10 ways to increase your self confidence

Jann Richardson, a professional and personal coach, set up her business four years ago, though she feels she should have done it much sooner. Here she talks about the fear of failure and the lack of confidence that held her back and shares her 10 ways to increase your self confidence and overcome that fear.

I knew what I wanted to do, what would make me happy, where my sense of purpose came from. But I lacked the confidence to take the plunge and follow my dream. Since then, I have learned brilliant ways to stop that from holding me back.

I have a huge amount of empathy for those of you who are feeling how I felt. With big dreams and even bigger fears. But you can overcome these fears and thrive.

Here are my best tips ton how to improve your self-confidence, and stop fear holding you back.

1. Get to know yourself.

A wise general gets to know his enemy very well before battle. So learn everything there is to know about your enemy, that fear of failure, because you’re going to defeat it and replace it with self-confidence. Listen to your thoughts. Write them down. Ask yourself where those negative thoughts come from. Now write down the things you do well, the things you like. Think about your limitations. Are they self-imposed? Give yourself permission to exceed them.

2. Act positive.

This is more than thinking positive. Action is actually key to developing self-confidence. Because you are what you do, and if you change what you do, you change what you are. This means taking action, rather than avoiding doing things. Talk to people positively, put energy into your actions. You’ll soon notice a difference.

3. Be kind and generous.

Know that being kind to others, and generous with yourself, your time and your resources, is a tremendous way to improve your self-image. You’ll start to feel good about yourself, and think of yourself as a good person. It does wonders for your self-confidence.

4. Be prepared.

Being prepared is the best way to approach a challenge. It gives you confidence. Imagine the feeling of taking an exam without having studied for it? You won’t be expecting to do well. Now, think of your life and goals as exams, and do your homework beforehand.

5. Know your principles, and live by them.

What are your principles? Can you write them down? If you’re unsure, take some time to figure them out. Do you live by them? Or do you believe in them but don’t act on them?

6. Increase your competence.

The better you are at something, the more confident you’ll be. If you want to be a better writer, for example, you’ll need to study and practice. You could take a course, blog, or write fiction. Like with any skill, the more you practice, the better you’ll get.

7. Set a small goal, and achieve it.

People often make the mistake of setting a large goal, and become discouraged when they fail to achieve it. So set yourself a small, achievable goal. The more small goals you achieve, the better you’ll feel. And soon you’ll feel more confident you can achieve that larger goal.

8. Change a small habit.

I’m not talking about giving up smoking. Choose something really small, like waking up ten minutes earlier or drinking more water. Keep these changes up for a month, and you’ll feel great.

9. Focus on solutions

Focusing on solutions instead of problems is one of the best things you can do for your confidence and career. Don’t think, “I have no energy!” Think, “How can I find more energy?”

10. Empower yourself with knowledge.

Knowledge is power, so they say. Gaining knowledge is also one of the best ways to increase your confidence. So research what you want to do. Trawl the internet. Take a course. Get advice from people who have done what you want to do. And speak to me, I can coach you through whatever change you want to make.

Jann Richardson is a business and life coach based in Suffolk, get in touch with her if you’d like to find out more about creating the life you want.