words Cheryl Guzman-Ng

When I started writing this article, I asked myself, “what is confidence?”. However, that question did not resonate with me, much less how I feel.

Instead, I realised that the right question to ask myself not just for the purpose of the article, but every day is - “Am I confident?”.

“Am I confident in my abilities?”

“Am I confident in how I carry myself?”

“Am I confident with how I look?”

“Am I confident with my words?”

What do the questions above have in common? They all point to how much you believe in yourself. Or in other instances, how much someone believes in you. 

Some days I am confident about myself, some days not so much. I do not think anyone is born with confidence. It takes time and experience to build and cultivate it. It is an ongoing process of learning and development that everyone should go through because confidence is your fuel to get out there and achieve something. 

So the next important question is “What can you do to build up self-confidence?”. Here are five simple starters:

1. Get Things Done

   Accomplishing tasks and finishing them is as important as starting them. When you get things done, you are essentially exercising your capabilities and showing yourself what you can accomplish; that in turns builds your confidence.

2. Focus On Your Progress

   This is closely linked with ‘getting things done’. It is as important to track your progress no matter how big or small. Sometimes we give up because when we take longer than usual to accomplish something, we think that we have failed and simply give up. But by focusing on our progress, we practice being kinder to ourselves and recognising our best efforts.

3. Celebrate Small Wins 

   Managed to jog five kilometres? Celebrate it! Baked your first ever cake? Celebrate it! Why? That is because your five-kilometre run will build confidence for you to one day do a 10-kilometre run. The small wins will lead to the big wins because they show you what you can do if you try and work at it.

4. Surround Yourself With The Right People

   People around us have some level of influence on how we perceive ourselves. So make sure you surround yourself with people who not only believe in you but also lift you higher. It is not just about having friends with blind support who tell you that you are doing well when you’re actually not. A false sense of confidence can cause more harm than good. These friends should also lift you up and help you when you need encouragement and guidance to feel and do better.

5. Take Care of Yourself

   When you work out and eat well, you are taking care of yourself and your health. When your body feels good, your mind and soul feel good too, and you end up having the energy and goodness to get out there to try out different things and do them. Not forgetting that working out also releases endorphins! 

So let’s start building up that confidence and help each other along the way!