Self-confidence can be one of the most powerful characteristics that you can build and utilize in your life to achieve success. Your self-confidence affects your thoughts, your actions, and the way people view you. More self-confident people tend to take risks, rebound from failures, and pursue opportunities that other people would shy away from. The encouraging part is that confidence is not something that you are just born with, but it is also a skill that can be developed.
Psychologists and neuroscience have been studying what makes people feel confident for many years, and researchers have determined that confidence can be built by using small, yet effective strategies. Below are five reasons backed by science, based on research studies, on how to help increase self-confidence.
1. Use "Power Posing" to Change Your Body and Your Mind
Your body language not only sends signals to those around you, but it also can impact how you feel about yourself. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy at Harvard University even tells us that practicing open and expansive body language (referred to as "power posing" in the social sciences) for just two minutes can increase testosterone (linked to confidence) and lower cortisol (the body's stress hormone).
For instance, standing tall, feet shoulder-width apart, hands on hips, and shoulders back is a powerful stance of confidence. Power posing doesn't change you into a different individual, it simply gives you a moment of positive self-identity before entering an event, such as an interview, a presentation, or a negotiation.
2. Reframe Negative Self-Talk with Positive Self-Talk.
Your brain can either be your biggest cheerleader or your hardest critic. Research from cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) shows the less fulfilling the self-talk, the more of a hole you dig for yourself in confidence and belief. Positive self-talk, however, can reconstruct the brain's thinking and neural pathways and improve your performance.
For instance, instead of "I can't do this," reframe to, "This is hard, but I have practiced and I am capable." Neuroscience has shown that the more you state a positive affirmation, the more it activates the brain's reward and motivation values in different areas of the brain, and you are more likely to choose to engage in action with feedback of possibility. Over time, this shift to a positive change in language and affirmations reframes and rebanks your mindset into a self-supportive state instead of one of sabotaging.
3. Develop Competence Through Small Wins
Confidence stems from competence—the more evidence of success you have, the more belief in self you will gain. Research shows that achieving smaller, manageable goals in a process releases dopamine, which is the brain's "reward chemical," and it reinforces your motivation and confidence.
To build this competence, start with breaking your big goals into smaller and more manageable steps. For example, if learning a new language is a goal of yours, feel good about yourself for finishing the first lesson, instead of waiting until you are having fluent conversations in another language. Or if a marathon is a goal, you can feel good about running, and completing, your first mile without walking (or stopping). Each small win provides some evidence of your competence, and builds other wins, that will build your confidence over your journey.
4. Visualizing Success Prior to Action
Athletes, entrepreneurs, or public speakers often visualize what they desire to happen in order to feel more positively about what they engage in. This is considered a form of mental imagery. Research, which is published in the Journal of Sports Sciences, has demonstrated that developing the idea of achieving a successful outcome activates the same brain areas as if you had actually performed the activity. Valuable time is implanted in the visualization, which primes you for activating both your body and mind to perform much more assuredly when required.
Prior to a stressful scenario—like giving a speech or going to an important meeting—take a few minutes to close your eyes and see yourself clearly communicating, standing tall, and handling questions easily. By picturing success in your mind first, you are positioning yourself to go into the real scenario more confidently.
5. Surround Yourself with Supportive People
Humans have a powerful influence on one another through the social environment. In social psychology, research has shown that spending time with positive, supportive others generally leads to higher self-esteem and confidence. Valuable feedback, constructive criticism, and encouragement from mentors, colleagues, or friends can encourage you to identify your strengths and travel beyond your self-doubt.
Being around people who are overly critical, or living in a negative environment, is disempowering, which can rob your confidence and strengthen your insecurity. To create and sustain self-belief, advocate spending time with people who provide positive energy and support. For many years, especially as a child, I have found feedback and encouragement from others to sustain my own growth.
Conclusion
Building confidence is not an overnight occurrence; it is a gradual progression influenced by your mind, habits, and your environment. Statistically, confidence is more about learning to trust yourself even in the face of fear and doubt, rather than being courageous. Various strategies, such as power posing, positive self-talk, creating manageable wins, visualization, and surrounding yourself with positive people, will develop self-belief over time.
Lastly, recognize that confidence is a muscle you can continue to build on through habitual practice. Start slow and stick with it, and soon you will notice your courage and resilience improving over time.
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