5 practical things you can do to boost your confidence
In the work I do with my coaching clients, we cover a whole variety of subjects - from setting boundaries, to pivoting their businesses, to building healthier habits. But one topic is universal - it comes up with every single client I work with - and that topic is confidence.
It seems that having confidence in ourselves and our abilities is something that we all struggle with, and so today I wanted to share some practical tips to help you turn that around. I’d love to know what you think of these tips, and be sure to let me know if you try any of them!
1) Make a list of everything you’ve achieved
This is an exercise I get all of my clients to do whenever they’re having a little wobble. Take a blank sheet of paper and make a list of everything you’ve already achieved in your life and career so far. It doesn’t matter how big or small, just get it all down on the page. Once you’ve finished, pin it up somewhere that you’ll see it everyday - having that visual representation of everything you’ve already achieved will help boost your confidence to go on and do even more.
2) Practice power posing
If you’ve never heard of power posing, then start by giving this Ted Talk a watch. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy explains how standing in a posture of confidence when we feel nervous or worried can boost our feelings of confidence, and could even have a positive impact on our chances of success. I’ve been using this tip ever since I watched the video 3 or 4 years ago, and I can attest that it really does work!
3) Visualise success
Another practical way to boost your confidence is to visualise success. Visualisation works because the neurons in our brain interpret imagery as equivalent to a real-life action, and therefore when we visualise something, our brain creates a new neural pathway that primes our body to act in a way consistent to what we imagined. Pretty cool, huh? So if you visualise walking into an interview and completely smashing it, chances are you have a better chance of doing exactly that. Get clear on what success looks like for you, and then visualise it happening over and over again.
4) Celebrate your wins
Think about the last time you received a negative piece of feedback. How long did you stew on it for? How often did you play it over in your mind? How much of an impact did it have on your confidence? Now think about the last time you had achieved something great. How long did you spend celebrating your success? Chances are that you spent a lot more time on the negative feedback than you did the positive win, and that’s totally normal - we humans have a bias towards negativity. But one great way to try and balance that bias is to really and truly celebrate your wins - so next time you receive positive feedback or achieve success, allow yourself to savour the moment and bask in the confidence boost.
5) Prepare, prepare, prepare
My final confidence boosting tip is to prepare, prepare, prepare. When all of the other tips I’ve shared aren’t working for me, this is the one I come back to - I prepare as well as possible for whatever I’m feeling nervous about. It’s just so much easier to raise your hand in a meeting or to nail an interview when you know that you know your stuff, so carve out the time to do your research and anticipate any gaps in your knowledge that could leave you feeling wobbly.
There you go - 5 practical things you can do to boost your confidence. Have you tried any of these things before?
