How to Boost Your Confidence & Live For Yourself

Most people have never been taught that they can be confident. They are told that they need to “work on their self-esteem” and learn to “love themselves”. The problem with this is that most people don't know what confidence is, let alone what self-esteem is! That's why being confident does not come so easy for them (and if it does, it doesn't last for long periods of time). To top it off, there aren't a lot of books, blog posts and articles out there on how to build confidence in yourself. Fortunately enough, I've decided to help you out with that today.

Know what you're good at.

Knowing what you're good at can also help you stay confident. You can't be amazing at everything, but if you focus on the things that you're truly great at, it will help spark your confidence in yourself. For example, maybe you have a knack for talking to strangers and making friends easily. Maybe your sense of humor is unparalleled and people love spending time with you because of it. Or maybe your ability to organize things is second to none, so much so that people ask for your advice when they're trying to declutter their home or office space.

Whatever it is that makes you unique, embrace it! Remind yourself that even though there are many talents you don't have (and may never have), there are some that are uniquely yours—and no one can take them away from you!

Don't be afraid to fail, but also don't be afraid to succeed.

As you work to boost your confidence, it’s important to examine the way you feel about success and failure. As discussed above, fear of failure prevents many people from taking risks that could help them advance in their careers or relationships. However, as strange as it may seem, some people also experience a fear of success. Do you ever worry that if something goes too well for you, then there will be a backlash? Maybe you worry that if something doesn’t go the way it did before, then the world is going to end? These kinds of thoughts are examples of “catastrophizing” problems and can really hold you back in life.

Another aspect of this is perfectionism. When we try not to make mistakes and put so much pressure on ourselves to perform flawlessly every time, we set ourselves up for failure and unhappiness—if our performance ever falls short of our expectations (which is inevitable), we may view that situation as a complete disaster instead of an opportunity to learn from our mistakes. A more positive mindset involves recognizing that it’s okay to make mistakes sometimes because no one is perfect 100 percent of the time!

Keep learning, and keep developing new skills.

Learning keeps you in a growth mindset. You’re not focused on what you can’t do, but on who you can become. Learning is not just reading books or taking classes; it’s finding a mentor, it's listening to podcasts and watching videos, it's taking up a new hobby. Take some time to learn about things that interest you, even if they aren't directly related to your career. Keep learning, keep developing new skills and keep focused on who you are becoming!

Try something new.

While there is nothing wrong with continuing to do something you already know how to do, it can be beneficial for your confidence to try something new. Taking a risk and trying something you've never done before helps build self-confidence by teaching you that there are many different things you are capable of doing. Imagine the knowledge and confidence boost that would come from learning that you have what it takes not only to learn and master a new skill, but also get the opportunity to show off your newly acquired skills in front of others.

You can start small by trying something like baking a cake or volunteering at an animal shelter. It's possible there may be some hiccups along the way as you learn what you need to do, but don't be deterred! You're learning and growing as a person while expanding your abilities, which is exciting. And if things go well, take pride in yourself for venturing out of your comfort zone into unfamiliar territory and succeeding!

Try something hard.

One of the best things you can do to boost your confidence is try something hard. Hard things are hard for a reason, and completing them will make you proud, which in turn gives you more confidence. Maybe it's trying to learn a new language at an advanced level (I'm looking at you, Rosetta Stone), or learning how to play an instrument that has always intimidated you. Whatever it is, it’s important to remember that failure is okay! It’s part of the process. Don’t give up on something just because it’s hard.

Turn a negative into a positive and be proud of it!

One of the best ways to boost your confidence is to turn a negative into a positive and be proud of it.

Think about all the things you have done recently that have made you feel proud. Perhaps you got a new job, finished an important project at work or finished your degree. Reflecting on your achievements, no matter how small, can help increase your self-esteem and confidence levels. Even if something doesn't go according to plan, reflect on what went well and try not to dwell on the negatives. If something didn’t go as planned, ask yourself what you can learn from this experience? Don’t try to blame other people for making mistakes or don’t feel bad about things that you can’t change. Sometimes we are our own worst critics but remember that everyone makes mistakes so be kind to yourself and move on!

Stop worrying about what other people think of you.

Perhaps the most important thing you can do to boost your confidence is to stop worrying about what other people think of you. It doesn't really matter how other people see you if you know who you are and feel good about it. You don't need their approval!

You may want people to like or appreciate you, but if they don't, that's okay. Other people's opinions are not a reflection of your worth. Find your self-worth in how you see yourself.

You can build confidence.

To build confidence, you must first accept that it's something that can be learned. It's a skill, and like any skill, it requires patience and practice. Confidence will make you feel better about yourself and allow you to achieve your dreams. You must decide for yourself if improving your confidence is worth the effort and commitment required to do so.

Having confidence in yourself is important in both your work life and personal life. Confidence will help you to succeed at work because you will be able to approach difficult situations with less fear of failure. This will lead to more success at work which can translate into more promotions or raises! In addition to this, having confidence in personal relationships will help them go more smoothly because people who are confident tend to be happier overall than those who aren't confident enough - they'll also have fewer problems with jealousy or insecurity when interacting with others socially.