“Confidence comes not from always being right but from fearing to be wrong” (ref: Peter T. Mcintyre)

Have you ever wondered why it seems so easy for some people to project confidence, while others struggle with insecurity? You might have even thought “she is so lucky that she is so confident, I wish I was that confident”. Actually, you can improve and learn-self-confidence. Here are some tips to help you:

1. Focus on learning and improving – Set your sights on improving your skills and knowledge. By doing this you will improve your confidence. Stretching yourself to learn will create new connections in your brain. Knowing that you know is a confidence booster.
2. Have a clear vision – One method to improve your confidence is to establish objectives. By having a clear vision of what you want to achieve and reaching those goals you will become more confident.
3. Don`t try to create a perfect world – Thinking that you will never make a mistake is unrealistic. Rather than dwelling on mistakes, ask yourself “what can I learn?”. When you know in advance that mistakes are inevitable, and you have the attitude of learning form them, you can move forward with confidence.
4. Learn a new language – We don`t mean Spanish! Pay attention to the words you are speaking to yourself and about yourself. If you constantly think that you don`t have confidence, guess what happens! Make a commitment to yourself that you will learn a new language of self-talk. Your language matters, both in your head and what you say
5. Notice what you do right and celebrate – It`s easy to focus on what you want to improve and how you want to do better, then completely forgetting what you are doing right now. Spend more time encouraging yourself and noticing your accomplishments. Make an effort to acknowledge and celebrate the huge amount of things you DO get done.
6. Identify the triggers – Get to recognise which situations or types of people make you feel less confident and take time to analyse what triggers those feelings. Try and understand that you are in control and can make your own choices. Imagine the best outcome – happiness and positivity.
7. Preparation is key – confidence can be hugely improved through better preparation and time management.
8. Learn from the best – Watch other speakers what exude confidence. Learn from their tone of their voice, pace of the presentation etc. There are many videos online available free to watch.