How to Train Yourself to Act Confident (with 8 Mental Hacks!)

We all want to be super confident and enter every room with unbreakable poise, right? And you probably want to learn how to act more confident? The problem is of course that it’s easier said than done.

If you’ve always been shy, or you have been bullied, or maybe you simply have a habit of being quiet and not stepping out of your comfort zone, it can be a challenge to try to change yourself and your life. Worry not though, I can assure you that it can definitely be done.

One of the best ways to become more confident is by faking it till you make it. Faking confidence can sound odd and difficult, but if you are up for the challenge, you can start seeing progress really fast.

Remember that others don’t judge you by your thoughts. They only see how you act. If you can pull off being a confident person, you’ll start believing in it yourself and little by little your life will become easier.

Figure out what is your biggest challenge

The first thing you have to do when starting to train yourself to become more confident is to figure out what exactly is the problem. What is keeping you behind? Why are you so afraid to step out of your comfort zone?

Try to find out where it all started or what scares you the most. If you dream of being an excellent public speaker, you might be afraid that you’ll make a complete fool of yourself in front of everyone’s eyes. If you are shy around new people, you maybe feel like others will judge you if you say what you really think.

Whatever the main problem behind your lack of confidence is, make sure you’re very clear about it. Get to the root of the problem and ask yourself what are all the different worst-case scenarios in the back of your mind. Chances are you’ll notice that your fears are actually rather far-fetched and it might not be that hard to change your habits after all.

I know it’s not easy to change yourself if you’ve been shy all your life or if you’ve been severely bullied in the past. But it is still possible. And nothing changes on its own, you have to actively take steps to change yourself. It takes time, but it will be worth it.

Make a plan to become confident

When you want to make a big change, you need a plan. You can’t become confident simply by snapping your fingers. Instead, you can come up with little challenges for yourself and figure out what are the situations where you usually lack confidence or act in a way that you’re not happy with.

For example your job or school is a great place to challenge yourself. Don’t worry, you don’t have to do anything that is too scary. You yourself know what is a good challenge and what is too much asked.

Just come up with ways to act confident in your daily life, even if it’s something that seems really small. Those small changes can make a big difference over time.

Some suggestions for how to train yourself to be more confident:

1. Greet people with a louder, more confident voice
2. Say yes to things you want before ruminating about all the things that could go wrong
3. Make suggestions and take a more active role in group settings
4. Sit in the front or the middle of the room
5. Ask for help instead of trying to figure out everything on your own
6. Start a new hobby and go talk to new people
7. If you start to think about what other people are thinking about you, just stop
8. Say something encouraging to yourself in front of the mirror every morning

Mental hacks to boost your confidence

Confidence is all in your mind, which means that it has a lot to do with what you tell yourself and how you see yourself. Negative self-talk can do a lot of damage, but thankfully it’s something you can change. To start acting more confident, try these hacks:

1. Remember that everything is easier than it first seems

Look back at all the times you’ve felt nervous or shy. Then ask yourself if there really was something to be nervous about. We often assume things to be much more difficult than they really are. Keeping in mind that life tends to be pretty simple can make you feel much more comfortable.

2. Talk to yourself

If you talk to yourself positively, your mind starts believing in your words. If you tell yourself that you can do this, it becomes the truth in your mind.

3. Smile a lot

Smiling tells your brain that things are good. You can use this to your advantage even when there’s nothing much to smile about. It will make you feel better.

4. Step out of your comfort zone

Sometimes it’s beneficial to knowingly put yourself in an uncomfortable situation. This will train you to be ok with being uncomfortable and you will learn that what seems too difficult for you actually isn’t that bad.

5. Dress well

Wearing clothes that make you feel comfortable and confident can boost your self-confidence.

6. Remember that fears aren’t necessarily real

Just because you are afraid doesn’t mean that there really is something to be afraid of. Ask yourself if something truly bad can really happen. If not, tell yourself that there’s nothing to fear.

7. Stay busy

Sometimes simply being busy enough ensures that you don’t have time for self-doubt and acting confident comes naturally. Afterwards you can look back and see that you really can handle it.

8. Remember that failure can be a good thing

Failure can lead to wonderful things. Being confident and having the courage to try new things can help you a lot on your way to success.

Remember that it is a marathon, not a sprint

Becoming confident is not the easiest challenge for sure. That’s why you have to keep in mind that this will take time and you will suffer setbacks. Focus on taking one step at a time.

Consistency and perseverance will bring results and before you know it, you’re already clearly more confident than a few months ago! If you set your mind to this and don’t let tiny setbacks discourage you, you will enjoy your new self and your new, easier, and more comfortable life in less than a year.

Imagine what your life could be like a year from now if you start challenging yourself to act more confident today. Imagine how easy it would be to talk to people, how much fun it would be to be 100% yourself, and how much more you could get done if you simply believed in yourself and didn’t hold yourself back.

Start today, take one step at a time, and keep pushing yourself forward. Don’t worry if progress isn’t as fast as you had hoped for. What matters, is that you make progress, even if it’s slow. And remember to give yourself credit for all your hard work.

Conclusion

Do you suffer from low self-confidence or shyness? Have you found a way to boost your confidence? If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comments. Make sure to pin this post or share it if you liked it!

Also, if you are serious about becoming more confident and changing your life, make sure to sign up for my newsletter. You will get a free copy of my ebook ‘A Simple Guide to a Productive Life’, which teaches you how to be productive in the morning and how to plan your weeks among other things.

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