There are so many quotes referencing confidence that it’s difficult to pinpoint what, exactly, you might need to do to be more confident. Growth is, without a doubt, uncomfortable but over time, if you fake it till you make it, confidence comes naturally over time.
Now, the phrase “fake it till you make it” is extremely annoying, especially if you’re feeling insecure. How do you fake something if you don’t know what it feels like? If you look this quote and phrase up, Wikipedia will tell you that if you imitate confidence and competence, you’ll begin to see those things as values in your own life.
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But what does competence and confidence look like, and how do you fake them till you make them for yourself? Here’s how.
Read more after the jump:
Think about who you would be and what you would do if no one was watching.
When you consider what you might do if no one was watching and if money and time weren’t an issue, you come up with a far more authentic picture of who you are, and who you could be. You are able to move forward in your life in a way that is aligned with your personality and some of your personal goals or values. The more authentic you are, the more closely aligned with your personal values and priorities you will be which, in turn, helps you grow more confident. This study showed that people who live in an area with a strong subculture are, in fact, more confident which speaks to this as well.
Also, working on your authenticity increases your confidence because you’re happier with yourself for being yourself. Creating genuine and authentic connections is a surefire way to boost your confidence because people will help you see yourself as you really are.
Act “as if”.
Psychology tells us that acting “as if” will help us start to understand the feelings we’re looking for. In this case, it would be confidence — but the concept works in other aspects as well. If you’re looking to be happier, smile more often. If you want a bigger social circle, focus on being friendly and doing just that.
Realize no one is thinking about you.
So, we said it.
Nobody, save for you and your closest connections, is thinking about you. They’re not talking about you. They’re not worrying about what you do in your spare time. This is a very fortunate thing, because it can help alleviate the worry that people are, in fact, talking about you which can lead to insecurity.
Another way to boost your confidence is to find freedom in that nothing is personal. Everyone is coming with different experiences, ideas, feelings, emotions, and thoughts, which is to say that they’re bringing all of these personal things to each interaction they have.
They’re seeing the world through their lens, which also means seeing you through their lens.
Audrey Hepburn said it best. The prettiest girls are happy girls — meaning that by finding what makes you happy, you’ll find your confidence level soaring. It doesn’t have anything to do with physical beauty, though studies will show that the more confident you are, the more attractive others find you. Perhaps that’s because they’re wrestling with their own confidence levels.
What have you done that helped you become more confident?
Images by Tatiphon Khunon for BEAUTY SCENE
