Four Recommended Steps to Improve Self Confidence

Having self-confidence can help you acheive your goals and dreams, which improves the quality of your life. Like a never-ending circle, the better you feel about yourself, the more you will accomplish, and the more you will feel better about yourself. Learning how to improve your self-confidence can help improve your relationships, your job and your health. Several steps will help you acheive this goal.

Identify and Change Problem Situations

• Knowing the situations that lead to problems in your life is the first step to achieving a better sense of self-confidence. Make a list of any situations in which you don't feel your best and why. It could be a challenge you have with a loved one, a problem you have with a co-worker or a change in life circumstances. Once you have identified those problem situations, make a plan to change them. The plan might include talking to the problematic person, resolving to end a damaging relationship, or accepting your new life and moving on. Whatever needs to be done, write down the steps you plan to take in order to stay on track with your goals.

Challenge Negative Self-Talk

• Many people are their own worst enemies. You probably give yourself many negative messages throughout the day, all of which can be damaging to your self-esteem and confidence. Make another list of all the negative affirmations you tell yourself and come up with a counterargument for each. Whenever you find yourself falling into a pattern of negative thinking and your self-confidence begins to waver, read yourself a positive affirmation to pick yourself up.

Dress the Part

• Looking good can most certainly make you feel better. Standing up straight, shining your shoes, and wearing a beautiful new dress or sharp new suit can increase your confidence tenfold. Shower or bathe on a regular basis, keep your hair and nails trimmed and neat, and walk with purpose in your step. This will be much easier when you look and feel good with what you see in the mirror.

Compliment Others

• Talking negatively about other people tends to bring out the worst in you. Speaking badly and gossiping about others tends to keep you focused on your own shortcomings or what you don't have. Complimenting others helps you to not only feel good about doing something nice for another person, but it will help you to focus on your own strengths and positive qualities.