Nine Steps That You Can Take Today to Boost Your Self-Confidence

"Most of the shadows of this life are caused by standing in our own sunshine"

Since you are reading this article, it's probably safe to say you have struggled with your self-confidence from time to time. Maybe your self-confidence struggle is even something you deal with daily. Either way, a lack of self-confidence can rob you of your success in life, erode your relationships, and deplete your happiness. To create the life you truly want, you need to possess self-confidence. When you elevate your self-confidence, you can elevate your life.

You need to start by understanding what self-confidence is. Self-confidence is trusting your abilities, your qualities as a person, and your judgment for making decisions. When you are self-confident, you know your worth and value. Researchers have consistently found a link between self-confidence and success. When you are self-confident, you can not only handle life's challenges, but you are looking to take more risks. When you take risks, new opportunities come your way.

Self-confidence may seem like a nebulous attribute to you - one which you possess little control over. However, this thought is incorrect. You can build your self-confidence by taking very doable steps every day. And the great thing about making self-confidence a practice, you will soon accumulate the benefits. These benefits will exponentially grow. Here are nine steps you can take to build your self-confidence.

Set Goals and Have a Vision for Your Life

A great way to super-charge your self-confidence is to create a clear vision of what you want in life. You could make a vision board to create this picture. A vision board is a physical representation of your goals with images and text that represent them.

Vision boards not only help you clarify what you want in your life, `but they also get you excited about these goals every day. Seeing your vision board every day connects you passionately to your goals. You can imagine what your life could be like when you accomplish them.

Practice Gratitude

The simple act of being grateful for all you have been blessed with will make you feel good about yourself. By expressing gratitude regularly, you will boost your self-confidence and the overall quality of your life.

Gratitude is great for helping people reduce their social comparisons, which is a major cause of low self-esteem. By practicing gratitude in your life, you can appreciate others' accomplishments rather than becoming resentful in your perception of their lives.

It's not enough to casually think thoughts of gratitude. You need to practice gratitude in your life. A great way to do this is by keeping a gratitude journal. Record one to three things a day you are thankful for, and you will be surprised at how life-changing this practice can be.

Get Fit

Exercise is a wonderful practice for building self-confidence. When you feel good about your body, your self-image is improved. Exercise is also a valuable practice in setting and achieving goals. As you set and achieve small fitness goals, you will accumulate wins that will boost your self-confidence. These achievements will help you feel empowered to succeed in other areas of your life.

Clean Up Your Clutter

Physical and mental clutter go hand-in-hand. When things feel out of order, you probably feel scattered and anxious. When you are surrounded by a lot of clutter in your life, it might be challenging to feel good about yourself and focus on your goals.

Taking the time to clean up your space can be incredibly empowering. By regaining that control, you will experience an immediate self-confidence boost and put yourself in a position to enjoy a healthier state of mind. Creating order in your physical environment will relieve anxiety and help your brain focus on what you sincerely want.

Schedule Self-Care

Treat yourself as you would an important client. When you schedule time for yourself, make this time non-negotiable. When you show yourself you are important by taking the time to care for yourself, you will up your self-confidence.

When creating your schedule for the week, make sure to include some time for self-care. This self-care can be anything from getting a manicure, taking a Pilates class, or devoting some time to meditate.

Speaking of meditation, meditation is a great self-care practice for boosting your self-confidence. Through meditation, you can shut down negative self-talk and disconnect from thoughts that might be interfering with your self-confidence. If you struggle to meditate, there are many great apps that can help you start a practice.

Do a Social Media Detox

Countless studies have shown that social media wreaks havoc on self-confidence. If you constantly compare your life to that of family, friends, and colleagues, you probably need a break.

Research has shown that when you compare yourself to others, you will most likely experience envy. The more envy you feel, the worse you feel about yourself. When you are not comparing yourself to others, you can focus on your own positive attributes and qualities.

Dress the Part

When you take the time to get dressed up and do your hair and makeup, you instantly feel a self-confidence boost. It's tempting when you are working from home or running casual errands not to want to put effort into your appearance. This is ok once in a while. But, to boost your self-confidence, you will want to put effort into your appearance most of the time.

Dress for who you aspire to be, and you will soon feel like that woman. Create a capsule wardrobe that makes putting together flattering and stylish outfits a breeze. Put some time into finding the hairstyle and color that is the most flattering to you. Visit an esthetician if you feel your skin could use a boost.

Create a Self-Confidence Squad

Surround yourself with people who help you feel your very best. Reflect on the people in your life. Are they having a positive effect on you? Do they make you feel good when you are around them?

If someone is negatively impacting your life, you may want to limit your time with them. You don't have to completely cut them out of your life, but don't be afraid to steer the conservation away when things go negative.

Add to your self-confidence squad by seeking the expertise of a life coach, a personal trainer, an image consultant, a makeup artist, a mentor - anyone who possesses the expertise to help you improve.

Upgrade Your Surroundings

Everything that surrounds you in your life is a choice. These choices are affirming who you believe yourself to be. Are you surrounded by beautiful objects that make you feel great? or, are you surrounded by furniture you hate, uncomfortable bedding, dead plants, chipped dishes, and a dirty car?

To build your self-confidence, you want to surround yourself with things that reinforce positive self-confidence. You could make sure you always have fresh flowers in your space. You could diffuse your favorite essential oils in your home. You could purchase sheets that make you feel as if you're in a luxury hotel every time you slip into them. You could have your car detailed, so it feels like new. You get the idea. By taking the time to upgrade your surroundings consciously, you are telling your brain who you want and deserve to be.

A Final Challenge for You

Hopefully, this got you thinking about your self-confidence and how you can improve it. If you want to be more successful in your life, improving your self-confidence is a critical step. Your challenge going forward is to implement some or all of these strategies into your life on a daily basis. You could even keep a self-confidence journal to track your efforts. Remember, when you elevate your self-confidence, you can elevate your life.