7 Ways to Boost Your Self Confidence

Your perception of yourself has an enormous impact on how others perceive you. Perception is reality; the more self confidence you have, the more likely it is you will succeed. “Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy.” – Brian Tracy It is a known fact that without self confidence, real success in life is impossible, so I have outlined a few tips to help you boost your self confidence and prepare you for the success you deserve.   1. Dress the way you want to feel When you don’t look good, it affects the way you carry yourself and interact with other people. Use this to your advantage by taking care of your personal appearance. Click here and here to learn a few tips to help you achieve that.   2. Gratitude When you focus too much on what you want, the mind creates reasons why you can’t have it. This leads you to dwell on your weaknesses and shortcomings. The best way to avoid this is by focusing on gratitude. Set aside time each day to mentally list everything you have to be grateful for. Recall your past successes, unique skills and loving relationships. You will be amazed how much you have going for you and get motivated to take that next step towards success.   3. Look out for the best in people When we think negatively about ourselves, we often project that feeling on to others in the form of insults and gossip. To break this cycle of negativity, get in the habit of praising other people. Refuse to engage in backstabbing gossip and you will discover that by looking for the best in others, you indirectly bring out the best in yourself.   4. Speak up Make an effort to speak up at least once in every group discussion. This will enable you to become a better public speaker, become more confident in your own thoughts, and become recognized as a leader by your peers.   5. Exercise regularly Along the same lines as personal appearance, physical fitness has a huge effect on self confidence. If you are out of shape, you will feel insecure, unattractive, and less energetic. By exercising regularly, you will improve your physical appearance, energize yourself, and accomplish something positive. Meeting that goal alone will boost your self confidence.   6. Be prepared Learn everything there is to know about your field, job, presentation – whatever is next on your “to achieve” list. If you are prepared, and have the knowledge to back it up, your self-confidence will soar. “One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self- confidence is preparation.” – Arthur Ashe   7. Be your own motivational speaker You are never going to feel confident if you have a negative commentary running through your mind telling you that you are no good. Think and speak positively about yourself. At first, you won’t believe it and it might seem unnatural but don’t give up. Keep practicing till your mind believes you are amazing – because you are. This is also the time to really evaluate your inner circle; get away from those individuals who put you down and shred your confidence. Build a positive inner circle that pulls you up not push you down.         About the Writer: Ejura Salihu is a writer and an editor at Connect Nigeria. She is passionate about Nigeria and all things Nigerian. Find her on twitter @icyquin_msc    

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This article was first published on 4th April 2015 and updated on May 11th, 2015 at 3:06 pm

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