How I Became More Confident by Applying 5 Simple Tips

This will allow you to enter the virtuous circle of self-confidence.

I still remember in my high school years how fascinated I could be when I saw some of my classmates displaying unwavering confidence. At an age when most of us doubt our abilities, these classmates looked like they could dominate any situation.

At the time, I thought that having confidence was something that came naturally. Not having that same sense of confidence as these people, I thought I would never reach that level in my life.

Not being able to have confidence is crippling in life, as you will not be able to lead a happy and fulfilling life. You won't be able to achieve ambitious goals either. Indeed, without self-confidence, you won't be able to find the motivation to overcome the challenges you will face.

It is therefore in your best interest to develop your confidence. I have already given you a first essential clue. Self-confidence is not innate, but rather something that you will have to build over time. You will therefore have to take a proactive approach. This virtuous circle is made up of 5 simple tips to apply daily.

1. Be aware of your worth

The first initial step in improving my self-confidence was to finally realize my worth. My faults were real, but my qualities were just as real. I tended to focus too much on my flaws, forgetting to take into account my qualities.

It's the same for all of us. No one is perfect, but you have to be able to judge yourself honestly to develop your self-confidence. Thus, you will have to choose to become your greatest ally, rather than remain your worst enemy.

An example? When I make a mistake, I always try to find out how to use this mistake positively afterward. It's the same with my failures. With time, I managed to understand that they were only outcomes on which I had to rely to keep moving forward. That's the key thing: keep moving forward without losing your motivation.

2. Be aware of your qualities

We all tend to focus too much on our flaws as I pointed out in the previous point. These defects exist and we should not hide them. However, you must also do the same work on your qualities. You have many more than you imagine.

If you find it difficult to list your qualities, you can ask people close to you to help you see them more clearly. Once you are aware of your qualities, focus on them as often as possible to improve your confidence.

You will enter into a positive reinforcement that will boost your self-confidence over time.

3. Be aware of your strengths

After becoming aware of your qualities, you should do the same with your strengths. Then, try as often as possible to put yourself in situations that allow you to make the most of your strengths. I like to use the sports example here. If you are built like a sprinter, it would be a shame to only compete in marathons. You'd waste time not making the most of your strengths, and you'd end up losing what little confidence you initially had.

By putting yourself in situations that suit you, your performance will be better. This will only strengthen your confidence in what you are worth. The key is to make the initial effort to know which situations best suit your strengths.

4. Always be kind to yourself

Achieving great things in life is not an easy thing to do. It becomes even more difficult if you are not your greatest ally. When I was younger, I tended to waste time dwelling on my mistakes and failures. I would replay the game as they say, “What if I had done this instead of that ...”

In the end, the past is still the past, and you're just wasting precious time. Better to use your precious time to act in the present to build the future you dream of. Be proud of everything you've done, and continue to never give up.

This is how I was able to develop my self-confidence. Nothing is ever definitively acquired, of course, so you have to do this work every day.

5. Do your best, and accept what happens next

My life changed for the better the day I realized that I should not waste time on things I had no control over. I'll give you an example that you must have already experienced.

You prepare as best you can to get your dream job. You put in a lot of effort, and you follow all the steps of the process of the company you are applying to. At the last step, you fail, and the company prefers someone else. You will tend to blame yourself and have regrets that may last more or less long depending on your character.

After a few days of rehashing your failure, nothing will have changed. The failure will still be there, you will simply have lost several days of your life. I experienced this self-destructive situation several times in my twenties. And then one day, I realized that I should focus on the upstream process instead since that's the only part I had control over.

The rest is out of my hands. There is no need to waste time beyond learning from your mistakes and failures. Accept that life is made of ups and downs. Always do your best, and then be prepared to keep moving forward. This will prevent you from damaging your self-confidence over things that are out of your control.

Final Thoughts

I'm approaching my 40s, and I realize how difficult it can be to develop your confidence. I made a lot of mistakes in my twenties that made me realize that things could change in terms of confidence as long as I focused on my abilities, always looking for the bright side. This is how I was able to become much more confident and change my outlook on life.

By applying the 5 science-based tips I just presented, you too can increase your confidence over time. Beware, it takes time and it won't happen overnight. As with anything of value in this world.