Having the confidence to back yourself even when people are turning their back on you is an important skill in life. People who rely on others to boost them when they’re feeling down ultimately may not be prepared for the hardships they will have to face when bad things happen. Sometimes, these bad things are self-imposed, for example, when you’re striving to achieve a personal goal.
James Altucher is a prolific writer. With experience running several businesses and failing at them, he’s fast-tracked his personal growth and has a lot to share about how you can become a better person. If you read any of his blogs, there is a piece of advice that he mentions a lot: improve by 1% every day.
If you do the maths, improving by 1% every day actually means that you will be 100% better after 70 days. This applies to everything you want to do: fitness, intelligence, emotional well being, and confidence. Question is, what can you do on a daily basis that will allow you to be twice as confident in 70 days? Here are 3 suggestions:
1. Talk to Someone New Every Day
Human beings are social creatures. We can be made antisocial by bad habits, like playing video games all day. We look for solutions to confidence when the answer is right in front of us: it’s each other. So many of us feel like we’re alone even when we’re surrounded by people, but how many of us actually try to reach out to someone else?
We’re afraid of being rejected, which is why we don’t reach out. We don’t reach out because we have low self-confidence. In this case though, biting the bullet and facing the rejection is the antidote of low self-confidence. It might hurt every time we reach out to someone. They might think we’re weirdos, but imagine talking to a new person every day for 70 days… every day your confidence will increase.
2. Saying ‘No’
Our society is built on agreement. We all want to please and make sure that our relationships are in harmony with the people around us. Unfortunately, when it comes to growth, this won’t improve you one bit. Disagreements, while being mildly painful, actually force people to listen to you. It also forces you to think of what you want and the reasoning behind it.
Saying ‘no’ doesn’t mean you’re necessarily disagreeable either. It actually means that you’re attentive and caring. You hear what someone is saying and you’re suggesting something else which could be a better fit. The problem with saying ‘no’ is that some people are just scared of doing it.
By changing your opinion around this, you end up being more confident and having the ability to gracefully disagree with someone. This ultimately ends up making you into a more thoughtful person that people respect.
3. Writing Online
Everyone’s got a voice. Some people prefer to speak orally, others prefer to write. A lot of wannabe writers are perfectionists. What ends up happening is that they get so caught up in chasing perfection that they don’t polish or hone their voice. It ends up reading and sounding unauthentic, forced, and unsure.
Confidence comes from being yourself. Writing online is no exception. A lot of bloggers now started off years ago just writing and aligning their words with how they naturally talk. In a world where everyone’s trying to be perfect, it’s ironic that natural conversation is the most confident sort of conversation. Write online everyday for 70 days on sites like Lifehack.org with big audiences and you will be surprised by how much more confident you will feel with yourself.
So, have you got another suggestion? What helps you feel more confident?
Featured photo credit: North Jersey Hypnosis via northjerseyhypnosis.com
