Perhaps you are the type of person who does their best impression of confidence but has never truly felt it. Or maybe you see people around you who appear to have an abundance of confidence and you want what they appear to have. Confidence is a highly desired, almost mythical aspect of a person’s sense of self that can either come completely naturally or with practice over time. It’s about being sure of yourself without overstepping other people’s boundaries or seeing yourself as superior to others. Inner confidence is about having trust in yourself to make good decisions that will lead to a happier life. Here are some of the ways that you can boost your inner confidence.
Ignore the Aesthetic of Confidence
As with everything, confidence has been commodified and branded in a multitude of ways to help businesses sell products. Gyms play on people’s insecurities to make them believe that they will be happier and more confident if they pay for an expensive membership. Cosmetics companies show images of highly edited people in magazines to encourage sales. Even recent trends try to merge ideals of confidence with certain products and styles. You don’t need to wear bold outfits or an edgy haircut just to feel confident.
Be Kind to Others
A solid foundation for confidence is behaving in a way that gives you something to fall back on if you ever feel unconfident. For example, instead of becoming sullen or over-talkative if you are uncomfortable in a social situation, fall back on simply being kind. This doesn’t mean rushing around doing whatever people ask of you. Listen to what people say and try to resist judgment. There are plenty of other ways to be kinder in other aspects of life, too. This might be something as simple as holding the door open for someone or donating to a veterans charity. Having a basis of kindness reminds you that you are a good person and that is reason enough to be confident in yourself.
Find Reasons to be Proud of Yourself
Speaking of finding reasons to be confident, this is one of the most lasting ways to feel more at peace with yourself. Everyone is unique and has their own reasons to feel confident. You might be shy at parties but maybe you are an amazing musician. You might find it difficult to speak up in a conversation but maybe you are great in a crisis. Be grateful for the aspects of your personality that make you proud rather than focusing on what you think is letting you down. This will help you to feel more confident.
Behave Confidently Until You Feel It
The well-known saying that you have to fake it until you make it is true to a certain extent. While there are people who falsely flaunt a version of confidence but have deep-seated insecurities, there are others who have mastered the art of convincing themselves of their own abilities for the good of their mental health. The trick is being gentler with yourself and not worrying so much about what other people think of you.
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