Self-esteem can have a massive impact on every area of your life.
Sometimes our upbringings and life experiences can lead us to ask “how can I be confident in myself when I feel like a failure?”
Every one of us has things in our lives that make our confidence waiver. Whether you are shy and have difficulty meeting new people, have body image issues, or have experienced a recent breakup, there are many things that can negatively impact our self-esteem.
The good news is, this state of mind isn’t permanent and there are a variety of confidence-building activities that can teach you how to gain self-esteem.
This article will explore the significance of self-esteem, provides a self-confidence test and examine different self-confidence tips and strategies.
How Does Self-Esteem Impact Our Lives?
Let’s start by taking some time to go over the importance of self-confidence.
Someone that is confident about their value, skills and abilities will convey this to the people around them. They are more likely to succeed with social, professional and personal ventures.
Now picture someone with low self-esteem. They are likely to have a difficult time in all of the areas addressed above. They may not go after what they want because they believe they will fail or they are not good enough to achieve what they desire. Even if their skills and abilities are identical to the person with higher levels of confidence, they have a harder time convincing themselves of their worth and ultimately succeeding in critical life areas.
Do you suffer from low confidence?
Take the self-confidence test below to determine if you might have a problem.
How Much Self-Confidence Do You Have?
Self-esteem is an essential component of personal satisfaction, fulfilling relationships and life achievements. Answer the following questions with a “yes” or “no” to begin your confidence test.
- Do you believe that if you work hard and dedicate yourself to your goals that you’ll achieve them?
- If you don’t experience success the first time you try something, do you try again or simply give up?
- If you work hard to solve a problem, do you believe that you’ll eventually find the answer?
- Are you likely to keep trying after others have given up?
- Is rejection and criticism something that you can overcome relatively easily?
- Do you feel that you are worthy of love and affection?
- If you were to suddenly disappear, do you think most people would notice?
- If you disagree with someone, are you likely to express your opposing thoughts and feelings?
- Do you initiate new relationships and feel that others enjoy your company?
- Do you feel like you bring value to your relationships, employer and community?
- When you compare yourself to others do you still feel good about yourself and your achievements?
- Do you feel like you can be yourself around others and still make a good impression?
- If someone points out your mistakes or shortcomings do you take it as an opportunity for self-improvement?
- After you complete a project, do you feel good about it even if no one recognizes your work?
- Do you like yourself for who you are?
Once you’ve finished answering the questions above, count the number of times you responded with a “No.” If seven or more questions were answered with a “No” then you might have a problem with self-confidence.
So, now the focus should shift to “how to get more confidence and self-esteem.” If you’re ready to do this, then continue reading for some helpful self-confidence tips and strategies.
How To Get More Confidence ~ Everyday Tactics
Which comes first, confidence or success?
While success can certainly give your confidence a healthy boost, it is not necessarily what creates confidence.
If you start out with the confidence to try to achieve specific goals, and accept the possibility that you might fail, then you will be much more likely to achieve them.
For example, let’s say you are a new student of the English language. You may be wondering “how to build confidence in speaking English?”
The important thing to keep in mind is that this type of confidence will develop over time. As you practice and embrace the fact that you will make mistakes, your small successes will slowly build up to large ones and your confidence will also begin to increase.
When we look at making overall improvements to self-confidence, there are a variety of methods to help make this happen.
The following list examines a few powerful ways to get started:
- Exercise: This may seem unrelated to building confidence in relationships or your professional life but it can have a very large impact on your general self-esteem. On a basic level, increasing physical fitness can improve your self-image and elevate your perception of yourself. The act of completing the challenge of exercise itself offers regular proof of success and your body and mind will become accustomed to believing that you can achieve your goals.
- Shift Your Focus: Take a few minutes every day to focus on your positive characteristics and achievements. This can be difficult if you’re used to dwelling on your shortcomings, but with some practice it will become easier and easier to change your perspective and build up your confidence.
- Fake It: It can be hard to act confident when you’re not really feeling it but the results can be pretty profound. Tailoring your appearance and actions to convey confidence can actually create real feelings to emerge. One powerful way to employ this tactic is through “power poses.”
- Prepare Yourself: Oftentimes, showing up to a situation unprepared can wreak havoc on our confidence levels. Our anxiety shoots up and we come across as unsure and awkward. Whether you are going out on a date with your long-time crush or giving a performance management presentation to the executives at your company, taking the time to prepare for the event can really help your confidence levels and set you up for success.
- Embrace Self-Improvement: It may not be fun, but when we actually look at the things we are not fond of about ourselves, it gives us a chance to fix them. Sometimes we lack confidence because we haven’t taken the time to work on building our skills, knowledge, etc. This strategy is a long-term one but it can go a long way toward improving your self-confidence.
Action Steps to Take
We’ve established the impact that confidence can have on your relationships, work, ambition, and your everyday life experiences. Most of us could use some extra self-confidence and there are many ways to get to a place where we can effectively give our confidence a boost. Once you determine your level of self-confidence, it’s time to pick some tactics to improve it.
While some may find exercise and prep work to be a good route, others might have better results with a shift in focus, power poses and a plan for self-improvement.
The most critical step in the process is deciding to move forward and get started. Low self-confidence is definitely a problem but it doesn’t have to be a permanent state of mind. Do you have any other tips for improving confidence? We’d love to hear about them.
