Confidence - 5 Steps to build it
One thing I have been asked time and time again is how am I so confident? Now I have touched on why I feel this question is asked a lot of me. Usually, a plus sized woman is asked this more than a person in shape. You can see my views on that here. But what I want to share with you is ways to boost your confidence no matter your size. Confidence is something that is very important because YOU will be your biggest cheerleader. It's easy to get wrapped up in self-doubt. We live in a world where we see peoples accomplishments more and more through social media. We need to realize that its human nature not to show our flaws, or disappointments, or mistakes. Between all the happy accomplishments that we see, believe me, there was some growth and uh-oh moments.
So what are some ways that you can boost your self-esteem/confidence? Here are five ways that have helped me:
Question your inner self. It's true that we need to be our best cheerleader but we also can be our own worst critic. When we have these inner feelings that spring up self-doubt when need to learn how to ask ourselves questions. What makes me feel this way about myself? What evidence is there that I am a failure? What are some of my great qualities? When we ask these questions about yourself we can then change our thinking and see we are really a force to be reckoned with because there is NO ONE like us in the world.
Wear something you feel great in There is no way to deny that when we dress the way we love we feel better. There is a saying dress for the job you want. Think about it, when you see a fireman in uniform there is a confidence about them. They are in their attire that commands they are focused and saving lives is at the forefront. The true can be said about us when we dress to impress. You get an instant confidence boost. Clothing truly does affect the way we feel about ourselves.
Helping others We all have different abilities and strengths. When we help others it will help us to not focus on ourselves but will be focused on someone else. We will be doing a good deed all while helping ourselves as well. However, be very careful we don't want to help people for selfish reasons. we want to make sure we are doing it out the kindness of our hearts and not expecting anything in return(even validation from others that we have helped) we can do things in quite and STILL help build our own confidence.
Do one thing for yourself every day that makes you smile Self-care is so important and we need to take time out even if it's 10-15min a day to do something that makes us happy, read a few pages of that book you've been eyeing, write in your journal. Sit outside and drink a beverage of your choice and just look around and take in nature, go for a walk. Whatever you decided to do, make sure it brings a smile to your face.
Never Stop learning: We live in a day and age where information is RIGHT at our fingertips. Sometimes we lack confidence bevaise it's about a subject we don't know much about. It's ok not to know EVERYTHING but using the excuse "I don't know" is not a good copout. Look up information, maybe you want to learn a new language, get a promotion, be a better cook etc. I guarantee there is a book, a TEDtalk, a blog post, a poodcast, a youtube video etc that will have the information you need. Always be open to learning and your confidence will build.
These are just five quick tips that can help boost your confidence. It has taken me years to realize my uniqueness and be confident. I still struggle with self-doubt from time to time because I am human. I have found that therapy helps, journal writing and making sure I have an amazing group of supporters around me. What are some ways that have helped you boost your confidence? let me know in the comments below.