No one could argue with the fact that self-confidence is the most important quality that a person should have in order to achieve success in life. You would find this quality in every person who has achieved something significant in his life. That person could be a film star, a cricketer, even your neighbor or your teacher.

Self-confidence is a quality that you could find in any person regardless of their status or environment. The only difference is that different people have different levels of self-confidence. Some people have less while some people have more self-confidence. It doesn’t matter in which category you belong, the important thing is to constantly strive to increase your present level of confidence, so one day you’ll achieve the level that you want.

Self-confidence is not static. It is dynamic in nature. There are many practical ways through which you could increase your self-confidence.

Here are some of the ways that could help you achieve this goal.     

1. Improve your Dressing Sense

 The way you dress definitely affects your self-confidence. I want to clarify one fact that here I am talking about common people like us. The great personalities like Swami Vivekananda and Mahatma Gandhi are enlightened souls and their physical appearance doesn’t affect their mental state of being. If you belong in this category then you also don’t have to worry about your dressing sense.

But In today’s lifestyle and trend many people feel more confident if they are wearing their best attire. That’s why it is important to dress up in a way that makes you feel more confident during presentations and job interviews. Actually if you look good then it will give you the confidence to face people in a relaxed manner. But if you dress poorly then you will always be self-conscious about yourself.

A quick tip: When buying clothes go for quality not quantity.                  

2. Behave How a Confident Person would Behave

You’ll always find people around you who behave in a manner that exudes their confidence. Try to observe how these confident people behave and try to incorporate some of those behaviors in your own life.

Here are a few examples:

• Always sit on the front seat when you attend a meeting, seminar or a function.
• Always ask relevant questions and give answers in class, seminar or any other such occasions.
• Consciously observe your body language and how you conduct yourself in public.
• Always speak in a loud and clear voice.
• Always make eye contact while talking to a person.

3. Become an Expert in at least One Field  

 Every person could not become an expert in every field, but he could choose one or two areas of his interest in which he could become better than everybody else. Take the example of a school student. Many students maybe better at different subjects but if a student always tops his math tests then he will always feel confident in his school. Even if he does not top in other subjects, no one could say that he is a poor student.

The point is if you become the best in any one field then in general you will be a confident person. You have to select one field that you are passionate about and work hard to become the best in your circle. Your circle depends on you. It could be your school, college, colony or city.        

You could select any field of your choice. It could be art, music, dance, sports, etc. Select any subject and become a person of expertise that separates you from the crowd and helps you achieve a special place of authority on that subject. It is not that difficult.

You may already be better than most people in any one field, all you have to do is put in a little more efforts and become an expert in that field. It might take some time but once you achieve your goals then everybody would respect you and you’ll gain a lot of self-confidence.  

And when a person becomes special in one field then he would never worry about his lack of knowledge in other fields. Do you think Sachin Tendulkar ever worried about the fact that he didn’t complete his studies? Never!

4. Remember your Achievements

 Your past achievements would help you feel confident. It could be a big or small, any kind of achievement. The only thing that matters is how proud you are about that achievement. For example: you came first in your class, you won a singing or dancing competition, you became employee of the month, you broke a personal record in the gym or any other such achievement. Whenever you feel down, think about that moment. It will instantly make you feel better. 

You could write about these achievements in a personal diary. Write about all the details that you did to achieve that success and how proud and confident you felt at that moment. You could read them anytime you want, especially when you want a confidence boost.

5. Visualize Yourself as a Confident Person

 Your mind is your most powerful asset. You could use your power of thoughts to find a way to realize your dreams. One of the tools to use this power is ‘positive affirmations.’ That’s why always start your mornings by visualizing yourself as a confident person.

Let your imagination run wild, like you are giving a very important speech in front of thousands of people, or you are giving a great presentation that impresses everybody. And after you completed your speech or presentation everybody is praising you and giving you a standing ovation.

When you daily imagine yourself in such situations then when the time comes to actually deliver a speech, then you won’t be afraid to do so because you have already given such speeches many times in your mind, hence you are familiar with the process. We are mostly afraid of the unknown. But if we repeat a situation many times in our mind, with details, then that situation becomes familiar and we could face it with confidence.

Albert Einstein also considered imagination more powerful than knowledge.    

6. Don’t be Afraid to make Mistakes

 “If you have a dream, don’t just sit there. Gather courage to believe that you can succeed and leave no stone unturned to make it a reality.” - Roopleen

Do you know any such person that has never made a mistake in his life? The answer would probably be a big NO. Making mistakes is an integral part of human life, no one could avoid it. Making mistakes is your birth right because if you are not allowed to make mistakes then how will you learn and grow in life. There is nothing wrong in making mistakes, but never make the same mistake twice. When you make new mistakes then you will always learn something new from that experience. 

Many times it happens that we don’t lack any quality or qualification to properly do a job, but due to the fear of failure we lack the confidence to start that job. A great American President once said. “The only thing you should fear is fear itself.” You should never be afraid to make mistakes. When you confidently take that first step all your fears would vanish. You just have to start then everything else will fall into place.

Even if you fail, you’ll have no regrets later in your life about a missed opportunity. Look at the history of all the successful people. You’ll find that their road to success is paved with failures. A Hollywood actor once said, “My overnight success happened after ten years of failure.” 

Michael Jordan, who is still considered the best basketball player that the world has ever known, said that I have tasted the bitterness of failures many times in my life. It motivated me to strive with all my potential to achieve sweet success.

Never hesitate to do anything in life, if it is to express your thoughts and opinions in public or to start your dream project. A little courage to take that first step could work wonder to improve your self-confidence.  

7. Don’t make English an Excuse

 English is considered one of the most influential languages in our country. I also consider that it is important to have at least the basic knowledge of English language, only because it could enable you to read many good works of literature in English. You could also enjoy many good programs and movies in English. But is it important to have knowledge of this language in order to be confident? Of course not!

Being fluent in English could improve your self-confidence but it is not necessary to be a confident person. The basic purpose of any language is to help us express our thoughts and imaginations. And if you could achieve this purpose through any other language then English is not necessary for you. The thing that matters most is the quality of your words and thoughts and not the means through which you express it.

Look at many great political leaders of our country. Many of them do not speak English but they are still very influential in their speeches. They always use Hindi or their regional language to express themselves and still they are full of confidence.

In some places, like in job interviews, knowledge of English could be required for selection, but not for self-confidence. You could become the most confident man in the world without knowing English.

8. Repeat the Things that Reduces your Confidence

 Some people don’t feel confident for a particular reason. Like some people are terrified to speak in front of an audience on a stage, while other people get nervous when they interact with the opposite sex. If you are also facing such challenges then try your best to beat them. The only way to overcome these challenges is to do that thing over and over until you feel confident to do that thing.

At first you might make some mistakes or may have to face some embarrassing situations, but with patience and persistence you will master that thing. When you conquer your fear and nervousness, then you will be filled with immense feeling of self-confidence. And when you do that task with confidence then nobody would laugh at you, instead they will be amazed by your achievement.

“When you’re different, sometimes you don’t see the millions of people who accept you for what you are. All you notice is the person who doesn’t.” – Jodi Picoult

There is a great quote by Mahatma Gandhi that always inspires me. He said, “At first they won’t pay any attention to you, then they will laugh at you. If you still persist then they will oppose you and that’s when you know you have won.” Most people want to see you fail. That’s a fact of life. They will bring you down, but only if you let them. You cannot please everyone. So let them ignore you, let them laugh, let them oppose you, but in the end you will win because you are here to be a winner and not a looser.

 “As long as you look for someone else to validate who you are by seeking their approval, you are setting yourself up for a disaster. You have to be whole and complete in yourself. No one can give you that. You have to know who you are. What others say is irrelevant.” – Nic Sheff

9. Make Special Preparation for Special Occasion

“I have always considered myself to be just average talent and what I have is a ridiculous, insane obsession for practice and preparation.” – Will Smith

Whenever you have an opportunity to prove yourself, always make full use of it. For example: You have to participate in a debate, quiz, dancing or singing competition, you have to give some test or exam, you have to give a presentation or you have to organize an event. Never waste any opportunity, just ensure that there are no deficiency in your preparation. You cannot control the results but make sure that no one could say that it was due to lack of preparation.   

Preparation is directly proportional to self confidence. The better your preparations are, the better your self-confidence would become. When your preparation helps you achieve something then it will become another inspiring chapter of your success story, which you could go back and visit any time you need a confidence boost.

10. Daily Complete your Most important Tasks

 If possible you should make a To Do list every day. It will help you organize your day and would allow you to focus on the most important tasks of the day. This task could be anything that is most important to you, like working out for an hour in the gym, giving presentation to a business client or closing a sale. You have to decide which task is most important to you and when you complete that task, look at it as a small success and congratulate yourself. When you daily start to complete your most important task, then you will feel an immense boost in your self-confidence.

Conclusion

 Always remember the fact that your self-confidence doesn’t depend on your education, financial condition or your physical appearance. No one in this world could make you feel inferior without your permission. Your self-confidence is the foundation of your success. It doesn’t matter what the level of your self-confidence is today, with your efforts and hard work you could achieve new heights.