Establishing an unshakeable sense of self-belief is essential to reaching your goals. Confidence enables you to meet challenges head on, face your fears, and take risks that lead to greater returns. Your self-esteem may suffer when you spend time with people who make you feel bad about yourself, yet there are several strategies available to you for improving it and believing in yourself again.
1. Be Kind to Yourself
Acting kindly towards yourself can be one of the simplest ways to build up your self-worth and believe in yourself. Being kind doesn’t mean insulting yourself with self-depreciating remarks; rather, speak to yourself with compassion and respect.
As part of self-acceptance, it also involves not condemning yourself for past errors or lamenting decisions made, instead learning from mistakes made and looking towards the ‘future you’.
Start small, like choosing healthy food and exercise, or set ambitious goals like learning new skills, building support networks or travelling. Discover what self-care looks like for you and make a commitment to do it daily.
2. Practice Self-Care
Lack of self-belief often stems from negative messages you’ve received. Perhaps family members undervalue or disregard you, while someone at work treats you poorly; replace these limiting beliefs with positive ones to boost self-belief and move forward in your career goals.
Believing in yourself requires being open to failure and setbacks; that is what enables rock stars to perform night after night and keeps authors writing through numerous rejections.
Just as airplane attendants advise us, taking care to put on your oxygen mask before helping others is also key to taking good care of our own physical and mental wellbeing. A routine self-care practice that brings joy should also be implemented into daily life.
3. Set Goals
Goal setting can be an extremely effective way of creating confidence within yourself. Setting clear, measurable and time-bound objectives will keep you focused and motivated throughout the journey.
Attaining your goals will enhance both your self-confidence and sense of pride, especially if they were met despite any difficulties along the way.
If you find that your inner voice tells you you’re not enough or can’t do anything, try surrounding yourself with supportive people who will uphold and encourage rather than diminish you.
4. Focus on Your Strengths
Belief in yourself can be easier when you focus on your strengths. According to studies, character strengths serve as pathways towards the goals that matter in life.
Strengths are your innate qualities that give you an edge in the world. Rock stars use them as motivation for taking the stage night after night; authors keep writing even after numerous rejections; these qualities allow us to thrive and compete successfully in today’s economy.
Take time to identify and build on your strengths. Gain inspiration by reading about others’ successes and failures or watching documentaries about people who have achieved remarkable things in their lives.
5. Practice Asking for What You Want
As you practice asking for what you want, asking will become easier and your confidence and self-belief will increase as a result.
A belief in possibility gives rock stars the drive and resolve to perform night after night on stage, keeps authors writing despite rejection letters, and star athletes training through injuries.
Surround yourself with people who support and believe in you and your goals, whether or not they serve as mentors or coaches. Seek out individuals who share similar values as well as enthusiasm for growth.
6. Don’t Worry About What Other People Think
Your thoughts and actions alone are within your power; don’t worry what other people think or say about you; focus on achieving your own goals and priorities instead.
People closest to you will typically support and stand behind you even if they don’t always agree with what you say; most other people are too preoccupied with their own issues to pay much attention to you or pass judgment on anything you say or do.
Believing in yourself means learning from past failures and setbacks, rebounding quickly from them, and continuing your quest towards your ambitious goals. Belief in yourself gives rock stars motivation to go out on stage night after night; and it keeps star athletes training through pain to reach the pinnacle of sport.
7. Be Your Own Best Friend
Be your own best friend – without anyone else providing that support, you should rely on yourself! Finding an encouraging group of people is great, but ultimately only you are capable of pulling yourself up when times become tough – no one can do it as effectively as yourself!
Make yourself your best ally by learning to accept yourself for all of your faults and love yourself unconditionally. Working with a therapist or counselor might help, but once you find a way, you’ll learn to believe in yourself more and more.
