How to Build More Self-Confidence: Practices from a World Record Holder
If you would like to learn even more from Kristina, she also teaches an in-depth 2-hour online course on the IPS Academy where she shares everything that she learned about self-confidence from setting two world records and achieving various other incredible feats, as well as how to set effective goals, and how not to give up when things go downhill.
Being self-confident makes you happier and more successful, but hey, those are not the right reasons to try to be more confident.
If you have low self-confidence, or almost none at all, and you are happy with it, just let it be. If instead, you want to increase your self-confidence, this little article will give you some suggestions on how to do it.
Let´s start with courage, however.
Courage can be defined as “the deliberate choice during fearful circumstances to act for the sake of a worthy goal”.
That worthy goal might for instance be a task, a bigger project, or even becoming who you want to be.
It may mean that you act with integrity according to your values, no matter what others think of you, even if your actions might expose you to negative reactions from others.
Self-confidence can be defined as having trust in yourself and your abilities, as well as the realistic belief that you will be able to do what you wish and plan for, even if you do not yet possess the right skills.
Self-confidence, courage, and fear are linked together. If your fear is high and your self-confidence is low, you will probably not act according to your values or achieve what you want in life.
If on the other hand your fear is inappropriately low for the given situation and your self-confidence is high, you will probably end up being foolhardy.
To be courageous in a way that makes you grow as a person, fear and self-confidence need to balance each other out.
By exposing yourself to unknown situations where you learn more about yourself, you will increase your self-confidence and be freer to live your life the way you want to – if that is what you want, of course.
Some are happy doing things as they have always done them and others want to step out of their comfort zone to grow.
Just remember to stay respectful of who you are.
Having said that, increased self-confidence leads to a greater sense of self-worth, more happiness and enjoyment, freedom from self-doubt, increased strength and capabilities, freedom from fear and anxiety – even social anxiety – more peace of mind, energy and motivation, less stress, better sleep and health, and greater success.
So here are a few things you can do to increase your self-confidence:
As a morning routine, talk to yourself with a kind inner voice: Start the morning by looking at yourself in the mirror and pretending you are your best friend.
What do you wish would happen today for this beloved person you have in front of you?
It might be several things. Choose the one that is the most appealing to you, look yourself in the eyes, and say it out loud.
As an evening routine, give yourself five: Write down five things that you have successfully done today.
With ”successfully” I mean things that help you become who you want to be or to achieve your goals.
Perhaps you made a good decision, did some exercise, or finally cleaned up that mess so you can get going with what you really want to do.
Write down whatever you feel proud of or are happy to have achieved that day.
Create a golden treasure library of good thoughts, quotations, or things that people you value have said or written about you.
You can even contact them (by e-mail, phone, text, Messenger, etc.) and ask them to tell you what they appreciate about you.
Keep this library with quotes in a safe place and read it when you are feeling down and/or as a continuous, uplifting routine, for instance, once a week.
Remember to save new quotes in your golden treasure library!
Memento mori: Remember that you must die. It might sound negative to think about death, but life and death are closely linked to each other, and being close to death means being close to life.
Once a month, ask yourself the following questions: do I live my life the way I want to?
If I died tomorrow, would I feel satisfied with the life I have lived? Is there anything that I wish I would have done or done more or less of? Is there anything I regret?
It might be useful to walk around in a graveyard, to physically witness that life will end one day, while doing this exercise.
If you have friends or relatives who are in the hospital, visiting them might also help you reflect on what is important in life.
Make a list of what you want to change. Then go ahead and make those changes! And remember to be grateful for everything that you have got in your life right now.
As a suggestion, you can also write a ”gratitude list”. Remember to also write down small, but very vital things, like for instance having the ability to breathe.
If you would like to spend more time with Kristina, she also appeared on The IPS Podcast where she gave an incredible 2-hour interview about being the first woman to run 1144 miles alone through Iran, fear, self-confidence, and various other interesting topics. You can find the episode ‘here’.
Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.
Your voice matters!
- How to Build More Self-Confidence: Practices from a World Record Holder - January 17, 2021
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