What Is Self-Confidence – and Why Is It Important?
Self-confidence means trusting in your own judgment, capacities and abilities. [1] It’s about valuing yourself and feeling worthy, regardless of any imperfections or what others may believe about you.
Self-efficacy and self-esteem are often used interchangeably with self-confidence. But they are subtly different.
We gain a sense of self-efficacy when we see ourselves mastering skills and achieving goals. This encourages us to believe that, if we learn and work hard in a particular area, we’ll succeed. [2] It’s this type of confidence that leads people to accept difficult challenges and keep going in the face of setbacks.
is a more general sense that we can cope with what’s going on in our lives, and that we have a right to be happy.
Also, self-esteem comes, in part, from the feeling that the people around us approve of us. We may or may not be able to control this, and if we experience a lot of criticism or rejection from others, our self-esteem can easily suffer unless we support it in other ways.
Confidence
Confidence can be a tough thing to build up. We’ve put together some handy tips to help you out. If you’re still having a hard time even after trying these self-help ideas, don’t worry! We’ve also listed the ways you can find extra support and work on boosting your confidence with the help of others.
This can help if:
- you want to know more about self-confidence
- you wish you were a more confident person
- you want some practical steps to build your self-confidence.
What is a confident person?
Not everyone is born with an inbuilt sense of self-confidence. Sometimes it can be hard to develop confidence, either because personal experiences have caused you to lose confidence or because you suffer from low self-esteem.
A confident person:
- does what they believe is right, even if it’s unpopular
- is willing to take risks
- admits their mistakes and learns from them
- is able to accept a compliment
- is optimistic.
Why It’s Matters
Self-confidence is vital in almost every aspect of our lives, yet many people struggle to find it. Sadly, this can become a vicious cycle: people who lack self-confidence are less likely to achieve the success that could give them more confidence.
For example, you may not be inclined to back a project that’s pitched by someone who’s visibly nervous, fumbling, or constantly apologizing. On the other hand, you’re persuaded by someone who speaks clearly, holds their head high, and answers questions with assurance.
Confident people inspire confidence in others: their audience, their co-workers, their bosses, their customers, and their friends. And gaining the confidence of others is one of the key ways to succeed. In the following sections, we’ll see how you can do this.
How to Appear More Confident to Others
Picture anyone you know that you think of as highly confident – what characteristics do they have that make you think this? It’s most likely one or more of these things:
- the way they speak (tone, how they project their voice, words),
- their energy and enthusiasm,
- how expert or knowledgeable they are about something.
You can show self-confidence in your behavior, your body language, and in what you say and how you say it.
Projecting a positive image to others can help you to improve your self-confidence. It’s not simply a matter of “faking it” – if you project with it , others are more likely to respond well, and this positive feedback will help you to believe in yourself.
Tips for building self-confidence
There are a number of things you can do to build your confidence. Some of them are just small changes to your frame of mind; others you’ll have to work on for a bit longer to make them familiar habits.
1. Look at what you’ve already achieved
It’s easy to lose confidence if you believe you haven’t achieved anything. Make a list of all the things you’re proud of in your life, whether it’s getting a good mark on an exam or learning to surf. Keep the list close by and add to it whenever you do something you’re proud of. When you’re low in confidence, pull out the list and use it to remind yourself of all the awesome stuff you’ve done.
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2. Think of things you’re good at
Everyone has strengths and talents. What are yours? Recognising what you’re good at, and trying to build on those things, will help you to build cit in your own abilities.
3. Set some goals
Set some goals and set out the steps you need to take to achieve them. They don’t have to be big goals; they can even be things like baking a cake or planning a night out with friends. Just aim for some small achievements that you can tick off a list to help you gain confidence in your ability to get stuff done.
4. Talk yourself up
You’re never going to feel confident if you have negative commentary running through your mind telling you that you’re no good. Think about your self-talk and how that might be affecting your self-confidence. Treat yourself like you would your best friend and cheer yourself on.
5. Get a hobby
If you’re not feeling better
Sometimes the quick fixes don’t help in the long term. If you’re feeling bad and things just don’t seem to be improving, it’s worth talking to someone who knows how to help. Professionals such as counsellor and psychologist can help you develop strategies to help you build up your confidence. They may also be able to help you understand any underlying problems that might be causing you to feel bad about yourself.
If you don’t feel ready to speak to a professional, try taking a look at reach out online community Talking out your worries with a supportive community of people who have been through similar situations can be a really helpful way to build your self-confidence
SOME MORE TIPS
1. Build Confident Habits
To develop and improve your self-esteem, aim to develop good habits – and break bad ones ! Regular exercise and a healthy diet can dramatically improve your physical health . And studies have shown that getting a good night’s sleep is linked with increased optimism and self-esteem. [4]
Working on your personal branding can also help. If you project a positive image of your authentic self, you’ll likely start to receive the positive feedback that’s so imp.
2. Review Past Achievements
it will increase when you’re able to say, “I can do this, and here’s the evidence.” As part of your Personal SWOT Analysis, you’ll have identified things that you’re good at, based on your past achievements.
List the 10 things that you’re most proud of in an “achievement log.” Then use them to make positive affirmations about what you can do. These statements are particularly powerful if you tend to undermine your confidence with negative self-talk.