5 Daily Exercises For A New Confident "You"

“Trust in yourself, and you will know how to live."

This quote from Goethe nicely sums up the message behind this article.

Lack of self-confidence has an impact on one's relationships with others. But even more importantly, it has an impact on how much we enjoy our lives and what we make of the short amount of time we're given on this earth.

Self-confidence plays a huge role in our ability to bounce back from failure and to seize opportunities and chances coming our way. Negative self-talk such as: "I'll never make it", "What will the others think?", "What if I fail?", makes it impossible for us to rise to life's challenges. The good news is that self-confidence can be taught with only a little practice!

These are my 5 top exercises to increase self-confidence, to practice at least a few minutes every day and without moderation!

Remember Your Qualities

When someone asks you about your qualities, are you the type to stammer and hesitate, while asking yourself: “he should have asked me about my faults? I already have 15 in mind…”? If you recognize yourself in this behavior, then this exercise is for you!

Start by doing a bit of introspection or a little investigation. Ask some of your loved ones for the top 3 qualities they would give you. Write down all their responses as well as your own answer about yourself.

Now that you have your list of qualities, your goal will be to memorize it and recite it regularly. Even if it sounds like a difficult exercise, the ideal is to say them out loud in front of the mirror every morning or, you can repeat them in your head, for example, while brushing your teeth or as you just open your eyes in bed...This is a great way to start the day with confidence!

Repeat your qualities constantly the same way you would repeat positive affirmations.

The goal of this exercise is that with repetition it will become natural for you to remember and remind yourself of all that is good in you whenever the negative self-talk monster pops in for a visit!

Connect With Positivity

Smile at life and life will smile at you.

Are you familiar with the Coué method? The principle is simple: suggest to your imagination what you want to see happen. Thus, when you repeat in your head positive affirmations such as: "I am capable of accomplishing great things", "I am at peace with myself" or "I am asserting myself more and more, with benevolence and authenticity”, you end up integrating them. Choose one that inspires you every day and the resonates with who you are and what you want from life and repeat it a few times in the shower in the morning.

A secret tip: I know that positive affirmations are not everyone's cup of tea. For some, they don't work because they are met with lots of resistance and limiting beliefs. One way I made them work for me is by connecting them to my own personal qualities or a memory. This way they don't seem so unbelievable.

Example: instead of simply saying "I can achieve anything I want" like a robot, I connect it with the memory of that time when I wished for something, worked for it and achieved it.

Put an end to sabotaging words

Do you ever call yourself "stupid", "dumb", sometimes even out loud? A word of advice: stop. This behavior may seem trivial to you, but trust me,it is not, far from it.

There is a saying in Turkish that I think adresses one of life's most simple but strongest truths: "the tongue throws seeds".

This could apply to a lot of things including self-confidence.

Each time you anchor a devaluing adjective in your head, you undermine your self-esteem and your self-confidence. You build up a limiting belief that is not without consequence and that will end up convincing you that you are not intelligent, solid, or charismatic enough to get this job, set up your business, and pursue your dreams.

To carry out this exercise, the most important thing is to be aware of the situations where you use these sabotaging words. As soon as you catch yourself saying or thinking a demeaning word, try rephrasing the sentence in a more positive way while also trying to focus on a solution. For example: instead of saying "I am so careless, I forgot my dog's appointment today!" Try saying instead: "Of course, I forgot. I have so much going on today. Next time I'll set an alarm to make sure I'll not forget". By practicing this exercise as soon as the situation arises, you will gradually lose the habit of devaluing yourself.

Avoid demeaning comparison

Lack of self-confidence is often reinforced by the comparisons we make to others. Get it into your head that you are comparing your whole life with what others are willing to show you of theirs, that is to say, the best.

For example, your old friend from high school started a successful business while you wear yourself out in a job with no exciting prospects? When you catch yourself in the act of making a demeaning comparison, try spinning it like, "This friend has found a successful business, how can I do the same?" Maybe I can start by asking him a few questions about his background? Maybe he can give me some tips?

Replace demeaning comparison with constructive comparison.

Envy with inspiration.

Jealousy with motivation.

Take action

One of my top tips : dare to step out of your comfort zone and take action!

Not taking action makes us helpless and stuck as if there is no way out. As if we're condemned to this situation that we hate being in.

Taking action in itself makes us feel confident because we're trying to make something happen. We're going after what we want. We're trying to fix things. It makes us feel powerful and in charge of our destiny.

This exercise revolves around giving yourself mini-challenges that will give you a bit of a hard time. By passing them with flying colors, you will gradually increase your self-confidence.

Pick something you don't feel confident about and challenge yourself once a week! Here are 2 examples:

• Entrepreneurship tempts you but scares you at the same time? Immerse yourself in inspiring testimonials, have a chat with an entrepreneur in your network, listen to motivating podcasts.
• Are you self-conscious about your public speaking? Take an online public speaking course, watch famous people or media presenters doing presentations or giving speeches..

I hope you'll give these excercises a try and let me know in the comments if they helped you in a way.