
The point is, when we learn new things, we prove to ourselves that we are capable. This in turn boosts our confidence levels!
6) Set realistic goals
And while we’re on the subject of learning new things, we’ve also got to be realistic with our goals!
If you set the expectation that you’re going to achieve all your goals within a year, there’s a good possibility you’ll fail and your confidence levels will plummet.
So, start small. Break your goals down into little steps, and create a plan that allows you to start working toward your goal today.
7) Surround yourself with positive people
The company we keep has a profound effect on us. If you surround yourself with Moody Margarets’ and Pessimistic Pablos’, you too will feel irritable and negative.
On the other hand…
If you’re surrounded by people who uplift you and make you feel happy, you’ll naturally start to feel more confident!
So, pick up the phone, arrange to see someone who has a positive effect on you, and say goodbye to friends who only drag you down.
8) Get out of your comfort zone
Another simple and effective way to boost your confidence is to get out of your comfort zone!
Again, this doesn’t have to be something drastic – no one is expecting you to jump out of a plane!
But there are plenty of things you could do right now, such as:
- Having a conversation with a stranger
- Buying something you’d never buy normally
- Cooking a dish from a cuisine you’ve never tried before
- Going somewhere you’ve never been before
- Eating in a restaurant alone
When we step outside of our comfort zone, it forces us to rely on ourselves and push past the feelings of fear. As a result, we boost our confidence in incredible ways!
9) Celebrate your accomplishments
And when you’ve pushed yourself out of your comfort zone?
Celebrate it!
No matter how small it might seem, if it’s a win, it’s a win!
Unfortunately, many of us feel like we should only celebrate the big stuff. The promotions, getting an A on an exam.
But what if you used to get C’s on your exams and this time you got a B…isn’t that reason enough to celebrate and have a good time?
The more you celebrate your accomplishments, the sooner you’ll realize that you’re capable of achieving so much. If that isn’t a confidence boost, I don’t know what is!
10) Help others
If you want to boost your confidence today, finish reading this article, shut down your laptop or phone, and go and physically help someone else.
It could be your elderly neighbor or your sibling with their homework.
Whoever it is, no matter how big or small the help, you’ll feel good for doing something selfless for someone else.
And this will boost your confidence as you’ll realize how valuable you are in the lives of others!
11) Practice gratitude
Now, another simple and effective way to boost your confidence is to practice gratitude.
When you count your blessings instead of looking at all the negatives in life, you’ll invariably feel in a more positive mood.
And this can contribute to increased confidence!
The easiest way to practice gratitude is to keep a journal; every day you can write down one or two good things that have happened to you or that you have in life.
Over time, you’ll foster a more positive outlook on life, and worrying about your confidence will become a thing of the past!
12) Get good at breathing
This point might seem a little strange – aren’t you perfectly capable of breathing? Yes, I’d hope so!
But that’s not what I’m talking about. There’s breathing to survive, which we all do.
Then there’s breathing to calm down the nervous system and increase focus and confidence!
Since there are tons of different techniques to try, I suggest researching the best way for you online.
I practice breathwork by standing up straight, shoulders back, and taking deep breaths down into my stomach.
The key is to go slow on the exhale – count to five seconds before taking in the next breath.
Repeat this three to four times and see if your body feels any calmer (and a result, more confident!).
13) Think about the worst outcome
Another effective way to boost your confidence today is to think about the worst outcome of a situation that’s making you worried.
Let’s say you’ve got a big meeting coming up and you’re crapping your pants about it (understandably)…Rather than letting your mind spin out of control, ask yourself:
What’s the worst that can happen?
In this case, it could be that mid-delivery, you forget your lines, your boss looks annoyed and your colleagues laugh.
Okay…that sounds bad, but is it the end of the world?
No. In fact, after a few seconds of floundering, you’ll remember your line and carry on.
It’ll be old news by tomorrow.
Get into the habit of thinking about the worst outcome and putting it into perspective.
Most of the time we get ourselves into a panic over nothing, and this in turn depletes our confidence levels!
14) Listen to uplifting music
Have you ever noticed how many playlists there are on Youtube for “workout”, “studying”, or even “songs for getting in the mood”…
That’s because music has an insane influence on our moods. It can take you from feeling on top of the world to weeping over your dog that died when you were five.
So, in the same way, it can be a brilliant way to boost your confidence!
And the beauty is that the song will differ for each person. My go-to confidence-boosting song is Galvanize by The Chemical Brothers…What’s yours?
Pop it on and see how it makes you feel!
15) Focus on your strengths
And finally, if you do one thing today to boost your confidence, it should be to focus on your strengths.
The truth is, we all have things we’re good at, and things we suck at. If we spent all our time and energy focused on what we can’t do, we’d never get anywhere!
So, make a list – what is it that you do well?
Even if it’s small things like keeping your plants alive, or being able to read an entire book in one evening, it’s still a strength!
Whenever you’re feeling insecure or lack confidence, refer back to this list and remind yourself just how capable and talented you are!
