Got Confidence? 5 Practices If Your Confidence Needs a Boost

The road to achievement is full of challenges. It is paved by your experiences and attitude. You determine what success means to you. But no matter how you define success, to achieve major goals you need to meet challenges with confidence. But what is confidence? To most people, it is an elusive quality. One that is hard to define, and even harder to recognize in ourselves. Thus, instead of talking about confidence in the abstract, it might be easier to describe its essence using the five essential elements of confidence: clarity, commitment, competence, courage, and curiosity.

The 5 Essential Elements of Confidence:

1. Clarity Creates Confidence

Clarity means knowing what you want, believing in what you do, and why you are doing it. Recognizing your true needs and motives is the foundation for setting your goals through your own vision of success, personally and professionally. Knowing your inner self, your purpose, values, vision, and motivations, will help you visualize your path and move forward with confidence.

2. Commitment Builds Confidence

Unwavering commitment to goal-achievement; willingness to follow through and do whatever it takes, increases confidence. It is a virtuous cycle. The more you do, the more you achieve. The more you accomplish, the more confident you become. When you know your priorities and consistently commit to showing up for yourself, you will be able to progressively set and achieve bigger goals. Thus, you will consistently grow in confidence.

3. Competence Begets Confidence

Confidence is tied to competence. Knowing what you can and cannot do is an important element in successful performance. It takes confidence to surf big waves, but to ride them one must have the proficiency and experience. Build your goals around your core competencies, and keep building the necessary skills to move toward your goals. Be a serial learner. Accept new challenges.

4. Courage is a Prerequisite for Confidence

Courage is the ability to take action in the face of fear and uncertainty. There’s no way around it, confidence grows through the courage to act. When all is said and done, only those who dare to fail can level up their capabilities and greatly achieve. Confidence builds as you take action. Whatever you do, the no-lose model applies. Every step you take is always a step forward. Actions produce momentum and confidence.

5. Curiosity Fuels Confidence

Curiosity is an invitation to try, to think of new possibilities. Through curiosity we get to look at opportunities in a fresh way. Exploring options and pushing barriers in pursuit of your full potential is the path to confidence. When you try new things, you unlock areas within yourself you never knew existed. Confidence is gained when you replace doubt with trust; where there’s a will, there’s a way.

We all admire self-confident people. They seem at ease with themselves and the world. They inspire trust and confidence. Yet, for most people, it’s not always easy to be confident. However, just because you don’t feel confident doesn’t mean you cannot project confidence. Faking it until you make it can be a solid foundational strategy for success. As the co-creator of your reality, embrace a growth mindset believing that with time you will be able to meet every challenge with confidence. When you act confident, you automatically create a more confident version of yourself. Eventually through the act, you become what you practice.

5 ways to practice confidence:

1. Confidence is an inside job.

The first step in building sustainable confidence is to turn inward. Take the time to reflect on your self-worth, the power and value of our entire being. Make a list of all the things you like about yourself, the things you’ve done for others, your accomplishments, the moments you feel most confident, and the things that inspire you. Refer back to this list to give yourself a confidence-boosting time out.

2. Personal grooming boosts confidence

The popular saying, “if you look good, you feel good” is true. Looking your best is a great way to boost your confidence. Dress as you want to be seen: professional, confident, successful. It doesn’t mean wearing expensive outfits. The key factor is that if you want to feel confident, you have to dress the part. It will make it easier to walk the walk. Practice ways to foster a positive self- and body- image.

3. It’s all in your posture

An assertive posture can lift your confidence as well as inspire it in others. Stand tall, keep your shoulders relaxed. Imagine wearing an expensive jeweled crown, trying to keep it straight on your head. Own your crown, empower yourself. Can you feel the extra energy, the confidence? And practice smiling. The physical act of smiling can make you feel more confident, and happier. Smiles are contagious.

4. Find the power of your voice

Our voice, both literally and figuratively, is the window to the soul. The way we speak reflects who we are and impacts how we connect with others. When it comes to your physical voice, practicing voice projection can be a powerful confidence building tool. When you speak slowly and clearly you are perceived as confident. To find your authentic confident voice, start different conversations with new people. Follow your curiosity and open your mind to new perspectives and ideas to then hone your own.

5. Embrace and value the process

Give yourself permission to embark on a change journey, to take risks and to make mistakes. Focus on the experience and enjoy the process of becoming, of getting “there.” Instead of losing confidence by fixating on what isn’t working, focus on what is working. Use what you know and your strengths to optimize your efforts. Self-confidence is an active process of going for what you want with intention and boldness, encountering new challenges, and finding solutions. It’s all about learning and growth.

There’s always an element of risk when you try something new. Fear is a sign that there’s something valuable at stake. Confidence is trusting yourself to try knowing there are no guarantees for success. It’s daring to go beyond the familiar believing that you will prosper. Confidence doesn’t come from having all the answers, or being right, but from not being afraid to be wrong. Confidence is not carved in stone. It ebbs and flows. However, your confidence grows exponentially with each new experience. The more things you try, the more you learn, the better you become at thriving through change.