Confidence: Myths, Mistakes, and Tips

This week we will be discussing confidence and giving advice for how to grow/maintain your confidence. We'll tackle some of the myths about confidence as well as some common mistakes people make when it comes to growing their confidence. Don't fret! Tips and advice will be shared for how to make sure your confidence is the highest it can be.

5 Myths:

MYTH #1: Confident people never doubt themselves.

TRUTH: Everyone doubts themselves sometimes and gets nervous. Even the most confident people in the world can have doubts and get nervous. Being nervous doesn’t mean that you are not confident.

MYTH #2: People are born confident. TRUTH: No one is born confident. Confidence is something that is learned and worked on every day.

MYTH #3: You have to be extroverted to be confident. TRUTH: Introverts can also be confident. Confidence does not have to mean that you are constantly the life of the party. Again, it is a mindset. If you feel more comfortable and confident when you are in a smaller group of people, that is still confidence.

MYTH #4: You can't fake it. TRUTH: You can fake confidence. The saying “fake it until you make it” is definitely true when it comes to confidence. When you are positive with your mindset and start to act confident, eventually it will truly start to come to you.

MYTH #5: Confidence has to do solely with looks.

TRUTH: Being confident is a mindset that people have. Anyone can be confident. You can be confident when you are wearing your worst outfit and confident in the best outfit in the world. It is all about how you feel about yourself.

3 Mistakes:

MISTAKE #1: Depending on other people's praise for your own confidence.

One of the biggest mistakes in becoming confident is depending on others to remain confident. It is good to have positive people in your life, but you shouldn’t rely on them to make you happy with yourself. Confidence has to come from you not anyone else.

MISTAKE #2: Comparing yourself to others.

Comparing yourself to others is also a huge mistake. It can be very draining. You have to think about the things that make you a good person and not compare yourself to what other people are doing. “Comparison is the thief of joy” is a saying for a reason.

MISTAKE #3: Not recognizing your potential.

To be confident, you must recognize your own potential. Reminding yourself of the things that you can accomplish goes a long way in establishing confidence.

3 Tips:

TIP #1: No negative self-talk.

Negative self-talk is one of the worst things you can do. This can diminish everything you do to boost your confidence. Eliminating negative self-talk is crucial to building your confidence.

TIP #2: Make a list of your accomplishments.

Making a list of your accomplishments can help remind you just how great you really are. This list can also be something that you can look back on anytime you need a reminder of what you are capable of.

TIP #3: Don’t beat yourself up for things that have happened in the past.

This goes along with making sure you eliminate negative self-talk. Bashing yourself for things that have happened in the past does nothing for you except make you upset. Use your past experiences as inspiration to grow as a person instead of just dwelling on the memories.

General Advice:

Start seeing mistakes as learning opportunities.

Mistakes that you make are learning opportunities for the future. Instead of putting yourself down for making a mistake, think of how you will change what you did in the future, so you don’t make the mistake again. Use mistakes as ways to grow instead of ways to be negative to yourself.

Learn to love yourself.

This is a hard thing to do for some people, but it is the most important thing. The only person that will be with you forever is yourself, so it is important to love yourself for who you are. You won’t be able to be fully confident without loving yourself first.

Face your fears.

Facing your fears can allow you to confront the limitations you have on yourself. If you have always thought that you could never do something, being able to accomplish it will really help boost your confidence.