Confidence, like other personality traits, can be either innate or learned. If you were born with self-confidence, then you’re lucky! But if your confidence level isn’t as high as you’d like it to be, it might mean that you need to learn some more positive ways of thinking about yourself. These four tips on how to stay confident as a woman will help give you the courage and poise that you need in all walks of life.
Confidence Is Something You Create
It’s completely natural for your confidence levels to fluctuate. After all, you’re human. But it’s important not to get discouraged if you feel like you’re having an off day. If you take pride in your work and know that when you put your best effort forward, things tend to turn out well, chances are that's enough confidence for any given situation . It’s also helpful not to compare yourself with other people or what they have going on in their lives.
Focus on What Makes You Feel Good
While confidence can come from many places, self-esteem is often based on personal feedback from friends, family, or coworkers. When people compliment you on your work ethic or outfit choice, your level of confidence may rise. It’s important to pay attention to these little bits of praise and be grateful for it! For example, if you’re feeling down about how much weight you gained over winter break and then a friend tells you that they love your new sweater and what a good mood it put them in—that might just be all it takes for you.
Stop comparing yourself to others
Comparing ourselves to others is one of our greatest downfalls. We may look at other people and think, Why can't I be more like that? But what you need to do is just focus on yourself. If you’re feeling confident, great! If not, work on finding your confidence from within. When comparing yourself with others, remember that everyone has his or her own strengths and weaknesses; it’s natural for some people to excel in areas you don’t—and vice versa.
Trust Yourself
The world throws many challenges your way, but you have one thing that nobody else has: you. You’re the expert on what works for you and what doesn’t. No matter how much someone compliments or validates your confidence (or lack thereof), it has nothing to do with your value as a person—it has everything to do with their opinion of you and their ability to see you in whatever light they choose. Be yourself and don’t rely on outside validation from others; look within for how much value you place on yourself, why that is and how it’s changed over time.
Focus on what you know is true
No one is perfect, and many people with big egos forget that. You may have a lot of talent, but that doesn’t make you infallible. The more arrogant you become, the less likely others are to see your potential. Once you recognize that true self-confidence comes from acknowledging all of your strengths and weaknesses, you’ll be in a better position to pursue success with humility. Find what makes you special: When things get tough, it can be hard not to compare yourself with others around you who seem more successful or accomplished than you are. Doing so is easy—and doing so only makes it harder for you to feel good about yourself and your capabilities.
Challenge Negative Thoughts
Acknowledge negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones. If you’re not sure how you feel about something, or if you’re having a hard time reaching your goals, consider stepping back for an hour or two before acting on those feelings. Instead of lashing out at someone in front of you, use that time alone to think about what happened and remind yourself of why it was important to you in the first place. After taking some time to be thoughtful, get back in touch with your original motivations and decide on another course of action; chances are it will be much more constructive than letting negativity take over.
Eliminate Comparisons
Stop looking at other people's lives and thinking your life is worse because of it. When you see what others have, be happy for them and yourself, and stop wishing that you had something different than what you have. If you feel unhappy with your own life, think about how many people are worse off than you are; if everyone who came across someone better-off than themselves was unhappy, no one would be happy. So try to eliminate comparisons from your mindset!
Start Small, but Dream Big!
If you’re just starting out in your professional life, it can be easy to get lost in your excitement. Don’t forget that at first, it is best to start small and be realistic about what goals you set for yourself. There is nothing wrong with dreaming big and thinking that you can move mountains in a few months, but don’t push too hard too fast – it won’t help you stay confident if you end up failing! Start by looking at smaller projects or tasks where you can get great experience under your belt before moving on to larger projects or dreams that are loftier. Slowly but surely – and always with confidence! – will lead to long-term professional success.
