11 easy ways to build genuine confidence

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Confidence, in essence, is knowing both your strengths and your faults. It’s being comfortable with what cannot be changed and striving for the things that can. Let’s take a look at a few ways to build healthy confidence. If you think of any others we should have mentioned let us know in the comments.

11 Stay fit

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Looking and feeling healthy, whether that means athletically or visually makes a distinct impact on how you carry yourself, how others view you and how you feel day-to-day. Stay lean and mean.

10 Dress decently

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Though the clothes you wear don’t ultimately speak to who you are and what your desires may be, they can convey those things to others. Dressing decently allows you to look as confident on the outside as you feel on the inside.

9 Acknowledge your faults

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Nothing is more empowering than being aware of your shortcomings – except maybe for laughing at yourself when the occasion calls for it.

8 Fake it til you make it

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As long as you can act confident in a way that doesn’t betray insecurity or verge on arrogance, you will eventually become comfortable with it in a natural way, which turns into genuine feelings of confidence.

7 Learn from your mistakes

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Most people navigate their lives from one mistake to another similar mistake. Learning to accept mistakes and understand why they occurred in the first place means you may make less mistakes. More importantly, though, it means you will recover from them more quickly and find more value in identifying them both before they happen and in hindsight.

6 Expound on your strengths

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Know how to give yourself permission to be proud of your accomplishments and the time to develop existing skills. If you can identify your past successes, you can identify your future opportunities.

5 Make others feel good

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Have you ever noticed that those who have the lowest self-esteem seek to bring others down to their level? Confidence not only allows for lifting others up and making them feel good about themselves, but it can also be the catalyst that creates confidence itself.

4 Smile and have good posture

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Smiling releases endorphins and good posture will make you feel stronger and more powerful. Together, happiness and power are the perfect mixture for creating genuine confidence.

3 Make your opinion known

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Speaking up in class was a scary prospect to many of us, but in fact, the fear of being harshly judged is rarely justified. People are more accepting than we think in part because they’re dealing with the same fears of judgment and rejection. Next time you’re in a group situation, speak up. You’ll be surprised how you become an adept public speaker bit by bit; you’ll be more confident in your thoughts and the way you express them.

2 Be positive & resilient & prepared

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Be prepared for both the best scenario and the worst one. Feel what you need to feel, express what you need to express and be resilient, getting yourself back in the game again & again. Be realistic yet positive and always stay open to new opportunities.

1 Go outside your comfort zone fairly often

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The comfort zone is a dangerously static place where you learn, grow and experience very little. It is a place where you ignore opinions that differ from your own, seek out similar people with similar values, eat the same foods, watch the same movies and never try to better your life or the lives of others for fear of failure. Confidence is transcending the comfort zone at every level.