8 Steps to becoming more confident.

Most of us want to feel more confident, and it means different things to different people.

But take a moment to reflect on what the actual root word is. ‘Confidence’ comes from the word 'Confidentem’, which means, to trust'. Similar to the word, confide. You would only confide in someone you trusted.

Therefore, Confidence means to trust yourself.

Trust yourself to ...

• Prioritise you.

• Applaud & cheer you on.

• Say yes to opportunities.

• Be kind when you fall.

Here are 8 ways to get better at trusting yourself, at being confident.

1.       See yourself and be kind.

How often do you wake up, go through the day, and not actually 'see' yourself? The day gets hijacked by everything else, and before you know it, it’s time for bed. Unless something goes wrong of course, then you really see yourself. Harsh words and blame follow soon after.

None of this does anything good for your confidence.

Instead try looking, even smiling, at yourself first thing in the morning, every morning. Greet yourself in the mirror with kind, encouraging words, that positively drive your day.

2.       Become self-awareness.

Self-awareness is the ability to recognize and understand one's own thoughts, emotions, and behaviours. Developing self-awareness can improve confidence in many ways. Here are a couple.

 Understanding Strengths and Weaknesses: By becoming more self-aware, individuals can identify their strengths and weaknesses. They can focus on leveraging their strengths to build confidence and work on developing areas of weakness.

Identifying Triggers: Self-awareness helps individuals identify triggers that may affect their confidence. They can work on developing coping mechanisms to manage stress and anxiety in these situations.

3.       Gratitude.

 Gratitude involves focusing on the positive aspects of one's life and being thankful for them. By shifting one's focus to positive aspects, individuals are more likely to feel good about themselves and their accomplishments, which can boost their confidence.

It can also help reduce negative thinking and self-doubt. When individuals focus on what they are grateful for, they are less likely to dwell on negative thoughts or compare themselves to others.

Expressing gratitude can also boost self-esteem, which is an important component of confidence. When individuals feel good about themselves, they are more likely to approach challenges and opportunities with a sense of confidence.

4.       Rest & Recharge.

No-one works well on an empty tank, so ensure you get 6-8 hours of quality sleep. Establish a routine that works for you, but for most people, things like no screen time for 2 hours before bed works very well. Some like a shower before bed and sleeping in a cool room. Figure out what works for you and then stick to it.

It is also important to recharge your mind, body & soul. It leads to increased focus, productivity, and helps handle difficult situations. Have a variety of recharge activities, including physical exercise, something like meditation to calm down your mind, social interactions, and even creative activities such as writing, cooking or even gardening. This has the added benefit of being outdoors.

5.       Check your circle.

Who are you spending the most time with? Do they lift & encourage you? Or deplete you and discouraging you from taking the steps you are striving to take?

If you are spending most of your time with energy drainers, it will be harder to take the steps forward that you really want to. This will hugely influence your confidence,

However, if you surround yourself with people who have a growth mindset, who see more in you than you see in yourself, and who motivate you, this will energise you and help you move forward.

6.       Check your emotional diet.

• What are you reading?

• What are you watching?

• And what are you listening to?

The emotional content you consume will impact your thoughts, which in turn will impact how you feel, and then what you say and do.

Asses this content and ask yourself if it is nutritional for your mind.

7.       Say YES to opportunities.

Have you ever been in that situation where an opportunity arises that gets you really excited, you want to say yes, you are about to put your hand up, but then you don’t?

Because you get scared, you don’t believe you can do it, you don’t know how to get from A to B.

Next time, despite these feelings, just say YES. It doesn't matter if you don't know how you will do it, have faith that you will figure it out.  Be the person who always can figure things out. Then, every day, no matter how small, keep taking action. Keep moving forward, albeit little by little.

8.      Appreciate your achievements.

In the same way we are often quick to judge ourselves when things go wrong, we are very poor at acknowledging and appreciating when things go well.

Acknowledge, celebrate and document everything you achieve, even the learnings from your so-called failures.

So whether you have a win-jar, achievement log or you journal your win, DO IT.

These small wins all boost your confidence, remind you of what you are capable of, and document your journey of growth.

My signature course, Revitalise, is my 3 step method to give you career & life confidence.