Confidence Building

Confidence is a mental attitude that is characterized by assertiveness and optimism about oneself. Our general belief about ourselves has a powerful impact on our self-confidence. People who are self confident are those who acknowledge their capacity and potential to do something. They have the guts to do it no matter what others may say. People who are self-confident take advantage of the opportunities that comes their way and become more successful than their counterparts.
Natural enemy of self-confidence Fear is man's enemy that hinders self-confidence. Fear of one’s self is often demonstrated in several ways-shyness, diffidence, bashfulness and timidity.
Some factors that contribute to one’s fear:
Fear increases when we feel separated from the people and surroundings we are familiar with. The insecurity feelings of losing the individuals you love and material things that you own. Being in new surroundings and unfamiliar people brings about fear. Negative memory of past experiences aggravates fear. The thought of losing and being a failure also cause one to fear. How confident are you? Your level of confidence can be shown in many ways. Some of the common behaviors which are associated with self-confidence are: Having faith in yourself. Doing things what you believe in and not bothered about what other people would think. Willing to take risk and not hesitant of handling new situations. Admitting your mistakes and be willing to learn from them. Accepting compliments warmly from others. Believe in living life to the fullest. Feels good about yourself.
Signs of low self-confidence You are running on low self-confidence if: Do not believe in your ability and have self-doubts. Governing your behavior based on what others would think. Dismissing compliments off-handedly. Avoid taking risks due to the fear of failure. Being sceptical about yourself. Often feel guilty, angry and resentful.
Building self-confidence While the process of attaining self-confidence starts from childhood, you can boost your confidence level through determination if you are committed and keen on being confident.
Identify your achievements: Everyone is goodat something or the other. Identify your strengths—list out the thingsyou are good at doing and those things that come easily to you.Discover what you have achieved so far. Take pride of the things atwhich you have excelled. Set goals and achieve them: Think ofwhat you want in life and set goals that exploit yourstrengths.Identify the skills you need to achieve your goal. Devise astep wise plan that leads to your goal. Make sure that you start with asmall step in which you can complete it in a short time. Get in thehabit of achieving the small steps and celebrating them. It will helpyou to believe in yourself and your ability and makes you more confident.
Take risks: Be willing to take risk and take up new challenges as opportunities to learn. Do not get worried about winning or winning. Think positive: Theway you think can affect all aspects of your life. Positive thinking isa mental attitude that anticipates happiness, success and favorableoutcomes of every situation and action you do. If your mind is filledwith negative thoughts, try to replace it with positive thoughts.Positive thinking brings inner peace, happiness and a sense of wellbeing. So take control of your mind and be optimistic. Learn to calm yourself:Try to face every situation calmly. Take time to relax, meditate and other activities like listening to music, going for a walk that makes you feel better.
Fake it: Pretend that you are confident even if you donot feel so. Acting confident might actually make you believe it and youwill be surprised how nice this makes you feel. Good posture: The way you carry yourself creates a lasting impression on your confidence. Slumping shoulders display lack of self-confidence. Always held your head high, walk straight and make eye contact while talking to people. And, smile often!

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