Almost anyone could benefit from improving their confidence and self-esteem – no matter how old you are or what successes you have under your belt, you might struggle to see your worth sometimes. The only way to begin to boost your self-worth is to embrace the process. The first step forward is always the hardest, but every step towards self-improvement counts.
How can you build confidence at every day? By practicing these tips regularly, you’ll feel more confident and ready to take on anything.
Quick Navigation
- Improve Your Confidence With Visualization
- Try Something That Scares You
- Build Self-Worth With Affirmations
- Celebrate Your Small Victories To Build Confidence
- Motivate Yourself Through Others
- Practice Self-Care To Boost Self-Worth
- Build Self-Esteem Through Classes
- Learn To Say No
1. Improve Your Confidence With Visualization
One of the first self-confidence tips you can try is visualization. It’s a practice where you release tension from your body before visualizing yourself in positive scenarios.
Where do you lack confidence? The key is to imagine a scenario you’re insecure about and then visualize a result where you feel proud of yourself.
Someone who wishes they had better public speaking skills may take deep breaths for a few minutes to let go of any tension in their body. Then they might spend more time walking themselves through imaginary scenarios where they’re speaking in front of people with confidence.
Complete the visualization exercise by reflecting on what you felt or learned about yourself. Those feelings are possible to achieve through real-life scenarios. The power to accomplish your goals is already within you. Take baby steps toward those goals to improve your confidence.
2. Try Something That Scares You
Everyone knows what they’re comfortable with. Maybe you stay away from thrill rides at amusement parks or never attempt to parallel park. Instead of shying away from things, do something that scares you to push yourself outside of your comfort zone.
Pick something safe but still out of your norm. Try the spiciest food on the menu the next time you go out to eat, plan a safe but exciting trip on your own or go out on a date. Taking action will boost your self-confidence and broaden your comfort zone.
3. Build Self-Worth With Affirmations
People become comfortable with negative thinking without even trying. Those thoughts may sound like:
- I’m never good enough at work.
- I’m not skinny enough to be happy.
- I’m not funny enough for my friends.
You don’t have to say these things out loud for them to be damaging – just thinking them degrades your self-worth.
Instead, catch those thoughts in the moment and replace them with positive affirmations. These have proven to be beneficial for self-worth, as long as they’re statements like:
- I am successful and deserve it.
- I’m great at what I do.
- I trust myself to handle anything that may arise.
The more you replace negative thoughts with positive affirmations, the more you’ll know about how to build your self-worth.
4. Celebrate Your Small Victories to Build Confidence
In a perfect world, your accomplishments wouldn’t define your self-esteem, but that’s not entirely achievable. Turn your focus away from waiting to feel good about yourself until you’ve reached long-term goals and celebrate small victories as you go through your routine every day.
It may feel silly at first to high-five yourself for waking up on time or brushing your teeth, but that’s the point. Everything that’s a success is worth celebrating. As your recognition of those victories builds, your self-worth and self-esteem will follow.
5. Motivate Yourself Through Others
Some people have an incredible amount of drive that helps them thrive in challenging times or change their thought processes all on their own. It’s OK if you don’t fall into that group. There are people out there ready to help you find your way forward, like motivational speakers.
Decide what you want help or encouragement with, and think about going to a motivational seminar or seeing a motivational speaker. Their personal stories will inspire and energize you, guiding you toward the confidence and self-worth you’re looking for.
Don’t count out people who discuss things you can’t initially relate to. That former naval officer or pro athlete will talk about a core idea or theme everyone experiences, so you can still learn from them even if you haven’t walked in their shoes.
6. Practice Self-Care to Boost Self-Worth
Self-care is an essential part of maintaining your health – including your state of mind.
Offer yourself small rewards and special treats when you achieve a goal or push past a challenge. After you rock a meeting at work, treat yourself to a sunset walk or a new purse from your favorite store. The act of caring for yourself is a way to show you’re worth it. Your confidence will rise with each victory and celebration.
7. Build Self-Esteem Through Classes
People have different experiences in the educational system. You may have graduated from college, earned a master’s degree or had to drop out for any number of countless reasons before walking across the stage.
Improving your education by learning a new skill or continuing your educational experience is a great way to build your self-esteem. Take courses you didn’t get to study in school or learn about something totally new – whether it helps your career or simply engages your interest. Applying that knowledge helps improve and reinforce your self-esteem because you pushed yourself to achieve new goals.
8. Learn to Say No
It’s easy to think throwing yourself into every project or assignment that comes your way will help your self-confidence. That’s not exactly true. While your accomplishments may feel good, you’ll ultimately stress yourself out by taking on too much.
That’s why it’s crucial to learn how to say no. Figure out your limits and preserve your personal boundaries by monitoring your stress and anxiety during the day. Check in with yourself regularly and say no if you feel like you’re pushing your limits. Preventing unnecessary stress is part of valuing what you can do and what you’re worth.
Step Into the Pilot’s Seat to Build Your Self-Esteem
The old saying is that no one can make you feel worthless unless you let them, and it’s true. When faced with criticism or failure, your mind allows that negativity to take root and ultimately damage your self-worth.
Try stepping into the pilot’s seat of your life. Take control of your thoughts and actions to turn them into something positive. Start by celebrating the small steps, inspiring yourself through others’ stories, practicing self-care and saying no to too much stress. Over time, your efforts will pay off and you’ll learn how to improve your confidence – and keep it high.