Having self-confidence is essential to living a happy life. After all, how can we truly appreciate the many beauties of life if we can’t even appreciate ourselves? Sometimes, however, it’s hard to keep our confidence level high when life is setting up all sorts of obstacles in our path.
Here are some quick steps you can take to boost your self-confidence:
1. Make a list of your top five values.
This step is all about visualizing the person you want to be. Due to widespread media, there’s often a lot of noise in our lives. Advertisements are constantly telling us that we need that new iPhone, Hollywood movies are giving us ideas that are too good to be true, a friend’s Snapchat story is making us believe that our lives are way too boring… All of these noises can act as distractions and make us lose sight of what we truly value. Some possibilities for your top five values could be family, fame, wealth, autonomy, health. etc. Values are anything that you deem to be important to you as an individual. By coming up with a list of values, you’ll be able to see more clearly what is significant to you.
2. Go through your top five values and identify what you are doing for each.
Research shows that people tend to be more critical towards themselves in comparison to how they treat others. Some of the cruelest comments often come from ourselves. Additionally, we usually give ourselves less credit in terms of what we have accomplished. By identifying what you’re already doing for each of your top five values, you’ll be able to recognize the fact that you’re putting in the effort to meet your values.
3. Now that you just gave yourself a pat on the back, make a plan for the future.
For each of your values, write down two or three things that you can do to work towards that particular value. These things don’t have to be huge goals, but they do have to be specific and personal.
Repeat the above three steps regularly to make sure you don’t lose sight of who you are and what you value!
Other Quick Tips:
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Try meditation! Meditation practice increases self-awareness since each session is time dedicated to you and you alone. The free app “Headspace” is a great place to start.
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Do something out of your comfort zone. Whether that means signing up for a hip-hop class, participating in a class discussion, or applying to a club position, facing your fears will allow you to become more comfortable in your own skin.
Believe in yourself. Challenges cannot stop you, obstacles cannot stop you, and other people cannot stop you. The only thing that stands between you and who you want to be is yourself. So be brave, work hard, and have confidence.