Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.” – Malcolm S. Forbes
-Love Yourself
Love is about acceptance, compassion and forgiveness. Accept yourself and love yourself for you you are and who you are not! Learn to forgive yourself for past failures and accept your imperfections.
-Put time into how you present yourself! When you Look good, you feel good
When you look nice you feel good. And when you feel good, you start to talk and act more confidently. Nothing helps you to regain your self-confidence and optimism faster than presenting yourself with professionalism and class with a nice outfit and nicely painted nails 😉
-Take care of your body
Eat healthy, exercise, get plenty of rest. When you take care of your physical health, your emotional and mental state will improve as well. You will be able to think more sharply, act more confidently and feel better about your appearance and who you are as a person! 🙂
-Pay attention to your body language
70% of communication is non verbal. Yes 70%!!! Your body language tells another person a lot more about your thoughts and feelings than the actual words you say. You can start feeling more confident just by acting more confident. Start with your posture – keep your back straight and your head high. Try to relax, if you feel too tense. Smile and make eye contact whenever you talk to other people and you will notice that your confidence will grow by the minute.
-Do something nice for yourself
When we want to show someone how much we care about them, we usually do it with nice gestures, little surprises, sincere smiles and compliments. But we often completely ignore the one person who is the closest to us – ourselves! If you want to feel like a king or a queen, treat yourself like one! Treat yourself to a message, light candles and soak in a hot tub, maybe even buy yourself a huge bouquet of your favorite flowers. (who said flowers had to come from someone else??) You deserve to do something nice for yourself!
-Try new things
Break free from your daily routine and try something new! Something you always wanted to try but never seem to have courage to do. Breaking away from your day to day routine is challenging and may be out of your comfort zone but with that comes growth!
-Do something that you are good at
Everyone is good at something: writing, singing, drawing, cooking, etc. Make sure that you use your strengths and talents!
-Set short-term goals
Your self-confidence grows every time you set goals and achieve them. In the beginning you might want to start with short-term smaller goals but as you accomplish them gradually raise the bar. Just make sure that your goals are SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely!
-Speak up
Overcoming low self esteem begins with finding your own voice. Instead of trying to blend in with the surroundings, take an active role in the conversation. If you disagree with another person’s opinion or have something to say – say it! You might be surprised at how fast you gain respect! Don’t try to win approval just be you! (what do you have to lose?)
-Be positive and find the positive in everything and everyone
Try to find something good and admirable in every person you meet. Greet everyone with a smile. Offer a compliment. Refrain from blaming and complaining.
-Do not say to yourself what you would not want others to say to you
Pay attention to your thoughts and as soon as you start being too harsh on yourself, stop! Revisit those thoughts with a more positive outlook!
“Your chances of success in any undertaking can always be measured by your belief in yourself.” – Robert Collier
-Count your blessings
The best way to stop the flow of self-destructive thoughts is to switch your focus from what you do not have – to everything that you have been blessed with rather than the things you DO not Have! There is always something to be grateful for: your health, your parents, your children, your family, a roof over your head, your job. We are all so blessed!
-Contribute to others
Knowing that your experience, knowledge and skills can serve other people is an empowering thought. The moment you start helping others, you realize that you hold the power to make someone else’s life a little easier and a little better. A simple smile, can change a life!
-Do not jump to conclusions
Brain studies have shown that we rarely make decisions completely rationally and objectively. 90% of the time the conclusions that we make are based on bits and pieces of information that we can interpret differently depending on our mood, our past experiences, our background and our self-esteem. Keep that in mind and base your judgments on facts! If someone is not smiling at you, it does not necessarily mean that they don’t like you or that YOU did something wrong. Maybe they just are having a bad day! Don’t make assumptions.
-Stop comparing yourself with others
The only way to measure your growth and success is the difference between how you were last week and how you are today!
-Take credit for your achievements
Learn to take credit for your accomplishments and celebrate your successes (no matter how small or insignificant they may seem to you). Don’t attribute your successes to external factors, such as good luck, chance or someone else’s responsibility. Take credit!
-Create your own support system/team.
At times, insecurity and lack of self-confidence stems from a need for emotional validation. Surround yourself with positive and supportive people who will help you to overcome self doubts and encourage you when you most need it.
-Stay away from people who are putting you down
Just like there will always be people who empower you, there will also be those who disapprove of your actions, criticize your ideas and try to bring you down. That’s life! If someone upsets you or makes you feel a certain way, don’t deal with it! Just walk away and try to limit any future communication from them. Life is too short!
-Learn to accept compliments
It can be hard to accept a compliment but there is a reason why another person is saying something nice to you. So next time someone gives you a compliment just say “Thank you” and accept it!
-Do not force positive thinking onto yourself
Positive thinking can be useful, because it challenges you to see the situation from a different perspective. You need to believe in what you tell yourself! Your level of confidence and positive self-image is built gradually, not changed overnight!
-Look at life with a little more humor
People who have a good sense of humor and see the funny side even in the most frustrating situations are usually happier, healthier and more successful. Try not to take yourself or your life too seriously. Let go of self-pity, guilt, and perfectionism and learn to laugh at yourself and your mistakes!
Live, Laugh, Love and just Be YOU!