3 Steps to Building Confidence

There are many physical changes you can make to improve your confidence (i.e. dressing nicely and improving your posture), but since self-confidence issues are psychological, the best place to start is to reinvent the way you think about yourself. Here are three things you can do to improve your self-confidence.

1. Don't Over-Think - Our biggest enemy when it comes to making us leave our comfort zone is our own mind. Whenever we know we have to do something we do not usually do (asking for an extension on an assignment, for example), we tend to psych ourselves out and start worrying too much. We start worrying what the teacher is going to think of us if we ask for the extension, we worry about giving excuses, and even how we are going to word the question. By over-thinking, we have suddenly turned a simple request into a big, stressful production.

2. Put Yourself in Another Person's Shoes - Another important thing to remember is to know that the world does not revolve around you. It may sound counterintuitive to think that you can build self-confidence by placing less importance on yourself, but it can really make a difference in how you perceive your world. It is important to remember that just like you, everyone has his or her own complicated, busy life and that your interaction with him is just a small part of that person's day. Even if asking your teacher for an extension might be the most nerve-wracking thing you have to do today, your teacher is probably more worried about his or her personal or family problem. Putting yourself in others shoes can help you add another perspective to your problem.

3. Worry Less - It is important to remember that in the grand scheme of things, specific moments do not turn out to be very important. I am sure there was something stressful you had to do last week that you struggled to deal with then, but have completely forgotten now. Try to remember this when you find yourself lacking confidence. Preventing yourself from placing too much importance on trivial things is a big step in developing confidence.

Try implementing these ideas in your daily life and see how your self-confidence improves. You might be surprised with the results.

Date: 17^th May 2011