"But here’s the deal, sweet stranger. You deserve to be the protagonist of your own wonderful, bizarre, terrifying little life. If you decide you are enough, you are enough. You don’t need to wait for some grand external validation of your worth before you offer your kindest heart to yourself." – Kathy Brown
If you have found yourself feeling like you could use a boost of confidence, you are definitely not alone. It turns out, around 85 percent of people suffer from some degree of low self-esteem. Perhaps you sabotage yourself by focusing on your perceived mistakes or shortcomings or have an underlying belief that you are not good enough, smart enough, strong enough, [insert adjective] enough. The good news is, it absolutely does not have to be this way! In this article, I will share a list of methods you can use to boost your confidence. Everyone is different, so we provided a range of activities so you can try to see what works best for you.
Developing My Own Confident Voice
I began my meditation practice many years ago to connect with myself and my true desires. I was looking for a way to hear my own inner voice that seemed to be speaking at an inaudible level of a whisper. For as long as I can remember, I made decisions and behaved in a way that was based on what I thought was expected of me. I guess you could say I was a people pleaser. This left no room for hearing my own inner voice confidently.
I earned fairly good grades in school. I mostly stayed out of trouble. I played sports and was kind to my peers because I thought that’s what was expected. After I graduated from high school, I went to college, got a job, got married, and had kids. I didn’t really stop and think about if that was the path I wanted, it’s just what people did where I was from.
Up until about my early 30’s, I don’t think I had a connection with what I wanted. When I actually took time to consider what I wanted, which wasn’t often, I’d hear my mom’s voice in my head, or a teacher, or coach, but not my own. I’m not sure if you have ever experienced this, but it’s as if all the other voices in your life are much louder than you own voice. The beliefs of others overshadowed my own because my voice was low and lacked confidence.
"If you ever feel like you’re not good enough for something, it’s because you’re unaware of your own potential and your own value. And when you’re unaware of who you could be, you’re limited to who you think you are, to who people told you were, to who society tells you should be." – Rania Naim
The Beauty of Confidence for Me
What brought me to meditation was a need to break out of the mold. I wanted more, but had no idea what I wanted, because 1. I rarely asked myself what I wanted and 2. When I did ask, I couldn’t hear my own voice. Although it feels like it has taken me a long time to truly stand in my own authentic truth, I have finally arrived and re-gained the confidence I believe we are all born with.
When I make a decision now, it is based on what I want, based on what I hear from my confident inner voice. These decisions aren’t void of support from those important influences on me, yet they are MY own. When I make these powerful decisions, I worry about them less, I feel more clarity and lightness that I hadn’t felt before. I find I have more passion and joy about what I am doing.
I have learned to ask myself these questions more often: What lights you up? What fans your fire? When I recognize the answers, I choose to do more of that!
"Don’t ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." – Howard Washington Thurman
Meditate!
If you have spent any time with the Mindful Movement resources, you know meditation is one of our go-to activities for so many things, including for boosting confidence. Like any skill, meditation takes practice to experience sustained results. If you are new to practicing meditation, we have plenty of resources you can use to get yourself familiarized. One great thing about meditation is that it does not have to take as long as you might think. Even a 10 minute session can help you connect with yourself and have a positive impact on your mood and your day. Check out this video episode, which features a 10 minute guided meditation, as a starting point!
Because building confidence was originally what brought me to meditation, it is a passion of mine to help others do the same. I empower people who are feeling stuck, overwhelmed, and anxious and who are motivated for change, yet feeling limited by their beliefs.
Here is an entire playlist of practices that are designed to re-gain confidence.
Hypnotherapy is an extremely powerful tool to support building confidence and positive beliefs. If you decide you want to work one on one with a hypnotherapist, I’d love to help you!
Focus on the Positive
It can be so easy to focus on all the negatives in life, and if you do this too much it can start to become part of your identity. To combat this negativity bias, you can consciously focus on things that are going well rather than what’s wrong. Being mindful gives you the opportunity to take pause, recognize a positive experience, breathe it in, and create a memory of what is good. The more you do this, the more your mind shifts towards positive. It is like muscle memory and you may start to see the world in a positive lens and this will help develop your confidence.
You can also develop a regular gratitude practice. Take 10 minutes to reflect and recall things that you are grateful for. You can also make a list of these things to look at throughout the day. Listing out things you are grateful for is a great way to improve your mood by adopting an attitude of gratitude. The more you practice gratitude, the more you can see your own strengths and therefore build up your confidence.
Get Moving
Consistent exercise practice can have a positive ripple effect of building confidence into other areas of your life. It can elevate your mood and make you physically feel great, boosting your confidence long after the workout is over. I write more about this here.
Exercise doesn’t have to be an activity that takes several hours per day. Even if you find that you only have a spare 10 minutes, going for a brief walk or jog can have positive effects on your mood. You can also consider taking a stretching break to loosen up your body and your mind. Here is a quick, simple workout with Les you can practice in only 7 minutes.
Do Something Nice for Someone Else
So far, all of the pervious tips for boosting confidence are activities or practices that you can do by yourself. I would add, helping other people is a great method you can do for building confidence! If you find you can give someone a hand throughout the day, take that opportunity. Sometimes, witnessing your own ability to make someone smile can be a great way to improve your own confidence.
Boost Your Confidence with The Mindful Movement
The Mindful Movement is an oasis where you can come to tap into inner peace, a positive mindset and your own ability for healing. If you are looking to dive into the world of meditation, please feel free to check out our video series and podcast episodes. Grow with us!
"The truth is: Belonging starts with self-acceptance. Your level of belonging, in fact, can never be greater than your level of self-acceptance, because believing that you’re enough is what gives you the courage to be authentic, vulnerable and imperfect." – Brene Brown
Additional Resources:
Members Oasis for: Unlimited access to all Mindful Movement Meditations and Hypnosis Practices; Exclusive Members Only Content added EVERY month; Practice anytime, anywhere.
Purchase your favorite Meditation and Hypnosis practices from the Mindful Movement. You can download an MP3 file to listen to anytime, anywhere with no internet access necessary.
If you are interested in practicing meditation, dive into the world of mindfulness and meditation with our four-day meditation journey here.
If you are experiencing an overload of stress, it may show up as symptoms of anxiety, worry, or overwhelm. Our 21 day mini-course to gain freedom from anxiety is for anyone who is ready to make a change and release the grip of anxiety. This includes a lesson about how the mind works, two hypnosis sections, self-inquiry work, and a powerful hypnosis recording that is yours to keep and listen to for at least 21 consecutive days following your completion of the course.
Let us know how we can help. Please feel to leave a comment with any other suggestions, comments, or questions for the community!
With love and gratitude,
Sara and Les
The Mindful Movement
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