November 2022

Building Self-Confidence, the Right Way.

The former first lady of America Michelle Obama stated that your success is

determined by your confidence and fortitude. When we talk about losses and

wins; one of the most influential and successful people has this one trait in

common i.e. Confidence. In short, your success and victory are directly

connected to your confidence and self-esteem without which you can under

no circumstances achieve what you strive for. So here’s the million-dollar

question:

“What exactly is self-confidence?’’

Let us put it this way; we often hear influential people talking about the

power of the human mind and its relation to goal achievement and success.

You might think that confidence is based on one’s abilities and strengths and

weaknesses but that’s hardly the case. Ironically enough -

“The core of self-confidence is based on one’s perception of

one’s abilities and not the actual abilities themselves.”

To put it simply; the way you “think” about yourself identifies your self-esteem

and confidence. You might have the right abilities and strengths to achieve

something but if you think you don’t own those abilities; the reality of the

situation is blurred out greatly affecting your potential to accomplish.

Effects of Low Self-Confidence

According to research, about 85% of the world's population is affected by low

self-esteem. That's a pretty staggering percentage but it gives us an insight

into the bitter reality of this often-overlooked problem. This quite literally

means that about 85% of the world’s population is unable to work to its full

potential because of a lack of confidence. Now that's alarming. People who

lack self-esteem often feel worthless and devalue themselves. How does this

affect their lives? Well for starters; they basically just feel like they’re not up to

the mark and end up drowning in the dark waters of self-loath and

resentment.

This negatively influences their motivation to work and drive to achieve

something. This starts manifesting unproductive and sluggish behaviors

affiliated with futility and vulnerability. People with low self-esteem find it

impossible to be resilient and bounce back. They get overly obsessed with

achieving perfection and comparing themselves with others and ultimately

not feeling good enough about themselves. This loop of distorted self-image

leads up to feeling powerless, failing at both relationships and work, being

unable to reach objectives, being indecisive, and ultimately lack of

advancement. The list goes on but the important thing to take from these

adverse effects is to understand how a person with low self-confidence keeps

going in never ending toxic circles.

If you are someone who’s going through this; today’s your lucky day because

we’ve gathered four ways to build self-confidence so let’s dive in!

Confidence Building Practices

1. Remove Mental Blockages

To excel in being confident in life; it’s important to work through those deep-

rooted negative feelings about yourself that hold you back. Traumas and poor

past experiences leave imprints on you and it’s important to let them go to

move on and excel. The first step to breaking free from the resentful loop of

low self-esteem is to identify the core of the mental blockage. You can begin

by identifying and understanding yourself and work your way up to

acknowledging your efforts. Focus on the good and practice self-love by

forgiving yourself. The key is to replace that negative mental stronghold with

a positive mental anchor just as strong to counter the unfavorable effects.

2. Ditch Self-Critical Thoughts

Speaking of self-love and learning to forgive yourself for the mistakes you’ve

made; your next move is to do something about it. Make vows and pledge to

improve and do better in the future. Stop overly criticizing yourself and

embrace your flaws. Optimism is key to success. Focus on the good and

acknowledge your wins and recognize your efforts. Appreciate the efforts you

put in and strive to progress and bloom. Be gentle with yourself and

understand that you’re worthy of respect and deserve praise.

3. Withdraw Self-Doubt

One of the biggest impediments in the way of building confidence is self-

doubt. It is going to be your worst enemy on this journey. Having faith in

yourself and constant reassurance is what’s going to keep you afloat.

Believing in yourself will make all the difference and prove that you have the

potential and the ability to achieve anything you want. Do not rely on others’

appreciation to validate your hard work. Be your biggest supporter and

cheerer and you’ll automatically earn respect from others.

4. Eliminate Self-Limiting Beliefs

Talking about being your biggest supporter; negative self-talk is a big no. To

boost your confidence you need to acknowledge, recognize, and appreciate

yourself. Beliefs and thoughts that halt you from achieving your goals need to

be disregarded. Once you earn respect from yourself and others, allow

yourself to digest and accept it. This will shift your notion of not being good

enough to be confident enough to face the challenges you’ll face in the

future.

The Confidence Equilibrium

One thing to keep in mind is the maintenance of balance between taking

pride in your work and overconfidence. It's a fact that too much of everything

is bad so it's essential to remember to be well grounded, down to earth, and

at the same time accept the credibility and respect for your work. Do not lose

touch with reality and stay connected and open to the possibility of things

going south. It's not really about the number of times you fall but it is about

the number of times you get back up and face the reality.

It's important to understand that your perception is your reality and

everything your mind perceives becomes your reality. The trick is to feed your

mind with the right reinforcement and witness the change of events take

place. The power of the human mind is not to be underestimated because it

holds the power to help you break free from the shackles of low self-esteem.

Confidence is your best friend on the road to success and the key to the door

to victory; make sure to use the key wisely and aim for the best.

References

Self-Esteem – GRCS. (n.d.). Retrieved October 18, 2022, from

https://grcounseling.com/self-esteem/

Castrillon, C. (2020, January 26). 5 Strategies To Build Unshakable Self-

Confidence. Forbes. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from

https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinecastrillon/2020/01/26/5-strategies-

to-build-unshakable-self-confidence/?sh=63738b788c6f

The role of confidence in world-class sports performance. (n.d.). Taylor &

Francis. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640410903089798

Fonvielle, D. (2020, June 17). What Is Self-Confidence About? Always

Greater. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from

https://alwaysgreater.com/what-does-self-confidence-mean-to-you/

Kremer, B. W. (2013, January 4). Does confidence breed success? BBC

News. Retrieved October 18, 2022, from

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20756247