Confidence plays a huge role in our lives. Often it results in us giving up many opportunities and challenges. How to build self-confidence? Below some specific exercises and methods are presented.
1. When am I self-confident or not?
-Think about your typical day and write down all the activities and behaviour where you show self-confidence (combing hair, talking on the phone with a friend, eating dinner, etc.)
-List situations in which you need more confidence (contacts with authorities, defence of your own opinion, appearance, public appearances, etc.)
-As you can see from this exercise, it’s not that you’re always unsure of yourself. Verify areas where you most need more confidence and concentrate on them first.
2. Profit and loss balance
Consider the following issues:
-What would give you more confidence? What could you gain?
-What steals your self-confidence? What do you lose by a lack of confidence?
-What are your conclusions from this exercise? What do you have more of – profits or losses?
3. Resources
In building self-confidence, it is very important to realize your strengths. Write down as many of your resources as possible, strengths, advantages, skills and experience. Try to find 100 of them! If you have a problem, ask your friends, family or colleagues what they like about you.
4. The small steps method
Make a small-step plan. What are the next stages in building self-confidence that you can set for yourself? Then define small goals to help you achieve measurable results and encourage you to continue working. It is easier to lose weight by setting a goal of 1 kg per month, than 10 kg immediately. It’s worth reading about the KAIZEN methodology.
5. Beliefs
What are your beliefs? Do you think that you never fail? Do you think of yourself as someone who is not able to achieve your goals? Think about your opinion of yourself and about the world and people around you. Negative beliefs can sabotage development and motivation. If someone thinks that they have no talent for languages, they may have difficulty in motivating themselves to learn a new language and lose their enthusiasm for minor difficulties or failures. Write supportive words on the sheet (I can, I’m able to, I can do it, I am good at ….) and unsupported (I can not, I can not do it, I’m too incompetent / young / old) etc. Which belief blocks you more? What are they taking from you? What would your life look like without them?
6. Specialist support
Work on self-confidence means continually leaving the patterns of actions, thinking behaviors, i.e. comfort zones. It can be difficult, it will require a lot of effort, but think about what your life would look like if you gained confidence in every situation? It is also worth realizing that this is a long process, but it is an investment that brings a very high rate of return.
Hi. Welcome to my blog 🙂 I’m a psychologist and public speaking trainer. In 2021 I was chosen as one of the top 11 public-speaking coaches worldwide 2021, according to the Coach Foundation ranking. I work as a TEDx coach and Head of Speakers at TEDxZurich. I also help, among others, lawyers, vocalists, actors, lecturers and business people in preparation for their speeches in front of hundreds of people in the audience, as well as in conducting small meetings or presentations. For many years I worked on controlling the stage fright that kept me awake at night. I was singing and dancing in a Cuban musical. I have always wondered how to manage the internal critic, not to worry about the opinion of others, and how to build a real sense of confidence on stage. Now I know the answer.
Recently, I have given countless interviews, which made me aware of the importance of confidence in front of the camera. Having been involved in music since the age of 10, I know how stressful it can be to present to a wider audience. By combining my business and music experience, I can guide you through the process of changing direction towards your dreams. Based on my vast stage experience, I have gained the ability to provide adequate tools and methods of coaching that will support your development.