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WHAT IS SELF-CONFIDENCE?
Self-confidenceisanattitudeaboutyourskillsandabilities.Itmeansyouacceptandtrustyourself and
have a sense of control inyour life.Youknow your strengthsand weaknesswell,andhave a positive
view of yourself. You set realistic expectations and goals, communicate assertively, and can handle
criticism.
On the other hand, low self-confidence might make you feel full of self-doubt, be passive or
submissive, or have difficulty trusting others. You may feel inferior, unloved, or be sensitive to
criticism.Feelingconfidentinyourself mightdependonthe situation.Forinstance,youcan feel very
confident in some areas, such as academics, but lack confidence in others, like relationships.
Havinghigh or lowself-confidence israrelyrelatedtoyouractual abilities,andmostlybasedonyour
perceptions.Perceptions are the way your think about yourself and these thoughts can be flawed.
Low self-confidence might stem from different experiences, such as growing up in an unsupportive
and critical environment, being separated from your friends or family for the first time, judging
yourself too harshly, or being afraid of failure. People with low self-confidence often have errors in
their thinking.
What is Self-Confidence – and Why Is It Important?
Self-confidence is understanding that you trust your own judgment and abilities,and that you value
yourself andfeel worthy,regardlessof anyimperfections or of what others may believe about you.
Self-efficacyandself-esteemare sometimesusedinterchangeablywithself-confidence,buttheyare
subtly different.
We gain a sense of self-efficacy when we see ourselves (and others like us) mastering skills and
achievinggoals.Thisencouragesustobelieve that,if welearnandworkhardinaparticulararea,we'll
succeed.It'sthistype of confidence thatleadspeopletoacceptdifficultchallengesandtokeepgoing
in the face of setbacks.
Self-esteem isa more general sense thatwe can cope withwhat's goingon in our lives,andthat we
have a right to be happy.
Also,self-esteemcomesinpartfromthe feelingthatthe people aroundusapprove of us.We mayor
may notbe able to control this,andif we experiencealotof criticismorrejectionfromotherpeople,
our self-esteem can easily suffer unless we support it in other ways.
How To Increase Your Self-Confidence
 Recognize and emphasize your strengths. Reward and praise yourself for your efforts and
progress.
 Whenyou stumble onan obstacle,treatyourself withkindnessandcompassion.Don'tdwell
on failure.
 Set realistic and achievable goals. Do not expect perfection; it is impossible to be perfect in
every aspect of life.
 Slow down when you are feeling intense emotions and think logically about the situation.
 Challenge making assumptions about yourself, people and situations.
 Recognize that past negative life experiences do not dictate your future.
 Express your feelings, beliefs and needs directly and respectfully

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 Learn to say no to unreasonable requests.
Individual counseling can also help increase your self-confidence if you need more help.
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Building Self-Confidence
Preparing Yourself for Success!
Everyone admires a self-confident person. We may even envy them a little! Self-confident people
seematease withthemselvesandtheirwork.Theyinvitetrustandinspire confidenceinothers.These
are attractive characteristics.
It's not always easy to be confident in yourself,particularly if you're naturally self-critical, or if other
people put you down. But there are steps that you can take to increase and maintain your self-
confidence.
How to Appear More Confident to Others
You can show self-confidence in many ways: in your behavior, your body language, and in what you
say and how you say it.
Projecting a positive image to others can help you to improve your self-confidence. It's not simply a
matter of "faking it." If you project withconfidence, others are more likely to respond well,and this
positive feedback will help you to believe in yourself.
Body Language
Our article,Body Language , exploresthe subjectinmore detail,buthere are some general pointers
to make you look – and feel – more confident.
Adoptan openposture.Sitor standupright and place your handsby your sides.Avoidstandingwith
your handson yourhips, as this can communicate a desire to dominate. And be sure not to slouch!
Keepyourhead uprightand level.Don'tleantoofar forward or backward,as thiscan make you look
aggressive. And if you're presenting, use open hand gestures. Spread your hands apart, with your
palmsfacingslightlytowardyouraudience.Thisindicatesawillingnesstocommunicate andtoshare
ideas. Keep your upper arms close to your body.
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Face-to-Face Communication
People withlowself-confidence oftenfinditdifficulttomake agoodfirstimpression,whetherthey're
meetingaclient,addressingameeting,orgivingapresentation.Youmaybe shyorunsure of yourself,
but you can take immediate steps to make yourself appear more confident.

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Engaging with people is important, so maintain eye contact while you talk. This shows that you're
interestedinwhatthey're saying,and that you're takingan active part in the conversation.Butbear
in mind any cultural considerations when it comes to body language and communication.
Don't fidgetorlookawaywhilethe conversationcontinues,asthiscanmake youappeardistractedor
anxious.
If shakinghandsisthe usual greetinginyourworkplace,be firm.Nottoofirm, though,andavoidbeing
too upfront.Reachingfor the other person'swristor shoulderwithyourfree handis oftenseenas a
way of establishing dominance, and it's not recommended for a first meeting. Avoid making the
encounter awkward – or, worse, painful!
Meeting Short-Term Challenges to Your Self-Confidence
Even the most outwardly confident person can find themselves doubting their abilities sometimes.
For example,youmayhave a talentfor comingup withgreat ideasor solutionsbutstruggle tomake
yourvoice heardinmeetings.Or,youmaysuddenlyfindyourselfhavingtoworkfromhomeforalong
period of time, and feel lost or isolated without the company of your colleagues.
To address short-term dips in confidence, first try to identify the cause of the problem.
If you have difficulty maintaining confidence because of things you feel you can't do, it makes sense
to improve yourskills.CarryoutaPersonal SWOTAnalysis toidentifyyourstrengthsandweaknesses.
Then draw up an action plan to work on the areas where you're not so strong.
Otherpeople'sattitudesorbehaviormaycontributetoyourlackof confidence.If you're beingbullied
, if you're subjectedtomicroaggressionsinthe workplace,orif youfeel thatpeople are makingunfair
assumptions about you, you need to call this behavior out.
You can use the Situation-Behavior-ImpactFeedbackTool to make it clear to the personresponsible
that theirbehavioris harmful.If that doesn'twork, seekhelpfromyour line manager.If they're part
of the problem, speak to HR. No-one should accept workplace bullying.
Practice assertiveness tobuildasense thatyouhave rightsandneedsasanindividual,andmake sure
thatothersunderstandandrespectyourpersonal boundaries.Thiswillhelptobuildthe psychological
safety you need to develop self-confidence.
People with low self-confidence often feel that they don't deserve to be happy, and that they
somehow deserve to be treated badly. While the feeling may be true, the belief certainly is not!
TOP 3 FREE Videos to Boost Your Confidence :
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Source Article :
https://www.mindtools.com/selfconf.html
https://www.usf.edu/student-affairs/