Simple Steps Towards Building Confidence

Almost everyone could use more confidence.  

Finding the inner strength to live boldly is not a fast process.  

It requires determination, persistence and self discipline to build confidence.  

Learn from your mistakes, recognize some universal truths about all people, remove your ego from the situation and you are well on your way to building confidence.

• Acknowledge Insecurity. Identify what it is about yourself that makes you feel insecure.  Decide if this is something you can change or not.  If it is something you can change, make a game plan for success.  If it can't be changed, learn to accept your self for who you are and leverage your strengths instead of focusing on your weaknesses.
• Identify Strengths.  Clearly define what you are good at and focus on making your strengths even stronger.
• Smile and Laugh.  People enjoy being around others who are positive.  Compliment the people around you.  Recognize what is good in others and tell them about it happily.  They might just tell you something positive about yourself that you did not see.  Smiling also makes you feel happy, even if you feel that the smile is fake.
• You Are Only Human.  Recognize that no one is perfect, and that much of your dissatisfaction with yourself may come from unrealistically high standards that you hold yourself to.  Building confidence comes from accepting yourself.
• Celebrate Your Wins. Recognize that you deserve every win you achieve.  Own your successes.
• Do Not Tie Your Worth To Material Things.  Understand that you are not your stuff.  Be happy with what you have.
• Be Careful Who You Compare Yourself To.  Comparing yourself to only the best people may motivate you to try harder, but it can also make you feel like you are never good enough.  Consider comparing yourself to some of the worst people around.
• Accept Compliments, Do Not Return Them.  All a confident person can do when given a compliment is say, "Thank you".
• Don't Compromise Your Morals.  Being righteous about your principals allows you to hold high standards for yourself without being arrogant.
• Dispense With Your Expectations.  Holding expectations about other people and things tends to lead to disappointment.  Do not be pessimistic.  Simply live with a Zen philosophy.
• Be Kind To Others.  Helping others leads to more positive perceptions of you, and it is contagious.

These general tips about building confidence are the tip of the iceberg.  You can build confidence in many ways.  Identifying the source of your insecurities is the first step to dealing with them.