Confidence is the key to success. Building confidence comes naturally when you feel good about yourself and believe in your abilities.
If you don’t have confidence, it can be hard to take on new challenges or try something new that might make you feel uncomfortable. It’s all about finding ways how to boost confidence and self-esteem and build up your self-belief to succeed in all aspects of your life.
1. Learn That Not Everyone Will Like You
We’re going to let you in on a little secret – not everyone is going to like you. There are some people who might think that you’re rude, uninteresting, boring, or just plain unlikeable. Even if they don’t say it directly (and most won’t), they will probably think it.
So what? Why should this bother you? The answer is simple: because it shouldn’t! People who dislike others for arbitrary reasons (like the color of their hair) are insecure and unhappy. They need someone else in order to feel okay about themselves. So when they don’t get their way, they get angry and lash out at others instead of taking responsibility for their own shortcomings.
You should never try to please everyone because doing so will make it impossible for anyone to really know who you really are or what makes up your personality as a whole person with strengths and weaknesses alike.
2. Report Your Inner Critic
To report your inner critic, ask yourself: “What is the voice in my head saying right now?” This is a question you can ask yourself anytime, anywhere. It’s also one that will help you to gain insight into what exactly your inner critic is up to on any given day. You might think this sounds easy and obvious, but it’s actually quite difficult for many people, who tend not to be very aware of their own thoughts and feelings.
So we often need some help before we can identify these internal voices with any precision or clarity! The good news is that there are some simple techniques that can help us get better at knowing ourselves better – which includes knowing when our own self-talk isn’t serving us well.
3. Believe in Yourself
Believing in yourself is a key part of success. You need to believe that you can achieve your goals, or else you won’t go near them. You also need to believe in yourself for the long term, rather than just for one day or week. If your self-esteem is low and you don’t believe in yourself at all, then it’s unlikely that anyone else will either! So start believing in yourself today and tell others about how amazing you are too!
4. Set Attainable Goals
Goals are great! They give you something to strive for, and they can keep you motivated when times get tough. The key is to make sure your goals are realistic. Don’t set yourself up for failure by trying to do too much at once or taking on something that’s just not possible within the time frame you’ve given yourself.
5. Stop Comparing Yourself to Others
One of the easiest ways to boost your confidence and self-esteem is to stop comparing yourself to others. It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve accomplished in life, there will always be someone else whose life looks better than yours. You could be the richest person in town, but if that person next door has a nicer car, or vacations more often than you do, then all bets are off.
Think about it: do you like being around people who constantly talk about how much better everything is for them? Of course not! Why should we even expect ourselves to be any different?
When we compare ourselves with others, we’re bound to come up short and feel less confident because of it. But when we focus on our own strengths and weaknesses in an honest way, then our confidence can grow without comparison getting in the way!
6. Do Things You Are Good At
If you want to boost your confidence and self-esteem, do things that make you feel good. This might sound silly, but it really works. If you can do something that makes you feel successful, or like you’re making a difference in the world (even if it’s small), then that is going to give you more motivation and energy.
Even better – when you take on challenges in which there are many variables at play and no one is sure how it will turn out, that feeling of uncertainty can actually be positive!
7. Don’t Give in to Your Limiting Beliefs
Limiting beliefs are often our biggest obstacle. They’re like little voices that tell us we can’t do something, or that we aren’t good enough for something. If you could hear the things your limiting beliefs are saying to yourself, we guarantee they would be pretty harsh. Limiting beliefs can become so ingrained in us that sometimes we don’t even realize they exist anymore!
One way to get rid of your limiting beliefs is by challenging them with positive ones – ones that are more realistic and motivating. But if you’re not sure how to go about this process, here’s an example.
Say one of your limiting beliefs is “I’m not smart enough.” Maybe it’s because people have told you this before or maybe it’s because someone else has dealt with a similar situation. Whatever the reason might be, challenging this belief will help bring more positivity into your life by making room for better ones such as “I’m smart enough” or even “I am a genius.”
Takeaway
We’re all human, and we all have moments when we feel like our confidence is lacking. But there are ways to boost it fast, and your self-esteem will thank you for it! Take a moment now to think of one thing that makes you proud of your self-esteem. Perhaps it’s something as simple as eating healthy food or having time alone each day.
You can even take advantage of personal development courses like the Refine Your Life Purpose and Wellness Course Bundle. These small things can build up over time, so don’t be afraid to start with something easy and move on to bigger goals later on!
Let’s face it: we all want to be more confident. As a woman, being self-assured is a trait that most people search for their entire lives.
Even if you don’t like the idea of being the life of every party or walking into a room with heads turning, confidence can help you earn respect from those around you and give your self-esteem a boost as well as boost performance in almost every activity you do. Even though confidence seems like an intangible quality, it is actually made up of many components that anyone can learn and utilize in order to become more confident on any given day.
So where does one start?
There are lots of strategies available for self-confidence. Here are 11 tried-and-tested ones that you can try for yourself:
11 Activities Women Can Use for Building Confidence
1. Stop Comparing Yourself To Others
This one is all about perspective.
When you are busy putting other people’s lives on a pedestal, you are essentially denying the wonderful person that you are and making yourself seem less significant in comparison to their greatness.
Instead of comparing yourself to others, why not concentrate on your own journey? Celebrate what makes you unique instead of tearing yourself down because someone else does it better than you do – remember that everyone has different strengths! Once you begin focusing on this positive mindset, confidence will come easier to you naturally.
2. Accept Compliments With A Smile And Say ‘Thank You’
We all know the phrase: modesty is a virtue. And while it may be true, you don’t have to become so modest that you always brush off people’s compliments as being untrue.
Even if you have your doubts about what someone says about you, learn to accept those words with grace and a warm smile instead of dismissing them or adding a disclaimer along the lines of “Oh, but I haven’t done anything to deserve this compliment…”
By brushing away kind words from others, you are essentially telling yourself that their praise isn’t worth much. After all, if their opinions matter so little to us, why should we care? Always thank a person when they give you a compliment – in any situation! You will be surprised by the difference it makes.
3. Make Eye Contact During Conversations But Don’t Forget To Listen
As a woman, when talking to someone, make sure to maintain eye contact with them for most of the conversation. It shows that you are paying attention and care about what they have to say.
However, don’t forget to listen as well! If your partner in the conversation has something important to add, do not ignore their words because you were too busy looking elsewhere while they spoke.
We all lose focus from time to time however, make sure that doesn’t happen during an important discussion or when one of your friends needs you.
Maintain eye contact, but also work at maintaining focus.
4. Dress to Impress (Yourself)
By dressing the part, you are essentially telling yourself that you can do anything.
When you look good, your brain tells itself that you are ready to take on any challenge that comes your way. And wearing something comfortable, will also boost your confidence because who wants to let anxiety get in the way of looking fabulous?
So next time you have a big presentation at work or want to feel more confident, make sure to dress for success – it works!
5. Fake It & ‘Til You Make It
We’ve all heard the phrase before, fake it ’til you make it.
For many people who struggle with low self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy, acting as though they possess confidence can be a helpful way to become more confident in the long term.
So instead of getting stuck in a rut because you doubt your abilities, start faking it until you actually feel it! Your body language will change and people will begin taking notice. Before you know it, your true self will come shining through and all those around you will see how amazing you really are.
6. Keep A Journal About All The Things You Love About Yourself
As the old saying goes: if you don’t love yourself then no one else can love you either. So why not take some time for yourself every day and write down all the things that make YOU unique?
If you are anything like us, there are probably dozens of reasons why you are amazing. Start this journal as a way to recognize all the things that make you an incredible person!
Once you start doing this on a daily basis, your confidence will flourish because instead of letting your insecurities hold you back, you will be able to let them go – one by one.
7. Practice Meditation To Clear Your Mind
Meditation is an incredibly helpful practice for anyone struggling with anxiety or stress. It can be difficult at first but over time you will notice reduced feelings of worry and negativity because meditation helps clear your mind so no more thoughts have room to run wild inside it.
This practice may take some getting used to, but it is well worth the effort because meditation brings you one step closer to inner peace.
8. Get To Know Yourself More By Writing A Self-Esteem Letter
Another great way of boosting your confidence and self-worth is by writing a letter to yourself!
Take some time every day and try writing down all of the best things about you and why they matter so much to those around you, whether that’s your partner, parents, or friends.
Think of this as an assignment: reread your letter as many times as needed until you begin feeling better about yourself. Nobody else needs to see this list, so don’t worry about sharing it with others just yet – just focus on what makes you special!
9. Give Yourself A Compliment Everyday
This is another simple yet effective way to boost your confidence and make yourself feel good about the things you already do every day.
Every night before bed, write down one thing that you love about yourself or did well throughout the day. It could be something as small as paying off a bill on time or making it to work on time without hitting any traffic.
Then once you finish writing down everything that makes you great, tuck it away somewhere safe where no one else can see until tomorrow’s list is ready for writing! Keep this up every day and soon enough, your list will have some very long entries because there are so many qualities that make you so special.
10. Let Go Of Things That Aren’t Going To Make You Happy
In order to feel good about yourself and be confident in who you are, you have to believe that your life is worth living – which means taking steps every day to remove the things from your life that don’t make you happy anymore.
For example, one or two relationships may not be working out the way we thought they would, and holding on to them can be detrimental if it begins making us unhappy instead of happy. So cut ties with those people and surround yourself with those who make you feel good about yourself and help you grow.
11. Set Goals And Be Grateful For Everything You Accomplish
For some, setting goals can be an incredibly daunting task.
However, we promise you, that even if you’re someone who doesn’t typically set short-term or long-term goals for yourself, it will be well worth it in the end when you start seeing all of your hard work pay off.
Every time you accomplish something that is important to you, write it down and add it to a running list of everything that makes you happy and everything that inspires you; this will also give weight to how much progress is being made by you which helps fuel your motivation to continue on the path of success.
Another thing that can really help with this is if you frame each goal with a positive affirmation, like “I Am Grateful” or “I Am Confident” – doing this will make it easier to embrace all the things you are capable of and help keep yourself accountable for achieving them!
Wrapping up
All of these tips can help build your confidence as a woman. This is because as you become happier with yourself, the more confident you will become too – even if it does take a little extra time and effort!
A lot of where we are in life has to do with our own personal levels of confidence and self-esteem. Self-esteem is simply confidence in one’s worth and abilities. When we are low in self-esteem, we tend to doubt our abilities and question our value. However, when self-esteem is high, a person feels empowered and capable of having whatever their heart desires.
It’s no secret that our life is a result of what we do. And, our actions are a result of how we think and how we feel. Moreover, when someone doesn’t think highly of themselves, there is a tendency to settle for a life of mediocrity. To be clear, living in mediocrity has less to do with living a minimalist life and more to do with settling for things you don’t truly want out of fear.
It’s important for us to know what we want for ourselves, what makes us fulfilled. For example, you may dream of having your very own hair salon. However, you may also struggle with low self-esteem and self-doubt. Thus, out of fear, you don’t pursue that dream. Instead, you choose to settle for something you deem a bit more “practical”.
All women should understand that confidence has the ability to lift the weight off your shoulders and make the unattainable look tangible. What appears impossible starts to look very probable as we begin to feel more capable in our abilities.
Such confidence and self-assurance should be instilled from childhood to ensure a very healthy, productive, and self-sufficient, adult life. However, such experiences don’t always pan out that way especially when dealing with generational trauma. In this case, a scarcity mindset and low self-esteem are things that can be passed down.
While we can’t select all of the experiences we have in life, we can surely choose how we want to respond to these experiences.
To improve self-esteem, we must have self-accountability. If you’re a woman looking to boost your confidence and self-esteem, it’s important to understand the signs of low self-esteem, the importance of having confidence, and tips to help you boost your confidence.
Where Low Self-Esteem Comes From
A struggle with low self-esteem can come from many different places. Here are a few examples.
Toxic Dating Relationships
Toxic relationships have the ability to deteriorate our self-esteem. Such relationships entail abusive language, physical abuse, betrayal, trust issues, and co-dependency. None of these things exemplify love nor is it healthy to entertain.
Unsupportive Parents
Perhaps we didn’t hear the encouraging words we needed to hear from our parents. This lack of approval and recognition is something that can stick with us for a long time. Without encouragement and support, one can grow up with a lot of self-doubt, questioning their ability to accomplish certain tasks.
Childhood Abuse & Neglect
Childhood abuse and neglect are major factors that contribute to low self-esteem. While a large part of how others treat us is dependent upon how we treat ourselves, it wasn’t always like this. As children growing up, how others treated us determined how we’d treat ourselves including ourselves. In cases of childhood abuse and neglect, a child may internalize this treatment as something normal.
Bullying
When we’re younger, we are especially sensitive to the harsh words others project onto us. It is why children often internalize these harsh words. In the fragile mind of a growing child, these words often solidify as belief systems when left to fester.
But bullying can happen in our adult lives too such as in the workplace.
Negative People
Constantly being around negative people is a sure way to minimize one’s self-esteem. The subconscious mind is like a sponge that soaks up everything it hears and sees. When around people who complain about hardship all the time, we are more likely to share these feelings and victim mindset.
Comparing Yourself to Others
Comparing yourself to another can make us question our worth. This can be especially dangerous when aspiring to have things that don’t make you happy. It’s like trying to squeeze into a shoe that isn’t your size and then crying about it. We are all different. Avoidance of acknowledging one’s uniqueness is one way to diminish self-esteem.
Unrealistic Expectations
Living for others is not only disingenuous to one’s self but it is also frustrating. Everyone has their own ideas regarding success, happiness, and fulfillment. And, it doesn’t always look the same. When we try to meet other peoples’ expectations of us, we find ourselves living a life that isn’t authentic. Instead, it becomes burdensome trying to maintain a facade.
Traumatic Events
Issues of low self-esteem usually begin at a tender age. Traumatic events can trigger these things. For example, children often blame themselves when witnessing parental conflicts such as fighting or divorce. Many kids believe these occurrences are at their own fault. This places a major burden on a child where they feel like they’re the root cause of the turmoil and chaos.
Signs of Low Self-Esteem
Here are some of the common signs of low self-esteem:
Avoidance of Trying New Things
Feeling Lonely and Unwanted
Fear of Failure
Unable to Accept Compliments
Self-Deprecating Humor
Unmotivated
Comparing One’s Self to Others
Staying in Unhealthy Relationships
Self-Sabotaging
Anxiety and/or Depression
If you recognize these signs and symptoms in yourself, the following tips can help you take steps towards improving your self-esteem and growing confidence.
Self-Esteem Tips for Women
Forgive Yourself
Guilt, resentment, and regret are all feelings that carry a heavy weight. Boost confidence and improve self-esteem by forgiving yourself first. We should forgive ourselves for the mistakes we’ve made in life and choose to do better. These few decisions do not define us. It is what we choose to do afterward that is a true depiction of who we are.
Identify the Source of Pain
Where is the pain? By identifying the source of our issues with confidence, we can begin to forgive others and forgive ourselves. Knowing this information is key to understanding self-defeatist habits and thought processes.
Forgive Others
Animosity and grudges towards others are also burdensome. It requires a lot of energy to hold onto conflict. Forgive others to relieve yourself of that weight. The act of forgiveness frees us to accept better things into our lives without self-sabotaging good opportunities.
Practice Self-Love
Self-love is a belief and lifestyle which prioritizes self-improvement. By practicing self-love every day, we see our lives transform as our self-perception shifts into a more loving place. Self-love makes us more compassionate towards ourselves. Examples of self-love activities include the tips listed here to boost confidence and improve self-esteem.
Recite Positive Affirmations
Replace Self-Deprecation with Self-Empowerment by reciting positive affirmations. As previously stated, the subconscious mind is like a sponge. It can also be seen as a garden. Women should water their minds with loving words and positive affirmative statements. Negative affirmations act as weeds that stifle the growth of those beautiful flowers in your garden. By affirming happiness, abundance, and success, weeds of doubt, negativity, and limitation begin to melt away.
Redefine What Happiness Means to You
Live for yourself. Let go of the expectations others have of you. It isn’t your responsibility to fit into the mold other people make for you but to create a mold of your own. Happiness to one person may mean being a successful doctor that makes 6 figures while others find fulfillment in living a minimalist life. It’s up to you to define what happiness and success mean to you.
Create a Gratitude List
Make a list of all the things you’re grateful for. This could be your family, friends, job, pet, etc. Feeling gratitude makes us feel more fulfilled. It’s okay to want more. However, obsessing over what you don’t have contributes to feelings of low self-esteem and not feeling good enough. A gratitude list helps shift this focus into a much healthier place.
Mindfulness Meditation
Mindfulness meditation shows us that we aren’t our thoughts nor our emotions. We become observers of these things from an objective stance. After doing mindfulness meditation long enough, we notice certain patterns in our thinking. Thus, we’re able to identify and diffuse triggers, taking our power back.
Remove Toxic People
Remove negative people from your life. Hanging around toxic people is like having a heavy gray cloud following you around. These individuals can even be people we consider our friends and family. Such people may minimize your accomplishments and discourage you from going after your dreams. So, it’s best to keep these people at bay.
Get a Plant
Loneliness is one feeling that accompanies low self-esteem. Having a few household plants helps to alleviate this feeling. It’s nice to surround yourself with life and vibrancy. This acclimates the mind into a healthier space where you don’t feel so lonely. Taking care of these plants will also be therapeutic by giving you a much-needed sense of accomplishment.
Invest in Your Dreams
Acknowledge your strengths and strengthen your weaknesses. All women must know they are deserving of manifesting their dreams. Exercising, eating healthy, and educating yourself are all ways to invest in yourself. Self-knowledge is a wonderful investment. If you want to start a business, invest your time, energy, and money into researching and financing this endeavor.
It’s important for women to improve self-esteem and boost confidence. High self-esteem immediately removes limitations and blockages. It feels like wearing a cape and feeling like you’re capable of moving mountains. When you’re in this space, you feel unmovable, unshakable, and unstoppable. These self-esteem tips for women will help those women struggling with their confidence by providing an effective guideline to follow.
