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Have you ever been around a person you just know is overflowing with confidence and over the top happiness? They just exude this certain strong sense of self, don’t they? There’s something going on with them that is bigger than the eye can see. They might not be the most physically attractive in the room, they might not be the wealthiest. But there is one thing you know for sure just by watching them, they are emanating a special shine from within that is abundantly contagious!

Isn’t that how YOU want to be too? You might be reading this and saying, “Oh, this article is SO not for me. I’m already confident!” Well, then good for you. But let me tell you, even those of us who teach lessons in self-confidence, need to be reminded every now and then to be our best. Everyone needs a dose of inspiration in life from time to time. Do you think Michael Jordan stopped practicing after he was already deemed the greatest basketball player of all time? No, he still worked on perfecting his skill. 

Below are some tips and reminders you can follow in your walk of confidence. Whether you are already there and just want to perfect your skill or confidence is an area you struggle with, these tips are good for all:

1.  Make it a point to surround yourself with confident, positive people.  Like I said above, winning attitudes are truly contagious! Choose your friends wisely. Surround yourself with confident people. Maybe there’s a mentor in your group of friends that you can spend more time with. If you are hanging around with negative people who seem to bring you down all the time, maybe it is time to let those friendships go. You do become the people you associate with whether you realize it or not. There is definite truth in the old saying, “birds of a feather flock together.”

2.  Constantly remind yourself of times you truly felt confident. Confidence is a feeling. We each control our own feelings, right? Right. Once you realize this, you will come to understand that feeling confident is something you can achieve every single day. Think back to times in your life when you felt the most confident. This will bring the feeling of confidence back up. Replay those moments over and over again a few times a day. The more you do this, the more you will make feeling confident a habit.

3.  Pay attention to the words you use when you speak.  Once words leave your mouth, you cannot take them back. Many people do not realize the affects words really have on our feelings and emotions. If you use words that cut yourself down or others down, this will break down your confidence walls and prevent you from achieving that overall feeling of confidence. I’m sure you’ve heard your mom or teacher say, “If you keep making that face, it will stick”. Well, words do the same thing.

4.  Make a list of the reasons you should be confident. Sit down and make a list. Write down (at least) 25 reasons you should be confident. You may become surprised at how easy it is to reach 25 pretty quickly. The list can be made up of your skills, your best qualities, your favorite physical attributes, the goals you have accomplished in life, the goals you want to accomplish. Basically, anything that makes you FEEL good. Reading this list on a daily basis will create true awareness of WHY you should be confident.

5.  Be TRUE to yourself always.  I cannot reiterate this enough. You HAVE TO live life in a way that is true to none other than YOU first. Be real. If you are genuine and sincere, you never have to hide behind a facade. Being fake and insincere creates a cloak around the real you and if you are hiding behind a cloak, how can you ever truly be confident? Speak truths to others on your feelings, be expressive and speak from your heart. Think about someone you know who is truly confident. You have probably witnessed them at some point say something that others may have been afraid to speak up about. This is because a truly confident person will know how to express their feelings and speak passionately when sharing their thoughts. Why? Because they are being true to THEMSELVES and also choosing words wisely (see tip #3).

Now remember, just reading these tips will not make you more confident. You need to apply them and seek other ways to help you embrace your own confidence level. There are many books out there to help you. Good luck in your walk of confidence and always remember…if you BELIEVE IT, you can ACHIEVE IT!

About the author, Laura Hunt.