Whether it’s an exam, a job interview, public speaking, networking or just carrying out a professional conversation – we all need a little confidence.
Let’s face it; these situations can be nerve-wracking! If you’re nervous, your mind might go into hyper-drive and you’ll enter a negative headspace.
Sometimes, when anxiety and panic decide to pay us a visit, it doesn’t matter how prepared we are or how much we yearn for that surge of confidence, in the moment — nothing ever seems to work.
The truth is there’s no secret or sure-fire way to boost your confidence if you’re in the throes of a freeze frame moment and lost for words. But here are a few things that may help you out:
- The power pose
You’ve practiced and rehearsed what you’re going to say at an event, a presentation, or a meeting with new people connected to work. But, you’re still lacking that little bit of confidence to get you through. Don’t worry, just give the power stance a go.
The power pose is a physical position that you can take in order to feel more confident. And, chin up – there are many different power stances you can try out. The most important thing about the power stance is ensuring to maintain an open stance.
But how does changing your posture alter your confidence levels? Well, it turns out that adopting a power stance is said to lower your stress levels – which in turn may make you feel more confident.
- Be your own cheerleader
A lack of confidence can often be fuelled by self-doubt, uncertainty and just plain negativity. In order to combat all of this, it’s important to clear your head and replace those obstructive thoughts with something a little more upbeat. It’s easy to just say ‘change your mindset’. But, how do you really do that? All you need to focus on right now, is becoming the best cheerleader you can be. Shift your focus to what you’ve already accomplished and everything else that you wish to accomplish.
Instead of letting yourself bounce phrases around in your head, such as “I’m going to fail!”, “I can’t do it!” or “This isn’t going to work!” replace those thoughts with positives including “I can do it!”, “I will do it!” and “I can make this work!”’
Constantly repeat these thoughts to yourself until you believe it wholeheartedly!
- Visualisation
Visualisation is a very important technique many successful people rely on. This process allows you to gain an insight into your current situation, as well as what you hope to achieve.
A great way to visualise is to simply write everything down. Grab a pen, a piece of paper and write down everything. This can include what you want to achieve, how you feel about it, your plan of execution and why you don’t feel confident.
By writing out your process and the reasons why you may feel insecure about going for it, you learn a lot about yourself and you can take the appropriate steps to ensure you end up feeling confident about what you hope to achieve.
This process also allows you to take a step back and see the big picture. Sometimes, visualising allows you to see just how small your worries actually are. Doing this, and gaining a better understanding of your situation, will often leave you feeling more confident.
- Forgive and reflect
One of the reasons why you’re not feeling as confident may be due to past experience or performance. It’s always easy to focus on failures while forgetting achievements.
Contemplating past mistakes for too long can often eat away at confidence and self-esteem. It’s a self-defeating process. Learn from your accomplishments, just as much as you learn from your mistakes.
- Fake it
If all else fails, just smile and go for it.
If you can’t trick yourself into being confident, then you might just feel a little bit more confident if others perceive you as being a confident person.
Sometimes taking the first step is the scariest part. This first step can be anything, from taking in a breath to introducing yourself, and can easily serve as the catalyst for you believing that you really can do it.
Self-confidence is vital and applicable to everything that we do. Keep believing and trusting in yourself and you’ll slowly but surely build your confidence up over time.
