Benefit From Better Self-Confidence

Self-confidence is a belief that you can trust your own abilities, knowledge and judgment.

Why does self-confidence matter? Research suggests that confidence is important to our physical, mental and emotional health. Improved self-confidence can add many benefits to your life that you may not even realize.

Benefits of Building Self-Confidence

• You experience healthier relationships and not only with people but with other things, like food or money.
• You succeed more in your job. Your self-confidence will sustain you through the hard times of growth and uncertainty. You won’t worry about your abilities or what others think of you.
• You experience greater resilience. Self-confidence will help you accept responsibility and understand you’re constantly learning throughout life. Every experience we have is valuable.

How to Build Self-Confidence

Everyone can learn how to be more confident in different and powerful ways. Look at confidence as a skill that can be achieved through practice and persistence.

• Stop comparing yourself to others. Check your time and feelings surrounding social media. Unfollow any accounts that tend to make you feel bad about yourself or take a social media fast. The only person you should compare yourself to is the person you were yesterday.
• Surround yourself with positive people. Create a support circle, this can be a group of friends who share a common goal like an exercise group, book club, or Bible study. Also, let go of the relationships that weigh you down.
• Be kind to yourself. This involves treating yourself with kindness when you make a mistake, fail, or experience setback.
• Practice positive self-talk. The messages you tell yourself will encourage you or they will limit you. Change your thoughts and you will change your world.
• Face your fears head-on. Stop putting things off until you feel more self-confident. The biggest challenge is to show up when your mind is making the best excuses.
• Take care of your body. It’s hard to feel good about yourself if you’re abusing your body. Observe where you are now: are you eating healthy, moving your body, and getting enough sleep? When you practice self-care, you know you’re doing something positive for your mind, body and spirit.

Learning how to be more confident can have a range of positive effects on your life. In addition to helping you feel better about yourself and your abilities, self-confidence can make your relationships stronger and make you more resilient to stress.

“Confidence is a habit that can be developed by acting as if you already had the confidence you desire to have.” – Brian Tracy

By Kim Goblirsch, LiveNOW Well-being Specialist