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How to Be More Confident: 9 Tips That Work

Believing in yourself will take you far

Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

Rachel Goldman, PhD FTOS, is a licensed psychologist, clinical assistant professor, speaker, wellness expert specializing in eating behaviors, stress management, and health behavior change.

Verywell / Jiaqi Zhou

Ways to Be More Confident

Confidence vs. insecurity, being more confident has a lot of benefits, frequently asked questions.

The majority of us probably want to be a little more confident. A feeling of trust in your abilities, qualities, and judgment? Sign us up. The American Psychological Association defines self-confidence as "a belief that one is capable of successfully meeting the demands of a task."

It can refer to a general sense of trust in your ability to control your life , or it might be more situation-specific. For example, you might have high self-confidence in a particular area of expertise but feel less confident in other areas. Research suggests that confidence is important to health and psychological well-being .

But cultivating and maintaining confidence isn't easy and it's an easy thing to lose when you feel like you've failed or made a mistake. That's why actively working on building up your self-confidence is so crucial, it's something you have to maintain. As cheesy as it sounds, you do have to believe in yourself!

"The doubt that comes with second-guessing yourself has both internal and external repercussions," explains Hannah Owens, LMSW. "Confidence not only affects you and how you feel about yourself, but it also communicates to others that you are trustworthy and capable—which can be helpful both socially and at work."

Having a healthy level of self-confidence can help you become more successful in your personal and professional life. Research has found, for example, that more confident people tend to achieve more academically. Your level of confidence even affects how you present yourself to others.

Fortunately, there are several ways you can increase your self-confidence. Whether you lack confidence in one specific area or struggle to feel confident about anything, these nine tips can help you be more confident.

Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

Do you compare how you look to people you follow on Instagram? Or maybe you compare your salary to what your friend earns. Social comparison theory explains that making comparisons is natural. But it isn't likely to help boost your self-confidence. It may even have the opposite effect. 

A 2018 study published in Personality and Individual Differences found a direct link between envy and the way we feel about ourselves. Specifically, researchers noted that when people compare themselves to others, they experience envy. And the more envy they have, the worse they feel about themselves.

How do you build self-confidence when you notice that you are drawing comparisons? First, remind yourself that doing so isn’t helpful. Everyone is running their own race and life isn’t a competition.

If you’re feeling envious of someone else’s life, it's also helpful to remember your own strengths and successes. Keep a  gratitude journal to better recall the areas in life where you are blessed. This can help you focus on your own life versus focusing on the lives of others.

"Social media is especially nefarious in this way," says Owens. "It is a system practically designed to foster comparison. But remembering that people generally only post the very best and the very worst of their experiences can help you celebrate your daily victories, which can boost your confidence."

Surround Yourself With Positive People

Take a moment and think about how your friends make you feel. Do they lift you up, or do they bring you down? Are they constantly judging you, or do they accept you for who you are? 

The people you spend time with can influence your thoughts and attitudes about yourself, perhaps more than you realize. So, pay attention to how others make you feel. If you feel bad about yourself after hanging out with a particular person, it may be time to say goodbye . 

Instead, surround yourself with people who love you and want the best for you. Seek out others who are positive and can help build your confidence. Self-confidence and a positive attitude go hand-in-hand.

Take Care of Your Body

This tip for how to be more confident is based on the idea that it’s hard to feel good about yourself if you’re abusing your body. When you practice self-care , you know you're doing something positive for your mind, body, and spirit—and you'll naturally feel more confident as a result.

Here are a few self-care practices linked to higher levels of self-confidence:

• Diet : Healthy eating comes with many benefits, including higher levels of confidence and self-esteem. When you fuel your body with nutrient-dense foods, you feel healthier, stronger, and more energized, which can result in feeling better about yourself.
• Exercise : Studies consistently show that physical exercise boosts self-confidence. For instance, a 2016 study found that regular physical activity improved participants’ body image. And when their body image improved, they felt more confident.
• Meditation : More than just a relaxation practice, meditation can help boost self-confidence in several ways. For one, it helps you to recognize and accept yourself. Meditation also teaches you to stop negative self-talk and disconnect from unhelpful mental chatter interfering with your confidence.
• Sleep : Skimping on sleep can take a toll on your emotions. Conversely, good-quality sleep has been linked with positive personality traits, including optimism and self-esteem.

Caring for yourself is important to self-confidence. Make sure you are getting what you need to feel good about yourself and your abilities.

"Taking care of your body doesn't just mean looking good," explains Owens. "When you make yourself and your self-care a priority, you are projecting to the world that you matter—which convinces others to feel the same way about you."

Be Kind to Yourself

Self-compassion involves treating yourself with kindness when you make a mistake, fail, or experience a setback. It allows you to become more emotionally flexible and helps you better navigate challenging emotions, enhancing your connection to yourself and others.

Hannah Owens, LMSW

Taking care of your body doesn't just mean looking good...When you make yourself and your self-care a priority, you are projecting to the world that you matter—which convinces others to feel the same way about you.

A 2015 study connects self-compassion with self-confidence. So the next time you're in a challenging situation, recognize that being imperfect or falling short at times is a part of being human. Do your best to navigate these experiences with compassion toward yourself.

Practice Positive Self-Talk

Negative self-talk can limit your abilities and lessen your self-confidence by convincing your subconscious that you "can't handle" something or that it is "too hard" and you "shouldn't even try." Self-talk that is optimistic, on the other hand, can foster self-compassion and help you overcome self-doubt and take on new challenges.

The next time you begin to think that you have no business speaking up in a meeting or that you are too out of shape to work out, remind yourself that your thoughts aren’t always accurate. Then find a way to turn those thoughts around into more positive self-talk .

Here are a few examples of ways to challenge pessimistic self-talk and reframe your thoughts into a more positive way of thinking, increasing your self-confidence along the way:

• "I can't handle this" or "This is impossible" becomes "I can do this" or "All I have to do is try."
• "I can't do anything right" becomes "I can do better next time" or "At least I learned something."
• "I hate public speaking" becomes "I don't like public speaking" and "Everyone has strengths and weaknesses."

Face Your Fears

Stop putting things off until you feel more self-confident—like asking someone on a date or applying for a promotion. One of the best ways to build your confidence in these situations is by facing your fears head-on .

Practice facing some of your fears that stem from a lack of self-confidence. If you’re afraid you’ll embarrass yourself or think that you’re going to mess up, try anyway. A little self-doubt can even help improve performance. Tell yourself it’s just an experiment and see what happens.

You might learn that being a little anxious or making a few mistakes isn’t as bad as you thought. And each time you move forward, you gain more confidence in yourself. In the end, this can help prevent you from taking risks that will result in major negative consequences.

"This is, of course, easier said than done," says Owens, "but even small victories can help. Consider this a kind of exposure therapy - even a little progress is still progress!"

Do Things You're Good At

What happens when you do things that you are good at? Your self-confidence starts to soar. Your strengths become even stronger, which helps improve your belief in yourself. Taking this approach also has another benefit: it can increase how satisfied you are with your life.

One study found that believing in your ability to build on your personal strengths is moderately related to life satisfaction levels. This starts with identifying what those strengths are. Then, work to make them stronger by engaging with them regularly.

If you're good at a certain sport, for instance, make it a point to train or play at least once a week. If you're good at a particular task at work, try to do that task more often. Building on your strengths can also help you build your self-confidence.

Know When to Say No

While doing things you're good at can give your self-confidence a boost, it's equally important to recognize situations that can cause your confidence to plummet. Maybe you find that every time you participate in a certain activity, you feel worse about yourself instead of better.

Saying no to activities that tend to zap your self-confidence is okay. Certainly, you don't want to avoid doing anything that makes you feel uncomfortable because discomfort is often part of the personal growth process. At the same time, there's nothing wrong with knowing your boundaries and sticking to them.

Setting social and emotional boundaries enables you to feel safer psychologically. It can also help you feel more in control. Self-confidence is, in part, feeling like you have control over your life. Boundaries help establish this feeling of control.

The next time someone suggests doing something that you know will lower your self-confidence, respectfully decline. You don't have to avoid that activity forever either. Once you learn how to be more confident, you may feel strong enough to try it again—without hurting the confidence you have in yourself.

Set Realistic Goals

Pursuing your goals often involves failing several times until you figure out what works. This can make you wonder if you have what it takes to succeed. It can also leave you questioning how to be more confident while still achieving your dreams. The answer lies in setting realistic goals.

Setting high-reaching goals and failing to achieve them has been found to damage confidence levels. Conversely, realistic goals are achievable. And the more you achieve your goals, the greater your confidence in yourself and your abilities.

To set realistic goals , write down what you want to achieve. Next, ask yourself what chance you have of attaining it. (Be honest!) If the answer is slim to none, the goal may be a bit too lofty. Dial it back so it is more realistic and more achievable.

This may require doing a bit of research on your part. For instance, if you have a goal to lose weight, experts recommend losing one to two pounds per week for healthy, long-term weight loss. Knowing this helps you set a goal in line with this guideline, boosting your self-confidence when you hit it.

Press Play for Advice on Confidence

Hosted by therapist Amy Morin, LCSW, this episode of The Verywell Mind Podcast shares strategies that can help you learn to truly believe in yourself, featuring IT Cosmetics founder Jamie Kern Lima. Click below to listen now.

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When learning how to be more confident, it can be helpful to understand how someone with self-confidence is different from someone who is more insecure. Here are just some of the differences between the two.

Celebrate other people's success

Open-minded

Willing to take risks

Laugh at themselves

Always learning and growing

Admit mistakes

Accept responsibility

Judge and are jealous of others

Close-minded

Pessimistic

Afraid of change

Act like a know-it-all

Make excuses

Blame others

Being confident in yourself just feels good. That said, having self-confidence can also bring many additional benefits at home, at work, and within your relationships. Here's a look at a few of the positive effects of learning how to be confident:

• Better performance : Rather than waste time and energy worrying that you aren't good enough , you can devote your energy to your efforts. Ultimately, you'll perform better when you have more self-confidence.
• Healthier relationships : Having self-confidence not only impacts how you feel about yourself, but it helps you better understand and love others. It also gives you the strength to walk away from a relationship if you're not getting what you want or deserve.
• Openness to try new things : When you believe in yourself, you're more willing to try new things. Whether you apply for a promotion or sign up for a cooking class, putting yourself out there is a lot easier when you have confidence in yourself and your abilities.
• Resilience : Believing in yourself can enhance your resilience or ability to bounce back from any challenges or adversities you face in life.

Learning how to be more confident can have a range of positive effects on your life. In addition to helping you feel better about yourself and your abilities, self-confidence can make your relationships stronger and make you more resilient to stress.

Keep in Mind

Everyone struggles with confidence issues at one time or another. Fortunately, there are several things that you can do to boost self-confidence. In many cases, learning how to act confident can actually help you feel more confident.

"This is similar to the adage that the physical act of smiling can trick your brain into feeling happier," says Owens. "If you exude confidence, even when you don't feel that way, others will treat you differently, which will boost your confidence—and thus the cycle continues."

Sometimes low self-confidence is a sign of a mental health condition such as depression or anxiety . If your self-confidence interferes with your work, social life, or education, consider talking to a mental health professional. A therapist can help you better understand the issue, recommend treatment, and work with you to develop skills to build your self-confidence.

If your confidence tends to lag in social situations, try to change your perspective. Instead of looking at group interactions as a stressor, view them as an opportunity to work on building your self-confidence. Taking someone with you who makes you feel confident can also give you the self-belief needed to feel more comfortable around groups of people.

Creating the social event yourself may help as well because you will know what to expect and have some level of control. If social situations cause you great anxiety along with reduced self-confidence, talking to a mental health professional can help.

One way to develop self-confidence in a relationship is to recognize your worth. When you know the value you bring to others, it helps you feel more confident in yourself. It can also be helpful to stay in the present and not worry about the past or the future.

If your lack of confidence in relationships is due to a fear of being rejected, remember that not everyone is compatible. Just as you might not be for them, they might also not be for you—it's nothing personal.

If your lack of confidence in the workplace is tied to concerns about your performance, check in regularly with a superior to see how you're doing. Ask for feedback about areas where you can improve, then work on them to feel more confident in your duties.

It can also be helpful to consider where you excel at work and perform these activities as often as possible. If you do make a mistake, admit it, learn from it, and move on. No one is perfect, so you shouldn't expect yourself to be either.

If your self-confidence is tied to your physical appearance, developing a more positive body image can help. Instead of focusing on areas of your body that you dislike, spend more time appreciating the areas you feel good about.

Another tip for how to become more confident is to not compare your body to anyone else's. No two bodies are the same and each has its own strengths. Remember that there is room in this world for people of all shapes and sizes.

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Vrabel JK, Zeigler-Hill V, Southard AC. Self-esteem and envy: Is state self-esteem instability associated with the benign and malicious forms of envy?   Pers Individ Diff . 2018;123:100-104. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2017.11.001

Rafiei H, Senmar M, Mostafaie M, et al. Self-confidence and attitude of acute care nurses to the presence of family members during resuscitation . British J Nurs . 2018;27(21). doi:10.12968/bjon.2018.27.21.1246

Duke University Personal Assistance Service. Self-care tips for the body & soul .

Zamani Sani SH, Fathirezaie Z, Brand S, et al. Physical activity and self-esteem: Testing direct and indirect relationships associated with psychological and physical mechanisms . Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat . 2016;12:2617–2625. doi:10.2147/NDT.S116811

Lemola S, Räikkönen K, Gomez V, Allemand M. Optimism and self-esteem are related to sleep. Results from a large community-based sample .  IntJ Behav Med . 2013;20(4):567-571. doi:10.1007/s12529-012-9272-z

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Walter N, Nikoleizig L, Alfermann D. Effects of self-talk training on competitive anxiety, self-efficacy, volitional skills, and performance: an intervention study with junior sub-elite athletes .  Sports (Basel) . 2019;7(6):148. doi:10.3390/sports7060148

Martins I, Perez Monsalve JP, Velasquez Martinez A. Self-confidence and fear of failure among university students and their relationship with entrepreneurial orientation: Evidence from Colombia . Academia Revista Latinoamericana de Administracion . 2018;31(3):471-85. doi:10.1108/ARLA-01-2018-0018

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University of South Florida Counseling Center. What is self-confidence?

Höpfner J, Keith N. Goal missed, self hit: Goal-setting, goal-failure, and their affective, motivational, and behavioral consequences . Front Psychol . 2021;12:704790. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2021.704790

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. What is healthy weight loss?

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By Amy Morin, LCSW Amy Morin, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and international bestselling author. Her books, including "13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do," have been translated into more than 40 languages. Her TEDx talk,  "The Secret of Becoming Mentally Strong," is one of the most viewed talks of all time.

How to Develop Self Confidence Essay

The first step is preparing for the journey, the second step is setting out to begin the journey, the third and the final step is accelerating towards success.

Self-confidence is ones status of being assured and having a strong belief in himself and his abilities. A person who is self-confident does not struggle too much to make decisions. This essay paper focuses on the three main steps of developing self-confidence. They include; initial preparation, setting out for the process, and accelerating towards success. The final success is determined by both self-efficacy and esteem.

This is the journey to self-confidence that may be long or short depending on the person in question. It’s good for a person to identify first where he is, and his destination. The person should focus on what he has already achieved, at least ten of his best achievements. These should be written somewhere for references.

While still preparing for the journey, it’s good to think about your strengths. This part should include weaknesses, opportunities and threats, but put emphasis on strengths. The other important aspect is managing ones mind by defeating inner talks that can deter the confidence. The final part of preparing for the journey is, committing yourself to succeed.

The right way should be towards the set goals. At this stage one should gather all the knowledge he or she requires so as to succeed. This involves looking for the required skills and acquiring them to be fully equipped. Let the basics be the starting point of the whole process, thus one should not emphasis on perfection but do simple things successfully.

The main objective here would be to set small goals, achieving them successfully, and rejoicing for the achievements. There is no need of setting big challenging goals at this point. While still setting up for the journey, one should keep his or her mind on the positive side. This can be achieved through rejoicing for the attained success. On the other hand, ones mind should also have some techniques of handling failure. Mistakes are inevitable especially when one is trying something for the first time.

At this stage one start feeling some self-confidence developing. There will be several achieved small goals in step 2 to be celebrated in this stage. One feels there is a room for making bigger goals with tougher challenges. Here the person feels more committed than before. At this point some people tend to be over confident due to over stretching themselves.

This should not be the case, as one should stay grounded. Its advisable now for one to evaluate himself or her to see how far is the development. While doing self-evaluation, one finds it simple to identify some unique strategies for developing self-confidence. Stretching bit by bit without overdoing it will lead to a top level of self-confidence.

In conclusion , each step of the three main steps is connected to the other. The first step of preparing for the journey is setting the base for the next step. The crucial aspects set in step two are the ones being celebrated in step three making the process a success.

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1. IvyPanda . "How to Develop Self Confidence." November 25, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/how-to-develop-self-confidence/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "How to Develop Self Confidence." November 25, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/how-to-develop-self-confidence/.

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Duke TIP Navigator

The official magazine for TIPsters in 4th–6th grade

Turning Fear into Confidence—A Personal Essay

October 14, 2020

Facing obstacles throughout your life is inevitable, and the obstacles you overcome can define who you are as a person. Not only will this build character and self-confidence, it will show others how strong you remained and inspire them to overcome their own challenges.

But overcoming obstacles is no simple task. Most obstacles are incredibly hard and testing. Yet, by overcoming them, you will come to understand why they are important. The significance of overcoming obstacles in life is to make you more grounded, courageous, and wise. For me, one of these life-altering obstacles emerged during my undergraduate years.

I had a serious fear of public speaking. There were times where I would struggle with presentations and in-class discussions. When these sessions would take place, my fear built up in a pressure cooker of discouragement and convulsive anguish. I felt humiliated before my teachers, partners, and most of all, my close friends. I soon realized, however, that the same people who seemed to be the source of my fear became my lifeline, their inspirational words filling my mind and heart with positive thoughts.

Seeing my struggles, my peers tried to build me up, to increase my confidence in myself and convince me that anything, including overcoming my fear of public speaking, could be accomplished with enough enthusiasm and belief in oneself.

The obstacles we face in life can distort how we see ourselves and cripple our ability to face our fears. By facing these conflicts head on, though, we can completely flip their effect on us, transforming them into experiences that strengthen our resilience and push the boundaries of what we think is possible to achieve.

Taking everything into account everything I’ve learned from this experience and many others like it that I’ve encountered in my life, it’s clear that obstacles are impossible to avoid, and when you do encounter them, you must view them as learning opportunities. You might just surprise yourself at how easily you overcome them.

This post was written by Duke TIP’s outgoing Marketing & Communications intern, Christina Gordon. Christina graduated from North Carolina Central University in the spring of 2020.

About Duke TIP

The Duke University Talent Identification Program (Duke TIP) is a nonprofit organization that has served over three million academically talented students in grades 4–12 since it was founded in 1980. Collaborating with educators and parents, TIP helps gifted students assess the extent of their academic abilities with above-grade-level testing, recognizes them for their achievements, and provides them with a variety of enrichment benefits as well as accelerated face-to-face and online educational programs.

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Practical Ways to Improve Your Confidence (and Why You Should)

Self-confidence is just one element in a triad of things that make up our overall “confidence.” Here’s what you can do to boost yours.

By Eric Ravenscraft

Self-confidence is a bit like the running water in your house. You may not know every detail about how it works or where it comes from, but it’s painfully obvious when it’s not there. Like when your water is shut off, a dearth of self-confidence has a huge negative impact on your health and lifestyle. Fortunately, there are things you can do to shore it up.

What is confidence?

In everyday conversation, self-confidence is often confused with self-esteem, and it overlaps with the less well-known term “self-efficacy.” However, psychology gives each of these terms a specific definition. It’s helpful to distinguish among the three:

Self-Efficacy : This term, as defined by Albert Bandura, a Canadian-American psychologist , refers to your belief in your ability to accomplish specific tasks. If you believe you’re capable of cooking dinner or completing a project, this is reflective of high self-efficacy. People with low self-efficacy often put less effort into a task if they don’t believe they’ll succeed at it, increasing the likelihood of failure.

Self-Confidence : In contrast, according to Dr. Bandura , self-confidence is more of a general view of how likely you are to accomplish a goal, especially based on your past experience. When you practice playing piano, you increase your confidence in your ability to play the piano. This can also apply to how likely you believe you are to be accepted in a social group. If you’ve been made fun of for your underwater basket-weaving hobby, you might be less confident sharing it with others next time. Self-confidence and self-efficacy are both rooted in experience, but self-confidence reflects a broader view of yourself, rather than your confidence in specific tasks.

Self-Esteem : The term most often confused with self-confidence is the one perhaps least similar to it. Self-esteem refers to a belief in your overall worth. Broad statements like “I’m a good person” fall into this category. Self-esteem is one of the levels of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs , and improvements to self-confidence can contribute to your broader self-esteem.

These concepts overlap, and psychologists disagree about where the lines are between each one . You can have enough confidence to believe that you’re capable of learning how to play a new game, for example, while simultaneously lacking the self-efficacy to believe that you’ll be any good when you first start. Likewise, you can have zero confidence in your ability to cook while still believing you’re a good person and deserving of love.

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High confidence leads to more chances to improve

Self-confidence is your belief in how good you are at something, but it’s not a measure of your actual skill. So why does it matter if you believe in yourself? According to Charlie Houpert, the author of “Charisma on Command” and the founder of a 2.7-million-subscriber YouTube channel of the same name, confidence doesn’t just make you feel better, it also helps you take risks to make tangible improvements to your life.

“Internally, true self-confidence will lead to more positivity, happiness and resilience,” Mr. Houpert said. “Externally, high self-confidence will lead to taking more risks, which directly correlates with reaping more rewards.”

The “Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology” puts it another way: “If the person lacks confidence, again there will be no action. That’s why a lack of confidence is sometimes referred to as ‘crippling doubt.’ Doubt can impair effort before the action begins or while it is ongoing.”

If you believe you can get your dream job if you apply, there’s a chance, however small, you might get it. If you don’t believe that you can get it, and you don’t apply, it’s guaranteed that you won’t. Self-confidence doesn’t magically make you better at what you do, but it does prime you to take the risks necessary to achieve your goals .

How you can improve your self-confidence

If building self-confidence is a matter of changing your beliefs about yourself, it’s going to take some work. You can say, “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough and, doggone it, people like me” into the mirror every day — and it couldn’t hurt — but there are more practical, effective tools you can use, too.

Be ‘hyper honest’ with yourself

Mr. Houpert suggests being “hyper honest” with yourself as a simple, everyday way to exercise your confidence.

“For example, let’s say someone asks you what you do for fun or what you do for a living,” he said. “If you find yourself biting your tongue or hiding something, evaluate that. That’s an indication to either stop doing that thing or, more likely, accept that part of yourself and own it.”

This doesn’t mean you have to share every part of your personality with everyone you meet. You can share your geeky hobbies with your geeky friends but stick to work topics at work. However, you can find someone to share yourself with. “When you stop hiding parts of yourself from other people, you’ll find you feel more confident in who you are,” Mr. Houpert said.

Start working out

Many people start working out to lose weight or build muscle, but exercise can also be a huge boost to your self-confidence. The American Psychological Association has noted that exercise can improve your mood and — along with regular treatment and therapy — help combat depression and anxiety . It can also help improve your confidence if you stick with it for a while . Working out regularly requires a commitment, and keeping that commitment is an accomplishment. Not only does sticking to a new healthy habit make you feel more confident, but you can also spot physical improvements to your body and health over the long term.

Try things that make you uncomfortable

Stepping outside your comfort zone is, as you might expect, uncomfortable. Mr. Houpert said that’s the point.

“Confidence is ultimately about being comfortable in a wide variety of situations that would make most people feel uncomfortable,” he said. “So if you stretch your comfort zone every day, very quickly you’ll have a large comfort zone and be able to feel more comfortable even when outside of it.”

This can involve more daunting changes, like taking a new job or confronting someone you usually avoid. However, it can also take smaller forms, like striking up a conversation with someone new if you’re normally shy, or trying a new food. According to Mr. Houpert, it’s more important that you regularly expand your comfort zone rather than occasionally throwing yourself into the deep end.

Try a new look

How you dress can affect how other people perceive you , but it can also affect how you perceive yourself. Wearing different clothes can prompt you to think or behave differently. This effect isn’t just limited to feeling good about yourself. Dr. Adam D. Galinsky, a professor at Columbia Business School, found that participants in a study who wore a white lab coat exhibited more focused attention. In other words, when people dressed like a doctor, they behaved more like a doctor, or at least how they thought a doctor might behave. If you want to feel more confident, dress the way a confident version of yourself would.

Defy your impostor syndrome

Impostor syndrome is a nasty mental bug that convinces you that your accomplishments don’t really count and that you’re going to be found out as a fraud. This doubt can creep in because it’s easier to remember faults but more difficult to remember successes. Make a habit of periodically writing down or reflecting on times you’ve done things well. It’s easier to be confident in your abilities when you remember them .

Adjust your posture

Much like how you dress, the posture you adopt can affect how you feel about yourself. While it might feel a little silly at first (remember that tip about stepping outside your comfort zone), trying out powerful stances can help adjust your frame of mind. Research from Ohio State University suggests that something as simple sitting up straight can make you feel more confident in what you’re doing.

Avoid the arrogance trap

As you start to express yourself more confidently, it’s natural to worry about becoming arrogant in the process. However, according to Mr. Houpert, arrogance isn’t confidence run amok.

“Arrogance is more the result of insecurity than high self-confidence,” he said. “Confidence is self-satisfied while arrogance requires external validation to feel good. So you get people who brag to solicit the recognition of others. Someone with true self-confidence is capable of being assertive and standing up for themselves, but they’re unlikely to adopt a tone that others perceive as arrogant. Oddly enough, the best defense against arrogance is developing true self-confidence.”

If you start out doubting yourself, it will take time before you feel like you belong. In the interim, your own creeping doubt can try to tell you that feeling good about yourself or standing your ground is really arrogance. Recognizing that this is a symptom of insecurity — and that being aware of the symptom is its own form of inoculation against it — can help you push past it.

Correction: An earlier version of this article stated that Dr. Adam Galinsky was a professor at the Kelogg School of Management at Northwestern University. He was, and was at the Kellogg School when the study referenced was published, but he has since joined the faculty at the Columbia Business School. That reference has been updated.

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Article • 12 min read

How to Build Self-Confidence

Preparing yourself for success.

By the Mind Tools Content Team

Self-confident people seem at ease with themselves and their work. They invite trust and inspire confidence in others. These are all attractive characteristics to have.

But it's not always easy to be confident in yourself, particularly if you're naturally self-critical or if other people put you down. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to increase and maintain your self-confidence.

This article explains what self-confidence is and why it matters. We'll explore how to believe in yourself and how to project this belief to others, so that you can be more effective and happier in your life and work.

People who are self-confident perform better at work, so it's important to nurture your team members' self-confidence, too. Our article, How to Build Confidence in Others , discusses how you can do this for co-workers or even your boss.

What Is Self-Confidence – and Why Is It Important?

Self-confidence means trusting in your own judgment, capacities and abilities. [1] It's about valuing yourself and feeling worthy, regardless of any imperfections or what others may believe about you.

Self-efficacy and self-esteem are often used interchangeably with self-confidence. But they are subtly different.

We gain a sense of self-efficacy when we see ourselves mastering skills and achieving goals. This encourages us to believe that, if we learn and work hard in a particular area, we'll succeed. [2] It's this type of confidence that leads people to accept difficult challenges and keep going in the face of setbacks.

Self-esteem is a more general sense that we can cope with what's going on in our lives, and that we have a right to be happy.

Also, self-esteem comes, in part, from the feeling that the people around us approve of us. We may or may not be able to control this, and if we experience a lot of criticism or rejection from others, our self-esteem can easily suffer unless we support it in other ways.

Confidence and Behavior

Take a look at the table below, which compares confident behavior with behavior that's associated with low self-confidence. Which thoughts or actions do you recognize in yourself?

As these examples show, low self-confidence can be self-destructive, and may manifest itself as negativity.

Self-confident people are generally more positive – they value themselves and trust their judgment. But they also acknowledge their failures and mistakes, and learn from them.

Take our short quiz to find out how self-confident you are right now. You'll also discover ways to improve your confidence levels by building self-efficacy.

Why Self-Confidence Matters

Self-confidence is vital in almost every aspect of our lives, yet many people struggle to find it. Sadly, this can become a vicious cycle: people who lack self-confidence are less likely to achieve the success that could give them more confidence.

For example, you may not be inclined to back a project that's pitched by someone who's visibly nervous, fumbling, or constantly apologizing. On the other hand, you're persuaded by someone who speaks clearly, holds their head high, and answers questions with assurance.

Confident people inspire confidence in others: their audience, their co-workers, their bosses, their customers, and their friends. And gaining the confidence of others is one of the key ways to succeed. In the following sections, we'll see how you can do this.

How to Appear More Confident to Others

Picture anyone you know that you think of as highly confident – what characteristics do they have that make you think this? It's most likely one or more of these things:

• the way they speak (tone, how they project their voice, words),
• their energy and enthusiasm,
• how expert or knowledgeable they are about something.

You can show self-confidence in your behavior, your body language, and in what you say and how you say it.

Projecting a positive image to others can help you to improve your self-confidence. It's not simply a matter of "faking it" – if you project with confidence, others are more likely to respond well, and this positive feedback will help you to believe in yourself.

Body Language

In her book, Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges , Amy Cuddy argues that you can build confidence just by the way you move your body and hold yourself.

When we feel anxious, at meetings for instance, we tend to make ourselves smaller by slouching, hunching our shoulders, and bowing our heads. Simply sitting up straight can make you feel less stressed and more assertive .

If you're presenting, spreading your hands apart with palms slightly toward your audience shows openness and a willingness to share ideas.

Read our article, Body Language , for further tips on looking – and feeling – more confident.

Face-to-Face Communication

People with low self-confidence often find it difficult to make a good first impression – whether they're meeting a client, addressing a meeting, or giving a presentation. You may be shy or unsure of yourself, but you can take immediate steps to appear more confident.

Engaging with people is important, so maintain eye contact while you talk. This shows that you're interested in what the other person is saying, and that you're taking an active part in the conversation. Don't fidget or look away while the conversation continues, as this can make you appear distracted or anxious.

Build Expert Power

You are likely to appear (and feel) confident when you know what you're talking about. With a wealth of knowledge on a subject, you'll be more prepared to answer questions and speak on the spot.

If you lack confidence because of a gap in your expertise, work on finding out more information. Are there any relevant webinars or events you could attend? Is there a course you could take? Or perhaps you could find a mentor. See our article, Building Expert Power , and our Skillbook for more tips on this.

Rebuilding Confidence at Work

Changes to the way they work and long periods away from work negatively impact many people's confidence. One study found that over a third of people returning to the workplace after a year or more away experience a loss of confidence in their own ability. [3] You might struggle to make your voice heard in meetings, or feel lost or isolated without the company of your colleagues while working from home, for example.

To address dips in confidence, first try to identify the cause of the problem. If you feel that there are tasks you can't do, it makes sense to improve your skills. Carry out a Personal SWOT Analysis to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Then draw up an action plan to work on the areas where you're not so strong.

Other people's attitudes or behavior can contribute to your lack of confidence. You might feel that your co-workers make unfair assumptions about you. Maybe you're being bullied or are subject to microaggressions. If so, you need to call this behavior out.

You can use the Situation-Behavior-Impact Feedback Tool to make it clear to the person responsible that their behavior is harmful. If you don't feel safe talking to them, seek help from your line manager. If they're part of the problem, speak to a team member, HR, or an employee support network if you have one. Workplace bullying or discrimination is never acceptable in any situation.

People with low self-confidence often feel that they don't deserve to be happy, and that it's somehow justifiable for others to treat them badly. While the feeling may be very real, the belief is certainly not!

Three Ways to Build Your Confidence

While there are quick fixes to address acute issues with your self-confidence, building confidence in the long term requires making some changes to your lifestyle and forming robust plans. Here are three ways to do that:

1. Build Confident Habits

To develop and improve your self-esteem, aim to develop good habits – and break bad ones ! Regular exercise and a healthy diet can dramatically improve your physical and mental health . And studies have shown that getting a good night's sleep is linked with increased optimism and self-esteem. [4]

Working on your personal branding can also help. If you project a positive image of your authentic self, you'll likely start to receive the positive feedback that's so important to your self-confidence.

2. Review Past Achievements

Your self-confidence will increase when you're able to say, "I can do this, and here's the evidence." As part of your Personal SWOT Analysis, you'll have identified things that you're good at, based on your past achievements.

List the 10 things that you're most proud of in an "achievement log." Then use them to make positive affirmations about what you can do. These statements are particularly powerful if you tend to undermine your confidence with negative self-talk.

You can learn to identify and defeat any negative self-talk that's harming your self-confidence. See our article, Positive Thinking, Thought Awareness, and Rational Thinking , for more on this.

3. Set Confidence-Boosting Goals

Setting and achieving goals – and seeing how far you've come – are key ways to develop self-confidence.

Use your Personal SWOT Analysis to set goals that play to your strengths, minimize your weaknesses, and take advantage of your opportunities.

When you've identified the major goals you want to achieve, clarify the first steps you need to take. Make sure that they're small steps, taking no longer than an hour to do. This will get the ball rolling and improve your confidence through the achievement of appropriate goals.

When you're self-confident, you trust your own judgment and abilities, and have a strong sense of self-worth and self-belief.

You can take immediate steps to project greater self-confidence and address the factors that dent it. You can then develop these short-term strategies into ways to build and maintain self-confidence in the future.

Developing good habits, reviewing past achievements, and setting yourself targeted goals will improve your self-esteem, and build and maintain your confidence for the long term.

[1] Psychology Dictionary, Self-Confidence [online]. Available here .

[2] Bandura, A. (1997). ' Self Efficacy: The Exercise of Control ,' New York: Worth.

[3] Vodafone U.K., (2021). Lost Connections: Supporting returners into the workplace in 2021 and beyond [online]. Available here . [Accessed October 6, 2021].

[4] Lemola, S., Räikkönen, K., Gomez, V., et al. (2013). 'Optimism and self-esteem are related to sleep. Results from a large community-based sample,' International Journal of Behavioral Medicine , 20, 567-571. Available here .

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I really appreciate this post! Lots of great ideas here!! I read another article tonight about how to increase self esteem (https://debpreston.com/how-to-increase-self-esteem/ if you're interested) and found a tip that I think would also apply to self-confidence...master a new skill! If you pursue your interests and hobbies and gain some level of expertise, or even more than the average bear, you've got that feather to stick in your cap and give you a boost. Thanks again!!

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13 ways to actually build confidence in yourself, from experts.

Confidence—everyone wants it, and we can easily spot it in others. But when it comes to summoning our own confidence, it can feel like an impossible task. The good news is this sense of confidence isn't as elusive as it might feel. There are ways to develop self-confidence.

Where confidence comes from.

Confidence is self-trust in your skills, choices, and values. It comes from within yourself and feels like an inner knowing of your strengths and weaknesses while still thinking positively about yourself.

"Self-confidence comes from the information and ideas we take in through the world that support a positive perspective about ourselves," says licensed psychotherapist Rameya Shanmugavelayutham, LCSW . "Often we enter into the world with an abundance of self-confidence. Consider the young child who feels confident taking risks like jumping off the swings or dances without a care in front of a crowd. When a young child is affirmed and encouraged, they strengthen their sense of self and begin to hold cognitive schemas that confirm they are worthy, valuable, beautiful, intelligent, etc."

While many people often have a strong sense of confidence as a child, life often throws curve balls that can diminish confidence. Low self-confidence can feel like being unable to handle other people's criticisms or difficulty trusting yourself and others.

The great thing is, every moment is a chance to build evidence toward your self-confidence. To make up for what was lost, you can rebuild confidence over time through small and large moments that ladder up toward more self-trust. 

Notably, although they look similar on the surface, being shy or introverted does not equate to a lack of self-confidence. Shyness is a personality trait where some people are naturally timid around others. Being an introvert is also a personality trait, first described by Carl Jung as someone who prefers to turn inward to their internal world for reflection and insight. This is in contrast to extroverts, who prefer to engage with other people. (Here's a quick quiz to find out if you're an introvert or extrovert .)

What causes low confidence? 

Just as you can build positive self-confidence, there are things that can erode it. According to Shanmugavelayutham, the way people are socialized and seen by those around them, in addition to difficult transitions in childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, can all lead to lower self-confidence.

She says some factors that can contribute to a negative sense of self include:

• Caregivers that are overly critical or reprimanding
• Caregivers that limit a child's exploration
• Feeling rejected by peers
• Difficulties transitioning into a constructed idea of "adulthood"
• Media representations and data from the world about what's "ideal" in a person

Varying levels of confidence can also show up in different situations. You may feel very confident in math because you were socialized and praised to succeed in your academic studies. You may feel less confident when it comes to public speaking because you've previously received criticisms from peers and haven't yet processed their feedback in a useful way.

Again, the good news is that low self-confidence is fixable, and you are totally in charge of making it happen.

13 ways to build confidence:

Figure out where your lack of confidence stems from..

Finding the root cause for low self-confidence can provide a map of how to build up more positive self-confidence. A good place to start is through self-reflection and journaling.

Try this exercise to help you get to the possible root cause of your low self-confidence:

• For one week, record any low self-confidence thoughts or sayings that keep showing up for you. 
• For each thought or saying, ask yourself "Who or what told you that?" 
• Decide if you want to allow that voice to have authority over your thoughts in this stage of your life.
• Journal out your reactions and create a plan of action to move forward.

If you're struggling with this, it can also help to work with a therapist or coach to identify and transform the unhelpful low-self-confidence thoughts.

Understand what self-confidence feels like for you.

Take some time to figure out what confidence feels like in your body. A good question to ask is "How will you know that you've reached a satisfactory level of self-confidence?" Perhaps you will start speaking up more at work. You might finally wear that outfit you've always wanted to. You may even introduce yourself to your crush at your co-working space. This will be different from person to person, so it doesn't have to make sense to anyone else. This is your personal measurement of confidence. 

Align with yourself.

If you find yourself frequently using the word "should," (for example, I should be married by 30 , I should have a house by next year, or I should have my life together by now ) , take a step back and reflect. Where is this "should" coming from?

Many of the "shoulds" in life stem from cultural or familial expectations. With all of these statements, it's helpful to always ask yourself: Is this what I truly want for myself?

You have the power to reclaim your life at any point. The more that you make decisions aligned with your true self and your desires, the more confident you will become in your decision-making.

Start small.

Most of us don't like experiencing a ton of change at once. A very important key for self-improvement work is starting small. 

Shirin Eskandani , life coach and founder of Wholehearted Coaching, says one way to build self-confidence is to make small promises to yourself and then follow through. "And the key word is small . Do things that are a stretch but also realistic for you. So perhaps if you're not a morning person, not committing to waking up at 6 a.m. every day to do a morning routine but instead trying out an evening routine."

Adopt a growth mindset.

A growth mindset encourages you to explore beyond your current skills and knowledge, keeping the possibility of improvement open. Instead of using phrases like "I'm not confident," just add "yet" to it, which transforms the old belief into "I'm not confident yet ." This adds the qualifier that you are in the process of gaining skills to become confident.

A 2019 study 1 found that growth mindset interventions led to better math grades for high schoolers and improved even more when students were immersed in environments that encouraged growth mindset principles. So it's worth exploring your new growth mindset with like-minded people.

Know you will fail, and that's OK.

We live in a failure-averse culture where people mostly just talk about their accomplishments. Rarely do you ever get to hear about people's accounts of failure. Understanding that failure happens and is a part of the process of living will help you to live more fully. 

"For a lot of us, we were usually taught that self-confidence comes from achievements," certified life coach and leadership coach Nicole Cruz tells mindbodygreen. "However, this means that when we achieve, we feel great about our abilities, but when we fail, our self-confidence takes a hit. I truly believe that self-confidence comes from our own thoughts about our abilities rather than external achievements. So that regardless of whether we succeed or fail, we have the power to retain our self-confidence."

Stand up to your inner critic.

Sometimes you might hesitate to trust yourself because you've received critical feedback from authority figures earlier in life, like parents, teachers, or community leaders, and you have adopted their criticisms as your own beliefs. But there comes a point when this feedback no longer serves your current life. Standing up to those old criticisms can unlock a new level of confidence.

"Confidence can also be built by rewriting the narratives in our heads about our worthiness. This involves identifying self-limiting beliefs and reframing them," Shanmugavelayutham explains. "Often the voice in our head that tells us we are not good enough is not our authentic voice but an aggregate of all the voices of those who have criticized us in the past. When we talk back to the inner critic enough, the confident inner-child that we lost touch with can reemerge."

Understand that emotions and feelings are temporary.

In the book Come As You Are , sex educator and researcher Emily Nagoski, Ph.D., writes, "Emotions are tunnels. You have to go all the way through the darkness to get to the light at the end."

Emotions go through a cycle of beginning, middle, and end. Although emotions can feel really intense in the moment, they are only temporary. At the very basic level, emotions are physiological responses to stimuli in your environment. If your Wi-Fi goes out right before your work presentation, you may experience an acute pang of stress. If you receive a surprise package from your sister, you may be overcome by heartfelt joy. If you get a text from your ex, you may feel a sharp streak of hot sadness. Whatever the stimuli and paired emotion, they're all data points to inform your next action step. 

In terms of confidence, any emotion like anxiety, stress, or fear that is holding you back from taking action is only temporary. Once it subsides, you can make your next move. As the saying goes, "Feel the fear and do it anyway."

Focus on what you can control.

"A lot of times, we base our self-confidence on things we actually have no control over—what other people think, the outcome of a project, others' reactions, etc.," Cruz explains. "To build self-confidence, we need to release our attachment to the things we can't control and start basing our self-confidence on what we do have control over."

Take, for example, when you're working on a presentation, she says. You might invest a lot of energy into other people's opinions, the outcome of your project, or your peers' reactions to your work. To build self-confidence against things you don't have control over, Cruz advises to focus on the things you can control—for example, how prepared you are, your passion for the presentation topic, and how much work you've put into it. 

"Remind yourself of these things consistently and repeatedly until they become your new beliefs," she adds. 

Grounding yourself in things you can control, even just one aspect of your goal, will provide you with more stability to move forward. And remember: Building confidence builds more confidence. By starting in the places you have control over, you can ensure that you build confidence from a place of inner strength.

Build a like-minded community around you.

Research suggests that our views of ourselves are usually inaccurate. Whether you underestimate or overestimate your abilities, you can't create a more accurate level of self-confidence in isolation. You need to interact with your environment, hobbies, and other people to build confidence.

Curating an intentional environment to develop your budding confidence is crucial. Share your experience with a few close friends who are on the same self-development journey. Find resources in your community like therapists, coaches, podcasts, blogs, and books to help build a foundation for your new confidence.

Take a break from social media.

A 2018 study published in Europe's Journal of Psychology found that people who have lower self-esteem tend to gravitate toward building a "false self" on social media 2 , which can lead to an inaccurate sense of self and self-worth. So consider taking a break from social media to reconnect with the person you truly are, free from comparisons and trying to impress others. 

Cultivate compassion.

Cultivating a sense of self-compassion can help you to sympathize with yourself when you experience difficulties in life. This can help you turn away from negative, demeaning self-talk and toward more loving, nurturing ways to talk to ourselves .

"Compassion is key in cultivating self-confidence," Eskandani says in an email interview. "Holding on to past 'mistakes' or 'failures' really affects how confident we are. If we can be kind to ourselves and allow ourselves to let go of these moments, then we allow ourselves to trust ourselves." 

Find professional support

If building self-confidence has become a discouraging pursuit, it might be time to lean on professionals for some guidance.

"There are many ways to build self-confidence. One approach involves processing and uprooting the formative experiences that may have contributed to a negative sense of self. While this can be done through personal reflection and journaling, it can often be more effective when done in relationship with a safe support person such as a therapist," Shanmugavelayutham says.

The benefits of boosting your confidence. 

While it may feel unnatural and like a lot of work, there are plenty of benefits of building self-confidence, such as:

Building resilience to try new things

"Confidence is the life source for much of what we seek in life. It gives us the fuel we need to try new things and take risks," Shanmugavelayutham says. 

Better performance

Whether at work, in sports, or in personal endeavors, having confidence can help you accomplish tasks 3 with more ease and, therefore, success. "Confidence in one area can beget confidence in other areas," Shanmugavelayutham adds. "Confidence has even been proven to be a higher predictor of performance than competence!"

Creating the life you want

"When we don't believe in ourselves, we tend to take actions that actually create the exact outcome we're fearing," Cruz explains. "By boosting our self-confidence, we can take actions and create outcomes that better reflect the incredible power that's within us." 

Discerning other people's motives versus your own desires

In a study exploring the relationship between self-confidence and social interactions , economists note that, although many people tend to derive confidence from other people's compliments, other people benefit from your ability to produce. For example, a manager may praise your event-planning abilities because your efforts also make her job easier. You can be good at a lot of things, but with self-confidence, you'll be able to determine which things you want to become good at, not just build confidence in the things you get external praise for.

Making your own decisions according to your true self

When you're confident in yourself, Eskandani says, "you start making decisions that are in line with what you truly want. You listen less to the well-meaning advice around you telling you what you should do, and you start doing things that you truly want to do." 

The bottom line. 

While most of us are born with a healthy level of confidence, life throws us challenges that can derail our sense of confidence. However, reclaiming that self-confidence is possible and worth every effort for living a more fulfilling life.

• https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1466-y
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6266525/
• https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/02640410903089798

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Essay On Self Confidence

500 words essay on self confidence.

Self-confidence refers to the state of mind where a person pushes their boundaries and encourages belief within oneself. It is something which comes from self-love. In order to have confidence in yourself, one must love oneself to get freedom from constant doubt. This essay on self confidence will help you learn more about it in detail.

The Key to Success

It won’t be far-fetched to say that self-confidence is the key to success. If not, it is definitely the first step towards success. When a person has self-confidence, they are halfway through their battle.

People in school and workplaces achieve success by taking more initiatives and being more forward and active in life. Moreover, they tend to make better decisions because of having confidence in oneself.

Thus, it makes them stand out of the crowd. When you stand apart, people will definitely notice you. Thus, it increases your chances of attaining success in life. Alternatively, if there is a person who does not trust or believe in himself, it will be tough.

They will find it hard to achieve success because they will be exposed to failure as well as criticism. Thus, without self-confidence, they may not get back on their feet as fast as someone who possesses self-confidence.

In addition to gaining success, one also enjoys a variety of perks as well. For instance, you can find a job more easily. Similarly, you may find the magnitude of a difficult job lesser than it is.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Importance of Self Confidence

Self-confidence allows us to face our failure and own up to it in a positive light. Moreover, it helps us to raise many times. This helps instil a quality in use which ensures we do not give up till we succeed.

Similarly, self-confidence instils optimism in us. People who have self-confidence are not lucky, they are smart. They do not rely on others to achieve success , they rely on their own abilities to do that.

While self-confidence is important, it is also important to not become overconfident. As we know, anything in excess can be bad for us. Similarly, overconfidence is also no exception.

When you become overconfident, you do not acknowledge the criticism. When you don’t do that, you do not work on yourself. Thus, it stops your growth. Overlooking all this will prove to be harmful.

So it is essential to have moderation which can let you attain just the right amount of self-confidence and self-love which will assure you success and happiness in life.

Conclusion of the Essay on Self Confidence

All in all, a person will gain self-confidence from their own personal experience and decision. No one speech or conversation can bring an overnight change. It is a gradual but constant process we must all participate in. It will take time but once you achieve it, nothing can stop you from conquering every height in life.

FAQ on Essay on Self Confidence

Question 1: What is the importance of self-confidence?

Answer 1: Self-confidence allows a person to free themselves from self-doubt and negative thoughts about oneself. When you are more fearless, you will have less  anxiety . This is what self-confidence can offer you. It will also help you take smart risks and get rid of social anxiety.

Question 2: How do you develop self-confidence paragraph?

Answer 2: To develop self-confidence, one must first look at what they have achieved so far. Then, never forget the things you are good at. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, so focus on your strengths. Set up some goals and get a hobby as well. Give yourself the pep talk to hype up your confidence.

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Essays About Confidence: Top 5 Examples and 7 Prompts

Confidence is an important quality everyone should have; if you are writing essays about confidence, have a look at our featured examples and writing prompts.

What is confidence? This quality shows a belief that we are enough; we are happy with who we are and proud of every part of ourselves. When we are confident, we do not doubt ourselves or others, and to an extent, we are quite brave and trusting.

We can be confident in ourselves or others; however, it is important to remember that too much confidence is detrimental. When we are too confident in others, we can fail to see their shortcomings. This applies to ourselves as well; in this case, we are also much more likely to develop negative traits such as arrogance.

5 Top Essay Examples

1. the dark side of having confidence by tomas chamorro-premuzic, 2. self confidence essay by stanley graves, 3. what real confidence looks like by jessica wildfire.

• 4.  Where Confidence Comes From by John Gorman
• 5. ​​Personal reflections on self-confidence by Jeremy Jordan

1. What Does it Mean to Be Confident?

2. what makes you feel confident, 3. how do you lose confidence, 4. who embodies confidence for you, 5. why is confidence important, 6. confidence vs. arrogance, 7. a time you showed confidence.

“Although Asian cultures are much more prone to foment self-criticism, humility, and self-knowledge (over self-confidence, arrogance, and narcissism), the West may be globalizing narcissism, probably not in a deliberate attempt to reduce the work ethic and humility of the East, though it may well have that effect. One of the most toxic and problematic cocktails combines high aspirations with a low work ethic—the very definition of narcissistic entitlement. The only fix is to get a reality check and risk becoming depressed, unless you distort reality forever.”

Chamorro-Premuzic discusses a phenomenon by which people have so much confidence that it transforms into narcissism and arrogance. He enumerates some of the negative effects of too much confidence, including a lack of self-awareness and humility, while commenting on society’s almost toxic obsession with confidence and self-esteem. In this essay, he stresses that not everyone needs to be super confident and that humility is a useful attribute to have as well. 

Looking for more? Check out these essays about empathy and essays about gratitude .

“Self-confidence is something that cannot be taught. It is up to someone to decide how much belief that they possess inside of themselves. I am at the point where I realize that I must first believe in myself before others will believe in me. Nobody teaches us to be happy or sad. They are natural feelings that come along as we develop mentally, physically, emotionally and psychologically.”

In his essay, Graves explains the aspects of self-confidence. Fake self-confidence is when people project themselves as proud and confident when in reality, this is a front to make them seem more impressive than they are. Temporary self-confidence is when an achievement of yours helps you feel confident, even if this feeling fades after a while. The author discusses that true self-confidence is when one truly believes in themselves and their capabilities. 

“Nobody forges confidence that we can just slip on like a bat suit. It would be great if it were that easy. Instead, we demonstrate confidence through actions. We perform acts of confidence, even when we’re feeling nervous. We do it every time we make a plan, take a chance, seek out solid advice, confront our faults, and handle a tough situation because others depend on us.”

Wildfire explains the difference between fake and real confidence and some ways to build the latter. She gives examples of things confident people do, such as exploring new opportunities, taking feedback, whether good or bad and admitting when they are wrong or uncertain. Rather than thinking of confidence as something possessed, Wildfire encourages readers to think of it as exercised through our actions. 

4.   Where Confidence Comes From by John Gorman

“It isn’t entirely translatable to every area of my life, but more of it exists now than there did before I’d started falling. Confidence is, in fact, a product of repetition … but not a product of success — it’s a product of failure. It’s knowing what the fall feels like and being familiar enough with it that you can be comfortable with the risk.”

Gorman discusses his idea of confidence, both what it is not and what it should be. It is not inherent, nor comes from our successes; instead, it is a product of a healthy mindset and learning from one’s mistakes, using those mistakes to improve oneself. The key to confidence, Gorman says, is to take our failures as opportunities to improve ourselves rather than defeat. You might also be interested in our list of essays about effective leadership and essays about attitude .

5. ​​ Personal reflections on self-confidence by Jeremy Jordan

“A great deal of learning takes place while you’re struggling; when you do something new, your brain is taking in a lot of information that may not be immediately processed. The way I see it is that I should load up my brain with as much information as possible so there’s more data to learn from. Rather than not seeing results and giving up, I place trust in the learning process and know that my efforts will be rewarded.”

Jordan gives readers tips on improving one’s confidence. He says to surround yourself with supportive people, have good communication skills, and sometimes take risks, among other tips. Most importantly, however, he explains the importance of understanding failure, pain, and struggle, embracing them, learning from our setbacks, and using them to improve. 

7 Writing Prompts on Essays About Confidence

People have many ideas of what confidence is or should be. Define confidence in your own words, describe what it means, and discuss what you think a healthy expression of confidence is. Draw inspiration from personal experience and give anecdotes describing certain people in your life to support your position. 

What inspires confidence in you? It may be someone in your life, a personal achievement, or other factors. Reflect on what makes you feel confident and describe it in your essay. Explain how it allows you to be more confident and give tips to people looking to find their confidence. 

Confidence can be lost just as quickly, if not faster than it is built up. Especially in the 21st century, various factors cause people to lose confidence, particularly among the youth. Research some of these and discuss each one in detail. Explain how each can make someone feel less confident and how one can regain this confidence. Check out these articles about beauty .

We all have role models we look up to. Regarding confidence, reflect on who you look to when you need a boost of confidence. It may be a loved one, a public figure, or even a fictional character; no answer is bad as long as it is adequately explained.

Confidence is said to be essential for success. In your essay, explain why confidence is so important in life. Support your explanation with ample evidence from your opinions and other sources; describe some situations in which confidence would be beneficial such as in interviews, public speaking, and social situations. 

Arrogance is often considered the “negative form” or “negative effect” of confidence; there is a strong correlation between the two. Look into their similarities and connection, then differentiate the two. Also, explain how you can express confidence without being confident to the extent that it comes off as arrogant. 

For an exciting essay, look back on a time you are proud of wherein you showed confidence. Retell the story in detail, such as the events leading up to it and what made you “behave confidently.” Explain why you felt the way you did, how exactly confidence was manifested, and the effects of your confidence or confident actions. 

If you’re looking for more ideas, check out our essays about bullying topic guide ! If you still need help, our guide to grammar and punctuation explains more.

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

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9 Building Self-Confidence in Writing

On building self-confidence in writing.

by A. J. Ortega

• Think About Confidence
• Build Your Own Self-Confidence
• Self-Confidence Within the Writing Process
• Final Thoughts

THINK ABOUT CONFIDENCE

When we are good at something, we are also confident in doing it. Sometimes it is helpful to look at examples of people who are exceptional at something and figure out why they are so confident. As you read this article, you will examine a couple of popular examples of self-confidence, understand how to develop your own, and eventually use it become a more confident writer.

One of the most confident boxers was Muhammad Ali. In this short video clip from the documentary  When We Were Kings , Muhammad Ali speaks at a press conference before fighting George Foreman. Remember that everything we study has context, so here is a little bit of history to preface the clip:

• Almost everyone, from sports analysts and fans, had George Foreman picked to win this fight, called “The Rumble in the Jungle.”
• Foreman had 40 fights and almost all were knockouts.
• Foreman entered as the current champion, after defeating Joe Frazier in two rounds.
• Ali was a 4-to-1 underdog.
• Ali changed his name from Cassius Clay for religious reasons and thus refers to himself as such, in the third person, when referring to the past.

Now, with that context in mind, here’s the short video (the first 1:20):

Critical Thinking

What people typically take away from this, and what is perhaps most memorable and enjoyable, is the flowery language, funny rhymes, and playful attitude. Most of us think that is confidence. But, if we look closer and study the language, the more introspective Ali is revealed. The confidence is demonstrated when he says things like this:

• “That’s when that little Cassius Clay … came up and stopped Sonny Liston. … He was gonna kill me!”
• “I’m better now than I was when you saw that 22-year-old undeveloped kid running from Sonny Liston.”
• “I’m experienced now.”
• “[My] jaw’s been broke, … been knocked down a couple times.”

Without those lines, Ali could be characterized as arrogant, pompous, or cocky. But, as we can see through his language, he actually admits his faults and shortcomings. He reflects and makes no excuses for losing a couple of times in his past. In fact, he uses this as fuel to improve and build his confidence. He wasn’t born confident. He calls himself “undeveloped” at one point. As we know, he becomes quite developed in a specific skill: boxing. And he won the fight against Foreman in spectacular fashion.

BUILDING YOUR OWN SELF-CONFIDENCE

But what does this have to do with writing? Muhammad Ali was a boxer and this is English class, right? In order to see the connection a bit clearer, we have another video clip. This piece is by a soccer coach. Another athlete. It may seem off topic, but these are people with high-level skills. Soccer is a skill. Boxing is a skill. And writing is a skill. These are not merely talents or gifts. And, believe it or not, self-confidence is a skill.

This piece is a bit longer, a TEDxTalk that clocks in at about thirteen minutes but is worth every second. The title is “The Skill of Self-Confidence” by Dr. Ivan Joseph. In it, Dr. Joseph explains that, as a coach, he believes self-confidence can be trained.

While Dr. Joseph says he doesn’t use note cards and warns that his talk may go all over the place, he is very well-organized. In some ways, speeches like this are verbal essays. His thesis, or argument, is that self-confidence is a skill that can be developed. He gives us four ways to do this, along with personal examples:

• use repetition (persistence)
• stop negative self-talk (and start positive self-talk)
• build confidence in others (catch them when they’re good)
• take criticism or analyze feedback (in a way that benefits you)

As you can see, confidence can be developed and improved. These tips aren’t just about soccer or student athletes. This can be applied to a multitude of tasks, goals, skills, or hobbies.

SELF-CONFIDENCE WITHIN THE WRITING PROCESS

First you saw a good example of self-confidence in boxer Muhammad Ali. Then you watched Dr. Ivan Joseph explain that self-confidence is a skill that can be developed, just like any other. Now we are ready to see some of this applied to the writing process. Despite the range of writing genres out there, several of the fundamental steps in the writing process are universal. You can observe this in essayists, poets, screenwriters, songwriters, reporters, and so on.

For this example, I want to share a video from  The New York Times ’ Diary of a Song series on YouTube. This episode focuses on English musician Ed Sheeran and his writing process as he came up with “Shape of You.” I actually don’t know a ton about him except his songs are everywhere. He holds all sorts of records for album sales and song downloads, and he’s an international star for his music. He’s won awards for his singing and songwriting. Even if it is not your type of music, generally, it is undeniable that Sheeran is prolific and successful. And he is, in part, a writer.

On top of employing some of the strategies from the TEDxTalk, Ed Sheeran also reminds us of several parts of the writing process:

• brainstorming

Sheeran has brainstorming sessions with his producers and co-writers. He even outlines the song with the beat and uses his vocal mumbling as placeholders. He drafts the song by trying lyrics, trying different lyrics, and then deciding which is better. He does revision through a type of peer review with his collaborators. He edits lyrics based on feedback.

It should be pointed out that this song was written quickly, which is unique. But with all of the practice he has at songwriting, and the confidence he’s built along the way, it should be expected that he is faster at writing a song than the average person. In other words, he’s put in the work, just like Muhammad Ali or Michael Jordan.

Even still, there are other writing tips to pick up from Sheeran’s process. For example, he even steps away from his work to play with Legos, which is imperative to big writing projects. This is why you need to take time on your writing projects—so you can get away and do something else for a while, which sometimes ignites a creative spark, or at least provides your mind a rest.

FINAL THOUGHTS

When learning the writing process, it is important to remember that you can build that skill with practice. Providing an opportunity to practice the writing process is part of what college English courses are supposed to do for you.

Similarly, the skill of self-confidence can also be developed. It isn’t an innate skill. It isn’t something you were just born with. Now you have examples of self-confidence from figures in sports and entertainment, but you also have some strategies to work on cultivating it for yourself. You can utilize this skill and continue to grow in your writing classes, subject courses, workplace, and beyond.

Building Self-Confidence in Writing Copyright © 2020 by Liza Long; Amy Minervini; and Joel Gladd is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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25 Ways to Increase Your Self-Confidence

Categories Self-Improvement

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Self-confidence refers to your own belief in your abilities to succeed. A healthy amount of self-confidence is essential to mental health and well-being.

If you struggle to feel confident in yourself, this article offers tips and advice to help you increase your trust in yourself and your skills.

Table of Contents

How to Be More Confident

Acknowledge your accomplishments, big and small . Give yourself credit when you do a great job. When you accomplish something, big or small, take a moment to recognize and appreciate your efforts. This will help boost your self-confidence and remind you that you can succeed.

Set realistic goals for yourself and strive to achieve them . You can set realistic goals by breaking them down into smaller, more manageable pieces. Once you achieve your goals, you will feel a sense of accomplishment which will help increase your self-confidence.

Don’t compare yourself to others . Instead of looking at other people and negatively comparing yourself, focus on comparing your work to your past work. Notice how much you’ve grown and improved. Let yourself feel proud of the progress you have made.

Be kind to yourself . Everyone makes mistakes sometimes, so treat yourself with the same compassion you would bestow on others is essential. If you are hard on yourself, increasing your self-confidence won’t be easy.

Surround yourself with positive people who will support you . Social support is essential for well-being, and having a network of people who believe in your can help you better believe in yourself.

Avoid negative self-talk and instead focus on your positive qualities . It’s often all too easy to dwell on our negative qualities, but this will only make it harder to increase self-confidence. Instead, focus on your positive attributes, even if they seem minor.

Take care of yourself physically and emotionally . When you take care of yourself, it shows that you value and respect yourself.

Let go of perfectionism . It’s okay to make mistakes, and it’s okay not to be perfect. Accepting this will help you feel more confident in yourself.

Focus on your strengths and let go of self-doubt . Instead of dwelling on your weaknesses or insecurities, focus on your talents. Notice the things about you that make you unique.

Be assertive and stand up for yourself . This doesn’t mean being aggressive but having the confidence to speak up for yourself when needed.

Don’t be afraid to take risks . Stepping outside your comfort zone can be scary, but it can also help you grow and learn more about yourself.

Learn from your mistakes and setbacks . Instead of dwelling on your mistakes, work on finding ways to learn from them and use them as an opportunity to grow.

Persevere in the face of challenges . Don’t give up when things get tough. Showing yourself that you can overcome obstacles will help increase self-confidence.

Develop a growth mindset . Having a growth mindset means believing that you can improve with effort. This will help you feel more confident in your abilities and motivate you to keep trying, even when difficult.

Be prepared for setbacks and have a plan to deal with them . No one is immune to setbacks, but you can increase self-confidence by being prepared for them.

Visualize yourself as confident and successful . See yourself achieving your goals and visualize how it will feel. This can help increase self-confidence and self-efficacy .

Fake it ’til you make it . If you don’t feel confident, pretend that you do. Eventually, this pretending will become a reality.

Take action towards your goals . Don’t just sit around and wait for confidence to come to you. Take action towards your goals, no matter how small.

Be patient and give yourself time to adjust . Confidence isn’t something you acquire overnight. It takes time and consistent effort.

Believe in yourself . It’s not always easy, but it is important to be your own cheerleader.

Be mindful of your self-talk and the language used to describe yourself . Negative self-talk can torpedo your efforts to build confidence, so watch that you use positive self-talk.

Challenge your self-doubts and negative beliefs . Are your self-doubts accurate? Are they based on evidence, or are they just your negative thoughts?

Practice mindfulness and meditation . These practices can help you to focus better on the present moment and let go of self-doubt and negative thoughts.

Seek professional help if you need it . If you’re struggling to increase self-confidence, there’s no shame in seeking professional help. A therapist can help you identify and

Remember that self-confidence is something that you can build over time. Some people seem more naturally confident for various reasons, but it is also a skill you can develop. You can increase your confidence and feel better about yourself with time and effort.

Why Self-Confidence Matters

Self-confidence has a number of important mental health benefits. Self-confident people tend to:

• Have higher self-esteem
• Be more resilient in the face of setbacks
• Be less likely to experience anxiety and depression
• Be more likely to take care of their physical health
• Be more likely to pursue their goals
• Better cope with feelings of stress

Building self-confidence can be a challenge, but it’s worth the effort. These 25 tips can help you on your journey to a more confident self.

The Bottom Line

Start by implementing one or two of these tips, and be patient with yourself as you work to build up your self-confidence. It takes time and effort, but it is possible to feel more confident in yourself. With patience and practice, you can learn to trust yourself and your abilities and feel good about who you are.

5 steps to gaining confidence in essay writing

The student perspective series

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First year university students often feel pressure to achieve academic success while also participating in the stereotypical student experience such as joining societies, attending events, and making new friends. Balancing this with new academic processes such as increased workloads and prescriptive referencing rules—all vastly different to the experience at secondary school or college— can be challenging.

As a second-year student at Durham University, I’d like to share my story about how managing new writing challenges built my confidence and helped me maintain integrity , even when deadlines were quickly approaching. Here are a few pointers to build your confidence and reduce stress during the essay writing process. And if you're an educator, why not share my tips with your students?

Your first essay does not need to be perfect. Learning something new is, after all, one of the main reasons for attending university. By putting too much pressure on yourself, you are prone to feeling exhausted and burnt out, so instead, be your strongest ally. Use the comprehensive feedback your professors provide to hone your skills and improve your next piece of work. Often UK universities have policies in place that state your first year does not impact your final degree classification, providing the opportunity for you to learn, improve, and impress in second and third year.

Writing an essay can be hard when there are so many distractions. My advice is to invest your time well to minimise stress and the feeling of being overwhelmed during the writing and submission process. Increased planning will make essay writing much more enjoyable; instead of writing and researching for two days straight, you’ll be working on your essay for just a couple of hours every few days. In addition, you’ll have time for leisure activities such as going for walks, hanging out with friends or even watching Netflix.

In your first few weeks at university, professors quickly start discussing citation and referencing. It is important to know which referencing style your university uses, for example Harvard, MLA or APA. This is often covered in introductory lectures or shared with you in your Learning Management System, like Blackboard or Canvas, but if you’re struggling to locate it, make sure you ask your lecturer before you start your assignment.

Referencing, overall, does not need to take hours. A key tip is keeping track of all your references throughout the research process. If you wait until the end of your essay to start referencing, you run the risk of forgetting the origin of your quotes and being forced to remove them from your assignment since you should not include a quote without a full citation and reference.

The final step is submitting your paper. Try to keep in mind that all essays are learning experiences and you can relax after submission. Your institution might make you submit your assignment through an academic integrity software, such as Turnitin. This stage can sometimes induce anxiety for students, but, if harnessed correctly, education software, like Turnitin, can support students rather than inhibit them. If you have done your research, tried your best and your work is your own, you should have nothing to worry about.

Your module leaders are experts at writing academic papers and should be able to help you understand an assignment's requirements. Lecturers often have marking criteria that is a guide for them but can also benefit you in understanding how your teachers plan to mark your essay so you can plan and write in a way that meets their expectations.

These steps have been designed to help you build confidence in your own academic writing and produce high quality work that oozes integrity. Copying or bypassing rules may seem the easiest way to avoid these stressful situations, but from my experience, learning to write your own work and being confident in your own abilities is not only crucial at university but also later in life. Give those essays a go, make mistakes, and learn from them!

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Self-Confidence Essay: Writing Guide, Topics, & Sample

Problems with self-confidence are relatively common, especially among teenagers and young adults. We all have experienced a lack of self-confidence in certain situations.

What can be the main factors causing low self-esteem?

• Fear and anxiety. It comes from self-doubt and the comparison of yourself to others.
• Lack of motivation. It happens because of criticism or other factors.
• Lack of support. Approval or help from peers or mentors is essential.
• No sense of authenticity. Feeling confident in who you are, gives a great source of power.

It is essential to address these issues as soon as possible. They can lead to problems with communication, personal growth, and difficulties in studies or career.

In this article, our expert team explains how to write a paper about self-confidence. You’ll find writing tips, topics, and an essay example at the end.

• ✍️ Writing a Self-Confidence Essay
• 🧾 82 Topics
• ✒️ Essay Sample

✍️ Essay on Self-Confidence – How to Write

Let’s start with the basics. Follow the steps below to prepare your paper smartly.

1. Choose a Topic

When you write about self-confidence, try to make your topic more specific .

Example of a bad topic: Why is self-confidence important to every person?

Example of a good topic: The connection between self-confidence and studying performance among first-year students.

The first topic is rather general and probably very common. The second one is narrower and implies that you have researched and prepared the paper.

2. Make an Outline

Planning your essay will save you some time and help you focus on the essential aspects.

Here is how to build an outline:

3. Research

Depending on the topic, you might need to conduct research. Don’t choose sources like Wikipedia or forums in your paper; read them only to overview the issue.

Here is why research is always beneficial:

• Information inspires, even if you don’t plan to use particular materials.
• Sources will add your writing some quality and competence.
• It will help you define if your topic is overused or too narrow.

Use these tips to write an essay easily:

• Start with body paragraphs and finish with a conclusion or introduction.
• Create several drafts or versions of your essay and choose the best one.
• Proofread and check for plagiarism.
• If you write a narrative essay based on personal experience, don’t forget about the academic requirements.

🧾 82 Self-Confidence Essay Topics

Here is our selection of the best self-confidence essay topics.

• The correlation between self-confidence and career expectations. Use research to show the connection between ambitions and confidence.
• How does stereotyping affect self-confidence in communication? Explain your opinion about popular stereotypes and people’s ability to confront them using their confidence.
• The reasons why self-esteem is as important as intelligence in the educational sphere. Describe your experience or use statistics to prove this statement.
• The factors that influence the formation of children’s self-esteem. Describe the aspects connected with family, peers, education, hobbies, etc.
• What professions demand a high level of self-confidence? Choose from one to three careers and explain the role of confidence in them.
• What are the negative sides of being too self-confident? Use something you have experienced, a real story, or a book or film plot to develop this topic.
• Why are many people confident only in some spheres of their life ? Describe this phenomenon and connect it with your life or research data.
• Discuss the impact of self-confidence in relationships with family members. Write about the competition that often takes place in families and how it is connected with confidence.
• How not to let criticism harm self-confidence. Explain how to embrace problems and use criticism for your personal growth.
• What is the difference between having high self-esteem and being selfish ? Compare these concepts and provide your readers with similarities and differences.
• How do bullying and discrimination affect teenagers’ self-esteem?
• Describe the situation when you wish you had more self-confidence.
• Adolescents’ depression: Issue analysis .
• The factors that show that a child has problems with self-confidence.
• Teachers’ sense of self-efficacy .
• Is it easier for self-confident people to succeed in life?
• Low self-esteem women and their relationships with men.
• How to prepare for a public speech if you are not confident enough?
• Depression development and its causes .
• How does self-esteem affect romantic relationships?
• Digital self-harm, causes, and interventions: Annotated bibliography .
• Define the importance of self-confidence in stressful situations.
• Motivational strategies to enhance the student’s self-efficacy .
• What are the best strategies to boost self-confidence as a student?
• How does a divorce affect children’s self-esteem?
• Digital self-harm overview: Causes and interventions .
• How does self-confidence influence people who work in creative industries?
• Social psychology: Group influence on the self .
• Define the word “confidence” using your life experiences.
• Depression in adolescents .
• Is it possible to lose your confidence completely?
• The developing discipline and self-concept in early to mid-adolescence .
• The importance of counseling in educational institutions.
• Competence and self-esteem in human relations .
• How to define if you have issues with self-confidence?
• Is self-confidence a character feature you have naturally or need to develop?
• Self-harm and suicide among adolescents .
• How to define if the person is confident based on their body language?
• How does child neglect affect a child’s self-esteem in adulthood ?
• Is it easier for confident people to make friends?
• Suicide prevention: Bullying and depression .
• Do you consider yourself a confident person?
• What are the negative outcomes of being too self-confident?
• Define what is meant by “child neglect becomes self-esteem.”
• How does capitalism regard individualism and self-confident people?
• What are the things self-confidence depends on?
• Childhood bullying: Depression and suicidal attempts .
• Do you need a specialist to eliminate problems with self-confidence?
• Native American adolescent females and self-esteem concerns .
• How does self-confidence influence life choices?
• How would you explain the word “self-confidence” to someone who doesn’t speak English?
• Bullying and participation in classes .
• How does learning new things boost students’ self-confidence?
• Instagram addiction and self-esteem in high school students .
• Why should teachers do their best to boost their students’ self-confidence?
• How does lack of self-confidence affect kids’ motivation to learn?
• Childhood trauma and bullying: Adulthood effects .
• The connection between self-confidence and social acknowledgment in high school.
• Obesity and self-esteem in children and adolescents .
• How does lack of self-confidence affect mental health?
• How to embrace failures as a self-confident person?
• The relationship between bullying and participation in physical education classes .
• How can parents influence children’s self-esteem?
• The role of self-confidence in nursing clinical practice .
• How does external motivation help to build self-confidence?
• Teenage suicide: The silent killer of the youth .
• How do sports help to build your self-confidence?
• Bullying in schools: History, causes, and solutions .
• What is the difference between self-love and self-confidence?
• Self-esteem measurement scale proposal .
• What are the challenges underconfident teenagers face at school?
• The influence of a toxic social environment on self-confidence.
• Teenage suicide factors and psychological aspects .
• The connection between stress resilience and self-confidence among young adults.
• Risk factors for deliberate self-harm .
• How to practice self-confidence daily?
• The relationship between teenage suicide and depression .
• Does overcoming challenges and solving problems make you more self-confident?
• LGBTQ students’ bullying in schools .
• Describe your experience when self-confidence helped you to succeed.
• Statistics: Teachers’ self-efficacy and gender .
• The importance of self-confidence in a highly competitive environment.

✒️ Self-Confidence and Healthy Life Essay

In the end, check our examples of a self-confidence essay.

When we start thinking about leading a healthy lifestyle, the first things that come to our minds might be nutritious food, regular sports, and getting enough sleep. It can be not so obvious, but having enough self-confidence is a reasonable basis for a healthy lifestyle. Self-confidence influences mental and physical health because it defines how you treat yourself and your relationships and enables you to enjoy your accomplishments fully. If you are self-confident, you value and treat yourself the way you deserve it. Wasting your time and effort on the things you do not need becomes redundant. It also means that you are optimistic and know what you want most of the time. Such an approach helps to reduce anxiety and stress levels. Self-confident people surround themselves with positive relationships that are beneficial for their health. They are not afraid to say “no” to those they do not like. Self-confidence also helps you establish relationships based on mutual respect and understanding each other’s self-worth. This is how you can protect yourself from toxic people and useless interactions. Knowing that you succeeded because you deserve it brings more positive emotions. When you lack self-confidence, you might undervalue your effort and think that you simply got lucky. Confident people know that they invested their resources and received a particular reward. Establishing this logical connection not only maintains but also boosts confidence. Self-confidence can be a great thing to start with if you want to improve your health. It also makes you surround yourself with the right people and experiences. Knowing your self-worth, having a positive social circle, and appreciating your achievements are always beneficial to mental health.

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50 Quick Tips for Boosting Your Confidence

Try one of these real-life tested tips to increase your confidence level..

Posted November 5, 2018 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

• Cultivating Confidence
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I asked people on my Facebook page to list their favorite confidence -boosting tip. I ended up with an awesome list of 50 practical, real-life tested strategies which I’m excited to share with you!

I've grouped the tips into categories to make the list reader-friendly. As with any list like this, the tips scratch the surface of a deeper concept.

For a more in-depth look at these and other strategies, check out the new book I co-authored with Celia Ampel, The Self-Confidence Workbook: A Guide to Overcoming Self-Doubt and Improving Self-Esteem.

Be Nice to Yourself

1. A new trick I've learned is to actually just be ok with myself when I'm not feeling confident. I talk to myself like a friend and use gentle encouragement to bolster myself.—Kristi

2. Being your own best cheerleader. Telling yourself, "I've got this!"—Megan

3. Self-compassion is a must for engaged living and it can be tough to remember that. One of the ways I keep it in mind is by remembering my mother’s laugh and her pride in her children.—Cindy

4. Remembering to take care of myself.—Tamara

5. Not pretending to be something I’m not.—Shannon

6. I trust myself and my inner guidance!—Barbara

Plan and Be Prepared

7. To feel confident, I always plan my priorities and meals in the evening for the next day. I sleep better knowing what is most important for the family and my well-being!—Karen

8. One of my tricks for being self-confident while giving a presentation is to be well-prepared and to love what I am talking about. In those moments I am eager to present and cannot wait for the audience to hear my talk.—Jadranka

Practice Gratitude

9. When I want to feel confidence, I remember how grateful I am for all the people and the good in my life. It may sound unrelated, but gratitude gives me confidence.—Malina

10. Embracing the little things. For example, I don’t like season changes, so I embrace something about it....like pumpkin spice!—Amanda

11. I keep a journal of positive affirmations and gratitude and I’ll pick a random page and reflect on it— reminds me of where I’ve been and energizes me for all that there is ahead.—Joseline

Remind Yourself of What Is Important

12. Practicing, presenting, or learning about the things I am most passionate about. This is what fills me with confidence!—Sasha

13. One of my tricks is that I have a daughter looking up to me for guidance.—Donna

14. When I need to act more confidently, I remind myself of my personal values. That makes me feel that I do have things to offer and contribute.—Julia

15. I try and be confident for my kids and teach them the same.—Tammy

16. I think about the times people have told me that I have helped them.—Shauna

17. For me, it is to remember to whom I belong.—Crystal

18. Set intentions for the moment, the week, my life and plan my actions accordingly. There will be obstacles and setbacks, and yet, I work to keep moving in the direction of what matters to me!—Linda

Remember When Things Went Well

19. I remember a time I took a risk and was/am happy about the outcome.—Liz

20. Remind myself of the moments I have been proud of myself.—Sarah

21. I feel more confident when I try to remember my strength, abilities, and the things that I achieved despite the hard circumstances.—Amjad

22. I feel confident when I tackle something I need to do. It creates momentum. “I accomplished that, why don’t I do this next, and then this...” -Nicole

23. When I want to feel confident, I remind myself that I can do hard things—often repeating the phrase as a mantra, either in my head or out loud, until I feel ready to deal with whatever comes my way.—Courtney

Practice Good Posture

24. My trick for confidence is to stand up tall. Having good posture always seems to put me in a better frame of mind.—Lindsay

25. A smile and awareness of posture—lengthening my spine rather than slumping!—Angie

26. When I am facing a crisis in my life I walk tall, head held high. This boosts my confidence to face each day until the crisis passes. Then I cry to let it all out.—Maxine

27. One of my tricks for feeling confident is to watch Wonder Woman! She is strong and powerful but also compassionate. She inspires me.—Kitty

Other Body-Based Tips

28. One of my simple tricks for feeling confident—breath. Deep, calming, soothing breathing. Always works.—Emilka

29. When I want to boost my confidence, I just think that everyone puts their pants on the same. And deep breathing helps as well.—Michael

30. One of my ways for feeling confident is to keep up my daily routine of meditation and yoga. I feel like I’m spending time with myself and getting to know and love myself just the way I am.—Heather

Mini-Confidence Boosters

31. Putting on a great pair of boots makes me feel confident to kick butt.—Shauna

32. The cup of tea I have at work in the morning. After I finish drinking it, I feel like I can conquer the world.—Oswald

33. I feel better when I am wearing a pair of beaded earrings that I made.—Anneh

34. I wear the color orange. It's my power color!—Fran

35. Wearing an outfit that makes me look good.—Amanda

36. My trick to feeling confident is playing music in the car before I go places to pump me up!—Jody

37. For me, it’s red lipstick. Makes me feel powerful.—Tara

38. I put some mascara on. I'm not massively into makeup and can go for weeks without wearing any. But for a quick confidence boost, mascara is my number 1 trick.—Becky

39. Taking the time to do my hair and put on makeup. As a stay-at-home mom, it's easy to fall into the trap of not taking time for yourself.—Jennifer

40. A great pair of heels can do wonders... until my feet start to hurt.—Darcy

41. I do three things to feel confident: I wear whatever makes me feel great that morning, I breathe, and I take a moment to say, "It is OK to feel and I am OK with my feelings." Finally, I listen to music to lift my mood.—Kerrie

42. One trick I use is I imagine the supportive people in my life encouraging me and supporting me! It’s a great boost!—Tina

43. One of my tricks for feeling confident is surrounding myself with friends and family who are positive and encouraging. These are the people who help me to be my best self.—Amy

44. I surround myself with positive people and stay away from toxic people. I also focus on my accomplishments vs. negativity.—Nicole

Setting Boundaries

45. One of my tricks for feeling confident is curating my Facebook feed—I want to make sure that what shows up as I scroll through are things that lift me up, affirm me or challenge me. (So, many people's statuses don't get my attention —but that also means I'm potentially not comparing myself to others, which is a difficult thing to avoid with social media .)—Meg

46. Learning to say no to toxic people and situations makes me feel confident in taking care of myself.—Sandra

47. When meeting someone new, I try to act like I have known them forever. It works for me most of the time.—Robin

Positive Affirmations and Quotes

48. My trick is to say some uplifting and positive affirmations to myself or read some inspiring quotes.—Miranda

49. I like to keep myself surrounded by positive sayings or verses. I have a pin that I carry with me often that says “Be Brave." When I am not feeling confident I will get it out to remind me that I’ve got this.—Sherry

50. I use my mantra that I am me. Not this body. Not defined by my job. I am me and my spirit shines brightly. This reminds me that that there is nothing to be afraid of. Fear is just made up in my mind.—Lisa

You might also like "13 Things Confident People Don't Do."

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Confidence — Self-confidence: How to Become Self-confident

Self-confidence: How to Become Self-confident

• Categories: Confidence Personal Growth and Development Personal Qualities

About this sample

Words: 603 |

Published: Apr 11, 2019

Words: 603 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Table of contents

Present yourself as self-confident, express your confidence in gesture, talk to your eyes with eyes, do not talk negative about yourself, meet with people and increase networks, write down your receipt and non-receptions, increase skills in place of interest, help others, leave the company of harmful people.

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Essay on Building Self Confidence

Students are often asked to write an essay on Building Self Confidence in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Building Self Confidence

What is self confidence.

Self-confidence is a feeling of trust in one’s abilities, qualities, and judgment. It is a key part of success in life. When you believe in yourself, you can face challenges with ease. Self-confidence is not about being perfect, but about knowing your worth even with your flaws.

Importance of Self Confidence

Self-confidence is very important. It helps you to speak up, take risks, and face challenges. It makes you feel good about yourself. When you’re confident, you’re more likely to try new things. This can lead to more experiences and success.

Building Self Confidence

Building self-confidence takes time and effort. Start by setting realistic goals and working towards them. Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small. Learn from your mistakes instead of feeling bad about them. Try to stay positive and surround yourself with positive people.

Role of Positivity

Being positive can boost your self-confidence. Try to focus on the good things in your life. Be kind to yourself and others. Remember, everyone makes mistakes. It’s how you learn and grow. So, always stay positive and believe in yourself.

In conclusion, self-confidence is very important. It helps you to face challenges and achieve your goals. Remember, it’s okay to make mistakes. Learn from them and keep moving forward. Always believe in yourself, stay positive, and you can build your self-confidence.

250 Words Essay on Building Self Confidence

Self-confidence is the belief in oneself and one’s abilities. It’s like a bright light inside you that shines when you believe in what you can do. It’s a key part of success and happiness.

Why is Self Confidence Important?

Being self-confident helps you face challenges and overcome fears. It helps you do better in school, sports, and hobbies. Self-confident people are more likely to try new things, take risks, and solve problems.

Building self-confidence is like building a muscle. It gets stronger with practice. Here are some steps to build your self-confidence.

Start by setting small goals that you can achieve easily. Achieving these goals will make you feel good about yourself and boost your confidence.

Positive Self-Talk

Speak to yourself in a positive way. Instead of saying “I can’t do this”, say “I will try my best”. This positive self-talk can help build your confidence.

The more you practice, the better you get. Whether it’s math, reading, or a sport, practice can help you improve and make you feel more confident.

Don’t Fear Failure

Everyone makes mistakes. It’s part of learning. Don’t be scared of failing. Instead, learn from your mistakes and keep trying.

Believe in Yourself

The most important step in building self-confidence is to believe in yourself. You are unique and capable. Believe in your abilities and let your confidence shine.

Remember, building self-confidence takes time. Be patient with yourself, keep trying, and never give up. You can do it!

500 Words Essay on Building Self Confidence

Self-confidence is the belief in oneself and one’s abilities. It’s like a bridge between your mind and your actions. When you have self-confidence, you trust your own skills and are not scared to try new things. You feel ready to face any challenge that comes your way.

Self-confidence is important for many reasons. First, it helps you to feel good about yourself. This feeling can make your life happier and more enjoyable. Second, it helps you to reach your goals. When you believe in yourself, you are more likely to take action and work hard to achieve what you want. Third, it helps you to handle stress and problems better. If you trust your ability to solve problems, you won’t panic or feel stressed when things go wrong.

Steps to Build Self Confidence

Building self-confidence is like planting a seed and helping it grow. It takes time and care. Here are some steps you can take to build your self-confidence.

Set Realistic Goals

Start by setting goals that you can achieve. They should be challenging, but not impossible. When you achieve these goals, you will feel proud of yourself. This can boost your self-confidence.

Practice Regularly

Just like learning a new skill, building self-confidence requires practice. Try to do things that make you uncomfortable or scared. The more you do them, the more confident you will become.

Think Positively

Your thoughts can affect your self-confidence. Try to think positively about yourself and your abilities. If you make a mistake, don’t beat yourself up. Instead, learn from it and move on.

Surround Yourself with Positive People

The people around you can influence your self-confidence. Try to spend time with people who are positive and supportive. They can help you to feel good about yourself and boost your self-confidence.

Take Care of Your Body

Your physical health can affect your self-confidence. Try to eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. When you feel good physically, you are more likely to feel good mentally.

Building self-confidence is a journey, not a destination. It’s about learning to trust yourself and your abilities. It’s about facing your fears and overcoming challenges. And most importantly, it’s about believing in yourself, even when things get tough. So, start today, take small steps, and watch your self-confidence grow.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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Advice for the Unmotivated

• Robin Abrahams
• Boris Groysberg

How to reignite your enthusiasm for work

Employee disengagement is rampant in the workplace. We’ve all experienced it as customers encountering unhelpful retail clerks and as colleagues dealing with apathetic teammates. But what happens when you yourself feel dead at work?

This article describes what you as an individual can do to sustain your motivation or recover it, even in the most stultifying of jobs. After synthesizing research on this challenge and experimenting with various strategies, the authors have developed a process for recharging yourself called DEAR.

The first step is to detach and objectively analyze your situation so that you can make wise choices about it, instead of reacting in a fight-or-flight way. At day’s end, review what went well at your job and then mentally disconnect from it to give yourself a break. Meditation and exercise can help you do that and will improve your mood and cognitive function. Next, show empathy. Practice self-care, make friends, recognize the accomplishments of others, seek their views, and help them. Research shows that this combats burnout. Third, take action: achieve small wins, invest in rewarding outside activities, redefine your responsibilities, and turn uninteresting tasks into games. Ask yourself how someone you admire would behave in your situation, and dress in a way that projects confidence. Last, reframe your thinking: Focus on the informal roles you enjoy at work, your job’s higher-order purpose, and how others benefit from your work. All these techniques will improve your mental health and increase the energy you bring to your job—even if it is not what you’d like it to be.

In virtually everyone’s career, there comes a time when motivation and interest vanish. The usual tasks feel tedious. It’s hard to muster the energy for new projects. Though we go through the motions of being good employees or managers, we’re not really “there.” We become ghosts or zombies: the working dead.

• Robin Abrahams is a research associate at Harvard Business School.
• BG Boris Groysberg is a professor of business administration in the Organizational Behavior unit at Harvard Business School and a faculty affiliate at the school’s Race, Gender & Equity Initiative. He is the coauthor, with Colleen Ammerman, of Glass Half-Broken: Shattering the Barriers That Still Hold Women Back at Work (Harvard Business Review Press, 2021). bgroysberg

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