Confidence is a muscle—and just like any other muscle in your body, it can be strengthened with practice. Confidence isn’t something that you either have or don’t have; it’s also not a trait that comes naturally to every person born into this world. You can learn to build up your confidence “muscle” over time through practice and positive reinforcement, which will help you feel more confident when making decisions and taking action in life. In this article, I am going to share 10 exercises that will help boost your self-esteem by improving your confidence level.
Set a goal to practice one new confidence building exercise per week.
Goal setting is the first step to confidence building. If you want to be more confident, then start with a goal. Set a goal to practice one new confidence building exercise per week.
Take small steps toward your goals, one at a time.
The second tip is to take small steps toward your goals, one at a time.
It can be tempting to set broad and lofty goals, but this can actually be counterproductive. If you don’t reach your goal, you may feel discouraged and give up. Instead, think about smaller ways that you can work toward your larger goal—and keep them in mind as you break down the larger task into smaller ones. You’ll feel more motivated when it comes time to follow through on each step along the way!
Do something different!
In order to become a better version of yourself, it’s important to do something different. Try something new! It doesn’t have to be about changing your career or moving cities. You can try something that scares you or makes you feel uncomfortable. The point is, if doing the same thing over and over again doesn’t provide any value for your life, then it’s time for a change.
Identify and challenge your thought distortions.
When you have a negative thought, write it down. Then ask yourself:
- Is this true?
- What evidence is there that supports this thought?
- What evidence is there against it?
Learn how to do “The work “on every negative thought that is getting in your way. This is an exercise that I go over with my clients so you can experience how silly it is to be bogged down with negative thoughts and anxiety.
If you cannot find any evidence that challenges the negative thought, or if that evidence is weak and not very convincing, then your negative thought may be distorted. You can also challenge your own beliefs and assumptions by comparing them with someone else’s perspective.
Make changes for yourself, not for others.
We’ve all been there: you’re at a party with your friends and everyone’s laughing at some joke you don’t understand. You’re feeling like an outsider in the group and want to fit in more than anything else in the world. But guess what? It’s not worth it! Being yourself is way more valuable than being liked by a bunch of people who don’t really care about you anyway (and who would forget about you as soon as someone new comes along). If they truly care about you, they will accept your differences without hesitation or second thought—and if not? Well then maybe it’s time to move on anyway!
Practice self-compassion on days that feel hard.
On days when you are not feeling your best, it can be difficult to find the energy or motivation to take steps toward your goals. On these days, it is important to remind yourself of the positive things in life and to focus on what makes you happy. For example, if you have a goal of writing a novel by the end of next year but have only been able to write one page per day this month because of other commitments, focus on how great it feels every time you finish those pages.
Show gratitude for the things in your life that are going well (health, relationships, job, etc.).
It’s important to be grateful for the things in your life that are going well. Not only will gratitude help you feel more confident, it can also help you feel happier and more connected to others.
Gratitude is a powerful tool for self-confidence, which makes it an essential part of any confidence-building plan.
Practice positive affirmations daily and believe they can actually help you feel more confident!
Positive affirmations are positive statements about yourself or your life. They can be as simple as “I am confident” or more specific, like “I am a good writer.” When you repeat these positive affirmations daily, they can help you build confidence by reminding you of your positive qualities, making them seem even more true and valid.
It is important to note that simply saying these positive affirmations alone will not make all of your fears go away—but it will help remind you that there are good things about yourself when those negative thoughts arise. This isn’t a quick fix; rather, it’s something that needs to become a part of who you are so that it becomes second nature when negativity threatens to take over.
You can build up your confidence “muscle” over time through practice and positive reinforcement.
You can build up your confidence “muscle” over time through practice and positive reinforcement.
The way you think about yourself is a big part of how confident you feel. Your mindset has A LOT to do with it.
You can learn confidence. If you tend to be negative, pessimistic, or fearful, that’s not a good thing for building confidence. You have to change those thoughts into more positive ones in order to build up your confidence “muscle” or else it will never get stronger!
Conclusion
Building confidence is a process. You can’t expect to feel confident overnight, but with some practice and self-encouragement, you can get there. It takes time and effort (and maybe even a little bit of courage), but it’s worth it! Think about where your confidence lies today—is it in one area or all over the place? Do you have one specific goal that you’re working on right now? We hope these tips help you build up your confidence and start feeling more confident overall!