8 Life Hacks That Will Instantly Boost Your Confidence

Confidence...

It’s that little feeling inside that inspires us all to achieve more of what we really want in life.

It allows us to become who we want to be, in a place we want to be, with the people we want to be with. Great, right!

But what if you lack confidence or your confidence was taken away from you? What happens then?

Everyone wants to feel confident. I guess you could say that it’s a universal condition – we always want to become a better person.

You want to be able to walk down the street knowing that you have the confidence to wear that awesome dress or shirt without the idea of ridicule holding you back. You want to go into your boss’ office and ask for that raise you know that you deserve. You want to believe in yourself.

It seems like everyone else is capable of doing it, so why can’t you?

Why does it come naturally for some and not quite so naturally for others?

So, like any person trying to better themselves... you start trying to act more confident. You mimic the people you want to be like. But no matter how hard you try, you still have that niggling little voice in the back of your head saying, “am I doing it right?”

Whenever you try to act confident, your insecurities get in the way and stop you from achieving real confidence! You become obsessed with achieving a state of being that just isn’t the place you’re at, at that moment in time. The more you try and act confident, the further away from confidence you get. Your insecurities pull you deeper and deeper into despair and self confidence issues.

So how do we resolve this catch 22 situation?

Stop trying to be confident. By trying and not being you are further adding to your insecurities. The first and biggest step towards becoming confident in yourself is to love and accept who you are – including your insecurities. Only through acceptance can you then make positive changes for the better. Acknowledge your thought-processes. What is making you feel like this? Why do you beat yourself up about certain things?

Once you have mastered this step of self introspection, then you can start to boost your self confidence. Here are 8 life hacks you can do to instantly boost your confidence – starting now.

#1 Surround Yourself with Inspiration

This can mean a lot of things. You could start developing friendships with people who inspire you and you admire. You could start attending classes for a skill you wish to develop – something which stirs a sense of self worth within you. It could even mean the use of mood boards around your home!

#2 Visualise Your Potential

Where do you see yourself in 5 years time? Okay, it’s quite a general question in life... but think about it. Where do you want to see yourself in 5 years time? Visualisation is a powerful technique. It can help us gain a clearer idea of ourselves, as well as our goals and objectives in life.

By visualising the confident, enigmatic person you want to be, you will become that person! Embody your dreams and live that reality!

#3 Find Your Mantra

Whether you prefer the term mantras or affirmations, both essentially mean the same thing – a powerful utterance which empowers its speaker. You may wish to repeat the same mantra or affirmation over and over again, or come up with new ones every time you need a boost.

You can easily repeat these mantras/affirmations any time you like – in bed, out on a run, in your head or out loud.

Some of my personal favourites are:

“I am the change I want to become.”

“I am confident. I am powerful. I am blessed.”

“Within me, there is great strength.”

#4 Eat Some Greens and Probiotics

So we all know that eating healthily can improve our physical health and mood, yes? But did you know that a healthy diet can also improve our mental health? On top of this, did you know that healthy gut is essential for our mental health?

Having a better, healthier diet has been clinically proven to improve our mood and outlook. And when we have improved mental health we can often feel like superman or superwoman. And guess who has excellent self confidence? Latex-clad superheroes of course!

Probiotics are also incredible for our gut health. Did you know that people with poor diets tend to have bad gut flora (flora is the name for the bacteria in our guts) which can cause a whole series of health issues that often contribute to mental health disorders? You really are what you eat, guys!

#5 Take That Compliment

Do you shy away from compliments? Are you a shrinking violet every time you’re put in the spotlight? Then guess what? You’re actively turning away from improving your self confidence!

Want to know one of the best ways to boost your confidence? By being noticed and congratulated by peers who have seen the work and progress you’ve made.

So next time someone compliments you, instead of half-heartedly accepting what they’ve said, internalise their statement, be happy for their acknowledgment and empower yourself for being excellent. Take that compliment!

#6 Smile

Did you know that smiling and laughter have been proven to improve our mood and mental wellbeing? Start smiling! You’ll feel your confidence swell in no time.  

#7 Be Your Own Boss

Do you live life just to please other people? Does your confidence get crushed every time someone says something negative to you? Perhaps you’ve not taken control of your own life and destiny. One of the best things you can do right now to increase your self confidence is to be your own boss. Stop letting other people bring you down. Stop living your life by their rules. Let your true self shine and let your potential and confidence grow outside of their barriers.

But most importantly of all

#8 Be Authentic

Everything starts with you. Who you are, what you will become and all that you will be. Remember to be you. Don’t put off who you are just because someone else might not appreciate it. Soon you’ll learn that the more accepting of yourself you are the more confident you’ll be as yourself.

Some of the most self conscious people are the ones who are least aware of themselves. So learn to be open with yourself. Be authentic, be true and be you. Everything else will soon fall into place.

Have you had self confidence issues in the past? What did you do to overcome it? Do you have any life hacks that have given you extra confidence? Let us know in the comments!