That old saying, “Fake it ‘til you make it,” has never been more meaningful than when dealing with confidence issues. Confidence is the most important personality trait you can develop in order to better deal with life’s transitions – both personal and professional.
In order to take risks to ensure your continued success. Some ways to project confidence, even if you don’t feel it, include:
- Be optimistic – Do you see the glass as half-empty or half-full? If you see the glass as half-empty, you’re likely not an optimist and could experience feelings of low self-worth and doubts. Seeing the glass as half-full places you in the “optimist” category and shows that you look for opportunity rather than failure.
- Don’t take yourself too seriously – When you allow yourself to loosen up and enjoy life, you’re more relaxed in demeanor and most people find that refreshing. Most of us have to deal with stress and intense situations every day, so to be around someone who can relax is a real pleasure and can garner admiration.
- Pay attention to others – Making eye contact and listening intently to those you’re engaged with is a must when attempting to project confidence. If you constantly look around the room or up at the ceiling when you’re conversing, you seem less trustworthy and less like someone who demands admiration.
- Dress the part – Whatever you want to succeed at in life requires a certain look. Want to rise to a CEO level in your company? Stop dressing in jeans and t-shirts. Show others – with your looks – that you’re ready to step into the position, even if you’re much lower on the ladder.
- Watch your language – When you speak, speak clearly and watch your own language to be sure you’re not using buzz words or contradictory language or interject phrases such as “you know…” That’s referred to as “conversational clutter” and should be avoided at all cost.
- Accept and give compliments – Accept compliments about your accomplishments gracefully and give compliments to others when warranted. Accepting compliments show that you realize the value in what you’ve done and giving compliments show that you consider yourself a good judge of character.
Projecting a certain amount of confidence, even when you don’t feel it, shows that you’re ready to meet challenges head-on. Sometimes, we don’t yet have the knowledge or skills it takes to perform at the top of the game, but you can project determination and enthusiasm to meet the challenge.
Right Now
Confidence is a funny thing. When we have it, we tend to not think about it. We simply go out and do things. We probably don’t even realize just how amazing some of those things are. There are, however, things you can focus on right now that will help give your confidence a quick boost.
Make a List
Caught up in a spiral of thinking you never do anything, right? Defeat the blah blues by making a list of everything you’ve accomplished. You’ll very likely be pleasantly surprised to find out just how capable you are.
Learn Stuff
Nothing makes you feel more confident than having the feeling you know what you’re doing. With this in mind, become an expert somewhere. How about learning how to make the best-mixed drinks, take up a hobby you’ve been thinking about forever, or get a skill certification at your local community college?
Understand Your Belief System
Do you hold with certain moral or religious beliefs? Why? Having your values questioned has a way of demoralizing even the most confident person. On the other hand, having a clear understanding about what you believe will give you the confidence to share these beliefs with those around you.
Do What Scares You
Nothing builds confidence more than achieving something you previously thought was beyond your capabilities. Dare to do something you never thought you’d do. For some, that might be something super adventurous, like skydiving. For others, even talking to a stranger can be terrifyingly daunting.
Be Inspired
Feeling like you can’t achieve what you want to? Find books, videos, or documentaries on people who’ve done something similar. Confidence comes from knowing what you want in life is possible. If they can do it, you can too!
Analyze Your Actions
Feeling like you’ve been making nothing but the wrong decisions? It’s hard to feel confident when your moral compass is taking a beating. Ask yourself if your actions are in keeping with what you believe. If not, something needs to change before you can be your confident self again.
In all of this, remember the most important thing is to be true to yourself. You’ll never feel confident if you’re caught up in trying to be something you’re not. Be true to you first and foremost. The rest will follow.