How to Build Self Confidence — An Unconventional Guide

“We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face… we must do that which we think we cannot.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt

Learning how to build self confidence is about learning to trust yourself. It’s about learning to trust that voice inside you.

Confidence means being comfortable with being yourself. You don’t have to try and be someone else. You are on this planet to be who you are. It’s so obvious that most people miss it.

They go hunting for answers outside of them, when they have always been right here, right now. All you have to do is look inside.

In this article I could give you 10 tips on how to build self confidence, but I’m just going to give you one, and I’m going to give you specific steps on how to use it in your life.

You could read this article and move on, looking for more information, or you could stop right here and use what you’re about to learn.

If you use this information, your life will change, so proceed at your own risk. But first, let’s start with the problem.

The Problem is You

When you were born, you had no concepts of who you were. You didn’t have labels for anything. You just were who you were.

The concept of confidence is learned later in life. And low self confidence comes about when you stop trusting yourself, when you stop listening to your inner GPS, or your inner voice.

You have a guiding mechanism within you. You know what I’m talking about, because deep down you have a feeling of who you truly are, and as you read this, you can begin to feel it a bit more, can’t you?

You can’t manufacture confidence. You have to first be willing to let go of the ideas of what other people want you to be. You have break free of outside expectations.

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Quite a hefty task, isn’t it? That’s why most people look for an easier alternative. They might try visualization, or exercises in self-help books. And it doesn’t work, because it skips the core issue.

The Solution is to End the Search

End the search for more techniques, tips, and advice. And start looking inside. Start embracing the inner confidence that’s always there.

It has always been there, and it will always be there. It’s like the sun. The sun doesn’t go away on a cloudy day, it’s always shining.

The same is true for you.

All you have do is strip away the layers and stop searching. Stop thinking that you have to fix yourself. There is no fix, because you are already confident.

You simply have thoughts that act as clouds. They block your natural sunlight, and your natural confidence.

So, how do you use this information?

You Learn to Let Go of What’s Not Yours

And you do that through meditation.

Meditation has been proven to improve your health, focus, mood, confidence, and literally change your brain.

Meditation doesn’t mean you have to sit in a lotus position for hours upon hours. It doesn’t mean you have to quiet your mind. It doesn’t have to mean struggle, although it is often uncomfortable, because you are letting go of your baggage.

Meditation for me simply means observing my thoughts, and noticing what’s going on in my body. A few examples of how you could meditate are:

– Become aware of your breathing
– Notice how your body feels
– Breathe into your heart
– Observe your thoughts (and your reactions)

At its core, you just have to be mindful of what is going on. Bring attention to what you are experiencing.

All You Have to Do is Observe

You don’t have to try and quiet your mind or do anything special. Just watch and listen, but don’t get involved.

This will gradually start uncovering your natural confidence. It may not seem like it, but study after study has shown that when people meditate for a prolonged period of time, magical things happen.

With time, your old patterns will lose their grip. Your ways of not feeling confident will start falling away. The clouds will part, and the sun will peek through.

Start by meditating for just 60 seconds per day to build the habit. Just a few minutes per day done consistently will show results in your health, and more importantly, in your confidence.

It starts with the realization that it’s okay to not feel confident when you’re first starting out. You’ve become good at trying to be someone you’re not. It may take time to unravel that.

The Biggest Mistake You Can Make

If you have low confidence, you will have thoughts that tell you that you’re not good enough, so you might as well stop meditating.

Whatever you do, do not stop.

Make a decision right now to stick with it for at least 30 days. Or better yet, for 90 days. It takes time for meditation to change your brain, and change your life.

Takeaway

The bottom line is that you are already confident. You’ve learned ways to not feel confident. You’ve learned to suppress who you are.

I warned you that this was going to be an unconventional take on confidence. Now the ball is in your court.

Will you move on and look for something else, or will you decide that you’ve had enough? Will you use this information?

Put it to the test and start meditating right now. Start with 10 seconds of observing your breath. Nothing more is needed. All you have to do is start, so start now.

That’s just one solid tip to help you build self confidence. Tell us how it worked for you in the comments below!

Image by orangeacid.