Confidence is basically a measure of your own internal assurance of who you are. It’s belief in your skills and capabilities to enjoy a positive result in a specific situation or scenario. Confidence is variable and it can be entirely different based on the sphere of life. For example, your confidence level in your romantic relationships has very little to do with your confidence level in your ability to play golf. One can be high and the other can below. However, most people have a sort of baseline confidence that’s derived from each individual sphere.
The great thing about confidence is that there’s always room for improvement. And in many cases, it’s as simple as putting yourself in the right moments. This article will give you some useful tips and tricks that will give you a better chance of “hacking” your confidence and improving as a person.
3 Confidence Hacks Worth Trying
We all have a baseline confidence level that’s directly tied to our personality and upbringing. But you can go up or down from there. Here are some simple little tricks you can try to boost your confidence and live a more enjoyable life:
1. Affirm Your Strengths
It’ll sound a little “new-age” to some people, but there’s a lot of power in verbally affirming your own strengths on a daily basis. Here’s how it works:
- Make a list of 3-5 of your best strengths. These are things that you do well and believe you’re skilled at. The list could also include things you want to become strengths.
- After waking up each morning, form a habit of repeating these strengths in the form of a declaration. (e.g. “I am a talented salesperson who has a knack for engaging people. I will close more sales in the company than anyone else on the team.)
- Over time, these affirmations will become ingrained in your mind. You’ll find yourself repeating them without even realizing you’re doing it. This impacts your subconscious and actually makes you more confident in what you’re doing.
2. Put Yourself Out There
Worried about what people think about you? Force yourself to put your opinions out there more frequently. Examples include:
- Wear a t-shirt that makes a statement – like these Nine Line shirts that have slogans like, “God and America Over Everything” and “I Know My Rights.”
- Speak up in the middle of a meeting when you have a good idea, rather than waiting until afterward. You might get shut down, but you could also create a brand new opportunity for yourself.
- Try the “30-Second Challenge” where you have to introduce yourself to a stranger within 30 seconds of walking into a restaurant or store.
As you make a habit of putting yourself out there, something interesting will happen. You’ll realize that nobody really cares. In other words, you’re free to be yourself and the world keeps on spinning. Talk about a confidence booster!
3. Introduce Yourself Properly
Susie Moore is an incredibly talented and successful entrepreneur who cut her professional teeth in Silicon Valley as a sales director. She’s since become a life coach and advice columnist who writes a lot about topics like confidence and personal growth. One of her biggest pieces of advice is to introduce yourself with your full name.
“The first female CEO I ever worked for taught me something that I’ve never forgotten,” Moore recalls. “When you introduce yourself – in any setting – use your first name and last name to accompany your (firm) handshake. It’s not ‘Hey, I’m Susie.’ it’s ‘Hi, I’m Susie Moore.’ Don’t be afraid to introduce yourself in full.”
You’ll probably feel a little strange doing this at first, but it’s actually a powerful psychological technique that makes people take you more seriously. There’s also something powerful about saying your full name out loud. It makes you think, “Yeah, I belong here!”
Be Mindful of Your Social Group
In addition to heeding the advice outlined above, you should be very mindful of who you’re spending time with. As the famous Jim Rohn concept says, you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. The question is, are you spending time with people who make you more or less confident?
You want people in your life who are optimistic and hungry for personal development. These are people who will encourage you, but who may also call you out when you aren’t in alignment with your own mission and goals.
If you commit to trying strategies from this article and simultaneously make it a point to be purposeful with the people you spend time with, good things will happen. That’s a guarantee!
