I’m a pretty Confident person overall, but even I struggle with insecurities more often than I care to admit. Thankfully, most of my insecurities stem from things I can totally control. That’s why I’ve vowed to do better in 2018! When it comes to being successful in life, it is easy to see that usually, the people who are the most successful are the ones who are the most confident.
There’s something about confidence that is alluring, isn’t there? That’s why a lot of people find confidence such a turn-on: confidence is appealing. Confident people tend to get farther in life, because they believe they can achieve their dreams and work hard to do it. e who are more confident tend to better in life. If you look at all of the world’s most powerful women, the one thing that they all have in common is the fact that they are confident in who they are and how they look.
If you are someone who lacks confidence and self-esteem, make it your goal that this year you will change that. Make 2018 the year that you grow into a confident woman who doesn’t let anything phase her. Love the idea of this but have no idea how to achieve higher levels of self-esteem? Don’t worry, because we have got you covered – below is a guide to eight hacks for feeling more confident in 2018.
1. Take more pride in your appearance.
This might sound obvious, but you would be amazed at how much difference it can make to how you feel about yourself and how much confidence you have. I’m notorious for lounging around in the same sweatpants for 5 days in a row. I’m trying to break that habit because although my sweats are comfy, I never feel super confident in them. If you don’t take pride in your appearance and fail to groom yourself properly or take the time to dress yourself in clothes you love, then these things will start to impact how you feel about yourself. The fact is that by simply making time to dress up and do your hair and makeup each morning, not to mention little things like your nails and wearing perfume, you will feel better for it. These things may seem trivial and unnecessary, but the fact is that is not the case. When it comes to your self-esteem, you have to be willing to do whatever is needed to make you happy, which is why if taking more pride in your appearance will do that, and raise your self confidence at the same time, it is worth it.
2. Overhaul your self-image.
We live in a world where our self-image means so much to us. We take photos and then edit them, to ensure that before we share them with the world, we look our very best. We all hold a mental picture of ourselves, and it is this mental picture that determines how confident we are in ourselves. The fact is that when we are not happy with our mental picture of ourselves, it has a huge impact on our confidence and self-esteem. The good news is that the image we have of ourselves in our minds is not fixed in place, it can be edited. Figure out what you dislike about yourself and change it. If that is your weight, lose or gain weight. If it is that your lips aren’t pouty enough, consider having them enhanced at a specialist facility like Alchemy 43. If you dislike your hairstyle or color, get it changed. You can easily edit your personal image – if you dislike something about yourself and it is impacting your self-esteem, it is worth changing it. One of my goals is to get back to my weight when I was the healthiest.
3. Kill negative thoughts.
Far too many of us think negatively about ourselves. This is a real problem, as when we focus on our negatives, rather than our positive features, it has a negative impact on how we feel about ourselves and our self-esteem. Of course, it is far too easy to be negative about ourselves, rather than positive. It is important to be aware of your self-talk – AKA the things that you think about your own body. When a negative thought pops into your mind, it is vital that you are able to realize that it is a bad thought to have, and ignore it. Because the fact is, it is these bad thoughts that have a hugely negative impact on our self-esteem, as they convince that we are not good enough.
4. Be positive.
This links up with the hack above, as if you are not going to be negative, then you have to be positive, don’t you? What it is important that you learn to do is replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Become a positive thinker, instead of always seeing yourself in a negative light. When a negative thought pops into your head, squash it and replace it with a positive one. So, for example, say you look in the mirror at how your new dress looks and instantly think that your shoulders look huge, don’t focus on that. Instead, focus on how tiny your waist looks or how long your legs look. The most positive you can be, the better, as positivity is key to a more confident mindset.
5. Stop comparing yourself.
Are you constantly comparing yourself? Do you constantly look at your friends and wonder why you don’t look like them? Do you always compare your outfit to your best friend’s look? If you do, you need to stop doing so, as comparing yourself to others won’t help you to feel more confident about who you are, in fact it will only reduce your levels of self-esteem. If you find yourself comparing your life to other’s Instagram feeds, consider taking a break from social media. Aim to stop comparing yourself to others and instead focus on what makes you look amazing. You don’t need to compare your body to other people’s, because we are all built differently, and it is important to understand that. Your friend might look amazing in a certain dress, but that is no reason to compare your body to hers. After all, you are two very different people.
6. Set goals and achieve them.
Goal setting can be a great way to achieve higher levels of self-esteem, it’s just a case of making sure that you don’t set goals that are unachievable. Be realistic with your goal setting, and think carefully about the goals that you want to set. Set a goal that you know is achievable, so that you can achieve it. The fact is that mentally, when you achieve a goal, you feel better about yourself, which is why goal setting is so important. Once you have achieved an easy to reach goal, the next step is to set yourself slightly harder goals to achieve. As you start to meet more and more of your goals, you will begin to feel better and better about yourself.
7. Step outside of your comfort zone.
Do you rarely step outside of your comfort zone? If the answer is yes, then now is the time to start doing so more regularly and pushing yourself that little bit harder. Have you ever considered how good it feels to step outside of your comfort zone and do something that you never imagined that you could do? Because the fact is that when it comes to stepping outside of your comfort zone, you always feel better once you have done something ‘brave’, don’t you? When you step outside of your comfort zone and do something that pushes and challenges you, you feel happier and more confident for it. Let’s say, for instance that you hate heights, but you agree to go abseiling anyway, to push yourself to be braver. While you are terrified in the lead up to it, afterwards you feel much happier and more confident for it. It’s amazing what a boost of adrenaline can do to your self-esteem, isn’t it?
8. Exercise and eat well.
Have you ever considered that when you exercise and eat well, you feel better for it? Various studies have shown that even when you don’t need to lose weight, by exercising and eating well, you will feel happier and more confident for it. This is because when you feed your body with the right nutrients and take steps to stay active, your mental health improves and you feel happier and more content about who you are and how you look. So if you are not already making sure to exercise regularly and eat healthily, it could be time to start making some lifestyle changes. If you are in need of a little inspiration, working with a personal trainer and a diet coach could be the answer. It is not always easy becoming healthier, but it is doable with the right support. This is my number one goal for 2018- to exercise and eat well. It’s something I’ve struggled with since become an entrepreneur, but I’m going to do my best to get back on track this year!
The fact is that it is not always easy to boost your self-confidence. However, if you take note of the hacks above and implement them, you can make it easier to give your self-esteem the boost that it needs. There is a common misconception that it only takes one thing, such as losing weight, to boost self-confidence, when actually that is not the case. Believe it or not, it is a combination of factors, such as those things mentioned above, that make it easier to give your self-confidence the boost that it needs.
