Dealing with a lack of confidence can be a challenge no matter what you are trying to address in life.  From getting up the courage to talk to someone to changing careers or even applying for a position you think is out of your reach, it can be tricky waters to navigate if you aren’t feeling good about yourself. Although working on your confidence will be something you’ll handle for the rest of your life, there are ways to make small improvements on a daily basis. Check out these tips and see how you can make small changes.

1. Identify What Your Challenges Are

It might sound obvious at first, but it’s important to know what areas you feel like you need help in. Does your confidence take a nosedive when you want to talk to a potential romantic partner? What is it that makes you feel you can’t or shouldn’t do it? These questions might be difficult to ask yourself at first and the answers might surprise you, but that’s a good thing: the more you uncover what’s troubling you, the quicker you can begin working through these issues. 

2. Assess What You’d Like To Change About Yourself

Now that you know what’s troubling you, take some time to figure out where you want to make changes. Do you need to build up your skills for your resume, such as finishing a college degree or earning certifications? Or is there something physical about yourself that you feel is holding you back, such as developing a skin care routine to handle embarrassing body issues? Whatever it might be, start working towards it and making a plan of action. This can help you move on to developing more confidence while working toward your goals. 

3. Take a Look At Your Physical Appearance

Although it might sound shallow, your physical appearance has a lot to do with how you see yourself (and in turn, how others see you). Ask yourself what it is about the way that you look that you would like to change. Maybe you would feel better with a new haircut, losing weight, or even developing a skin care routine customized for your skin type and preference of natural or generic products. Once you start practicing self-care, you might realize you look and feel better than you realized. The power to make changes to our lives is always present within us, but sometimes we don’t see it. That is why making small changes to your appearance can be viewed as something positive. 

4. Practice Confidence Even If You Need To Fake It 

There are many situations people come across in life where they either need to step up or step back. Sometimes it can be worth trying to act cool, confident, and in control, even when you don’t feel that way. You might surprise yourself (and others around you). Confidence isn’t something that is earned over time. It is how you feel about yourself and what you think you are capable of. If you put your mind to anything you want to achieve, you can do it. Faking confidence in the meantime in order to get there is just one way you can build up your self-esteem and prove to yourself what you are capable of.

If you are trying to improve your self-confidence, it helps to look at your challenges and find out what is holding you back. After you have identified them, ask yourself what you would need to do to change these issues. That way you can start working on your next goal, such as acquiring the skills necessary in order to apply for a better job. Taking your physical appearance into account can help also, allowing you to feel confident about the way you look. If you need to, practice and fake confidence until you start feeling it in your daily life. Before you know it, you’ll be able to handle yourself in a variety of situations in no time. 

Author(s)