Learn How to Trust Yourself and Be Confident in Life

There’s always at least one time in one’s life when feeling confident is required. It could be when one is preparing for an interview with a highly revered organization. Or perhaps it could happen when one is mounting a stage to talk to a crowd of angry or happy people. And there is a popular saying in recent times that it is okay if one nurses fears sometimes. While this is said to show empathy during one’s vulnerable state, one should try to be of good confidence at all times.

For, how can one convince another to believe in him if one does not first believe, is confident in, or trusts, himself?

Trust is a currency that is earned over time. If you do not trust someone, it means the person has not done enough for you to validate him/her. Likewise, if you do not trust yourself, it simply means you feel you have not done enough work on yourself. Trusting yourself is an experiential learning process that teaches one how to be more confident. The end of this learning experience is the build-up of confidence in oneself for life.

We shall discuss below some of the methods you can adopt in learning to trust yourself and becoming confident in life.

Be Open To Learning

Oftentimes, babies cry when they suddenly realize there is no babysitter around. This is because they do not trust themselves to do things for themselves by themselves. It changes when they gradually learn to walk, feed, and talk well. When we learn the ropes in our respective fields, we become more confident to share even our vulnerabilities with others. Our fears oftentimes come from our inadequacies. But once we have done our homework, we are more trusting of our abilities to deliver the desired results.

Always Sell Yourself

You are in an external meeting, for instance, and the facilitator asks anyone to throw in a comment or question? Seize the opportunity immediately to sell yourself before you reply. Instead of saying “My name is Mary Wright and my question is…”, say “My name is Mary Wright, I am a writer/filmmaker focused on promoting arts and culture in emerging markets. My comment is…”.

That way, you have communicated to the audience that you are a professional and are confident in the services you provide. Correspondingly, your audience may perceive you to be someone they could trust his/her opinions on a matter. Always find a space in formal and informal conversations to sell what you can do. It reinforces confidence in your abilities.

Be Open To Criticism

Self-criticism is never enough. You may love what you do but there may be better ways of doing what you love. Being able to chest the criticisms that may come from hard work is an indicator of how confident one is in himself. Certainly, not all criticisms are helpful. But when you are able to differentiate between a destructive criticism from a constructive one, it proves self-confidence.

Accept New Challenges

If you trust you won’t make a mistake on a given task, that task is likely one you’ve repeatedly executed. Sometimes, one may need to test his/her efficiency and effectiveness outside his/her usual routine. A teacher that is afraid to take classes outside one preferred class is still lacking in confidence. To be confident in life also means that you are able to replicate your success in one place unto another. Accepting new challenges is a way of putting you to the test. If successful, you would be more confident and more trusting in yourself.

Practise Public Speaking

One of the visible signs of confident people is that they are charismatic. It is arguable if it is a natural ability, but certainly it is something that can be learned. And one of the ways to hold or sway people is by being a good speaker in public. Public speaking helps to overcome some emotions that make people less confident, less trusting of themselves.

The instance in the beginning of this article, stage fright, is something that has caused many to lose opportunities or give up on their dreams. Practicing good public speaking is good for improving one’s communication skills. Being able to communicate your intentions, ideas, capabilities, goodwill can help win people’s confidence in you. When people pass a vote of  confidence in you, it helps to increase or bring back your confidence.