Are you the kind of person who is often anxious, nervous, and timid? Have you ever been in a situation where your lack of confidence has held you back from being successful? Has boldness always been a major struggle for you? If so, don’t worry. You can learn how to feel more confident by following our expert advice. Here are some tips on how to be more confident from the top experts in self-improvement.
Expert Tip #1: Smile at Strangers
Are you sometimes hesitant to smile at strangers when they smile at you? Do you prefer keeping to yourself? If so, these are habits that you should work to lose. Smile at people as often as you can, even if it’s just a small smile or a subtle nod of the head. You’ll be surprised how much this will boost your self-confidence. It can also be bad teeth or dental problems that keep you from smiling. Invest in dental treatment and thorough dental hygiene because good teeth go a long way to boosting confidence with a simple smile. There’s no reason to hold back your smile from people around you. Smiling is positively contagious. Gain confidence by smiling back at people who smile at you.
Expert Tip #2: Pep Talk Yourself When Looking at the Mirror Every Day
What kind of person do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you criticize yourself harshly, or are you able to be more understanding? If possible, try looking into the mirror every day for five minutes and really examine your body language. Try to find something positive about how you look each day and only focus on that. There’s nothing wrong with objectively assessing your physical appearance, but don’t blow the undesirable aspects out of proportion. A constructive and confidence-boosting mantra you can say to yourself when looking at the mirror is: “you are beautiful in your own way.” Starting with that, every time you look at yourself in the mirror, give yourself at least one compliment about what makes you look good. Even if you don’t believe it at first, keep practicing this affirmation until you can honestly agree with yourself. Feeling better about the way you look will inspire confidence in other areas of your life as well.
Expert Tip #3: Don’t Worry About What Others Think of You
One reason it can be so hard to feel confident is that we spend too much time worrying about what other people think of us. Sometimes this even happens subconsciously – we’ll fixate on a passing comment that someone made about us, regardless of how justifiable it was. Instead of thinking about other people’s opinions, do your best to stay focused on what you think of yourself. Instead of letting insecurity run your life, distract yourself with hobbies and fun activities where you can meet new friends who don’t care how attractive (or unattractive) you are.
Expert Tip #4: Harness the Confidence-Boosting Power of Exercise
It’s easy to neglect your body when it comes to confidence because many people see exercise as strictly a means of physical fitness. What you may not realize is that regular workouts will improve your self-esteem in all areas of life. If juggling work and family really leaves little time for getting active, buy some workout DVDs so you can get toned no matter how busy you are. You don’t have to be extremely fit or muscular to feel more confident from working out. Even a few push-ups can make a huge difference in boosting your self-esteem. You should also try swimming laps as often as possible, and go for long walks whenever you can find the time.
Now that you’ve read some of the expert tips and tricks, you can be more confident with your life. Make sure to follow through on what you’ve learned today!
