5 Ways To Flex Your Self-Confidence Muscle
Self-confidence is crucial for your success. If you’re timid in your life and business, you won’t fully explore your capabilities or feel as fulfilled as you could be with a little more confidence. You have to know why you’re qualified to do what you do and know that you can pick up what you need as you go along. Waiting to be perfect before you’re confident is just a delay tactic that keeps you from shining bright right now.
Flexing your self-confidence muscle is about giving yourself a chance to be all you can be without getting bogged down in self-doubt and playing small. The more confident you are, the more willing you’ll be to take the risks that pay off in growth, profit, and new experiences. You need to face your fears and shore up your weaknesses so they don’t stop you from doing your great work and exploring your wildest dreams.
There’re many different ways to flex your self-confidence muscle, and the list below is certainly not one size fits all, so take what works for you and leave the rest.
OK, here we go:
Express yourself: Confidence comes with the freedom to say exactly what you want to say to the people in your life and your industry. I’m talking about the freedom to express your quirks and creativity, to let your Soul bloom and not squash yourself into a tiny box. I’m sure you know this already, but self-confidence doesn’t mean tearing other people down so you can feel good about yourself. Even when you have difficult conversations or have to share some criticism, you can still be firm, gracious, and confident.
The freedom to express yourself is freedom to figure out what you have to say, why you have to say it, and why the world needs to hear it. The drive to express ourselves is why we have so many blogs, podcasts, YouTube channels, Pinterest boards, and Instagram accounts. Throw open the doors of your Soul and jot down every drop of goodness that pours forth.
Find your tribe: When you start expressing yourself, you find other people who think like you and have things in common with you. Your tribe is your community, and buzz words aside, a positive community does wonders for your self-confidence. Knowing you’re not alone gives you somewhere you belong, and belonging gives you a safe container to be yourself with people who get you and love you for who you are. It’s possible to leverage the Internet to find or create almost any type of community, and Meetup groups give you a chance to meet offline if you’re in the same city or state.
Belonging to a positive community gives you the courage to try new things outside your comfort zone and discover strengths you never knew you had. Knowing you have people cheering you on can make all the difference between getting a project or business off the ground and just letting your idea knock around in your head without doing anything about it.
Join a mastermind: While it’s great to be part of a larger community, masterminds can be the rocket fuel you need to come into your own. The people in a mastermind are committed to a certain level of success and call each other out on their bullshit, so there’s no space to hide in a corner and avoid being confident. Masterminds grow your business savvy and confidence because you’re challenging yourself to set powerful intentions, reach big goals, and learn from the other person(s) in your group.
The laser focus in a mastermind concentrates your energy on your success, and acting on that energy amps up your confidence. Trusting each other with your journey makes you want to do your best so you don’t let each other down, and doing your best takes confidence that you can deliver your best in the first place.
Take risks: Self-confidence is about playing a bigger game than you’re used to. If you want to have $50K months, you can’t drum up new business on the same scale as someone who has $10K months. You need to take smart risks that fuel your growth, give you an edge, and amp up your confidence. You’re the best judge of what you can and cannot handle, so don’t pressure yourself into anything that freezes you in place or sends you spiraling into overwhelm. Take the risks you can live with and pace yourself so you don’t box yourself into a corner.
Let each risk be a lesson that amps up your confidence, and even when you make mistakes, use your newfound wisdom to guide your path. The best risks are the ones that show you what you’re capable of and how potent you are, so when you step outside your comfort zone, take a deep breath and know that you can handle it.
Dance on your creative edge: Confidence is about knowing why you’re the best. When you realize that no one else thinks just like you, you see that you don’t have to compete with anyone else as long as you’re being your uninhibited self. When I say uninhibited, I really mean being bold enough to be who you are without hiding or holding back your awesomeness.
When you’re brimming with confidence, you’re not afraid to explore your wacky ideas and see where they lead. While every idea may not be solid gold, just sifting through them will yield a lot more than squashing them all down and never trying anything new. You’re meant to grow and evolve, and if you’re not on your creative edge, you’ll get stuck in a rut. You’re a living being, not a fossil. Ante up.
Self-confidence is ultimately about giving yourself permission to go after what you want. A lot of us waste time waiting for other people to give us permission to be who we want to be and do what we want to do, and we don’t give ourselves the chance to seize our own brass ring. No one can be more invested in your growth than you are, so if you don’t step forward, you’ll lose out on what most of your life has to offer. Are you OK with that?
Your self-confidence is your responsibility. Nothing and no one can make you feel bad about yourself without your consent, so it’s important to avoid getting sucked into negativity or fear because of external circumstances. Be confident in yourself even when you make mistakes because it shows you’re still learning and have room for growth. Instead of thinking you have to know everything or be perfect all the time, accept that there’ll be bumps along the way and don’t let them drain your confidence or knock it into submission.
You’re here to be your fullest self, and self-confidence will always make it easier to do that. Explore the things that flex your self-confidence muscle, never stop believing in yourself, and your Soul will lead you home.
