How to achieve a higher level of self-confidence.
Self-confidence is central to the affect we present to the world and in many cases has everything to do with our successes and failures. Persistent low self-confidence tends to restrict us in all aspects of our lives. It erodes our ability to interact effectively with others.
People with low self-confidence tend to hang back in both work and social situations. Here are some ways to achieve a higher level of self-confidence:
1. Prepare. If you tend to hang back in a social situation because you don’t know what to say or do, study the situation before you enter it. Prepare by learning something about the people who will be there. If the event is going to be held in a public place, prepare by visiting it and familiarizing yourself with the layout. The more comfortable you feel in a situation the more self-confident you will be.
2. Practice. When facing a daunting social situation or a particularly nerve-wracking work challenge, boost your self confidence by practicing how you will react in the situation and how you will answer certain questions. Self-confidence is particularly important in a job interview. In this case, you may want to practice the interview using role-playing. Enlist the help of someone you feel relatively comfortable with and practice the interview.
3. Increase your chances of feeling good about yourself by always presenting yourself in the best possible light. Instead of leaving the house in sloppy clothes, take an extra minute or so to put on something that will boost your self-confidence. Comb your hair, etc. Do the simple things that will make you feel better about yourself.
4. Take a quick assessment of your good qualities. Remind yourself of your talents. Instead of dwelling on your shortcomings, build your self-confidence by reminding yourself of the things you do well. Get in the habit of using these qualities in group situations. Eventually, this may lead to getting up the nerve to try some things a bit outside your talents.
5. Work on the qualities that hold you back. If you are not confident in social situations because you have gained weight, lose some of the weight to build your confidence. If you don’t volunteer because you don’t like to speak in public, take some public speaking classes.
Nothing says you have to go from low self-confidence to high self-confidence in one jump. Make small steps toward self confidence and build on that.
