Activities that Build Self Confidence

When you have self-confidence there is almost nothing that cannot be accomplished. That's because self-confidence helps you to get rid of any doubts in your ability to succeed. The sense of accomplishment gained from getting rid of a bad habit, for example, is an exciting feeling. It will encourage you to complete more goals because you know that you have the will power to tackle other bad habits.

Unfortunately, not everyone has self-confidence. Not having this quality can hold you back from becoming the best that you can be. Fortunately, this can be reversed by following several tips.

Write down your goal. I'm sure you've either heard someone say this or you've read it many times. Well, that's just how important it is. Write down the specific habit that you would like to rid your life of and how you plan to accomplish your set goal. Writing down your goal makes it more of a reality rather than just thinking it and then dismissing it from your thoughts.

For example, let's say your goal is to have more self-confidence. Choose a particular opportunity you have been avoiding because you were intimidated and then go for it. Write down how you plan to accomplish this and how long you would like to take to complete the task.

Make it Visible. The quote "out of site out of mind" is so true. Have you ever written a reminder of an appointment or upcoming event and placed it in a drawer or some other hidden area thinking that there is no way you can forget, you wrote it down on paper? The day of your appointment or activity has passed but you don't realize it until you happen to be looking in the same spot that you placed the sheet of paper.

I know that's happened to me many times in the past especially when I'm working to break a bad habit. Now it's much easier because not only do I write down my goals but I post reminders in places where there is no way I can possibly miss them. This could be on a bedroom wall where I can see it at all times or on the refrigerator door.

Once I finally broke many of the cycles that had been holding me back for so long I began to feel a wave of self-confidence that I had never felt before.

Focus on breaking one habit at a time. Attempting to break more than one habit at a time can be overwhelming especially if it is your first time. It's difficult to change any one thing that you are accustomed to doing for so many years no matter how harmful it is. Trying to focus on more than one bad habit will only sabotage your efforts.

Taking steps to change something about yourself and actually succeeding will give you the self-confidence to tackle the next goal.

Block out negative thoughts. Words of discouragement make it easy to fail. They come from things that you tell yourself or what others have said about you. Negative thoughts can erode your self-confidence. They make you feel inadequate to complete a task.

"I can't do it." "I'm not smart enough." "I'm not experienced enough." These are some of the negative messages some people speak to themselves repeatedly.

Block out negative thinking by replacing them with positive messages that will build your self-confidence. Say to yourself, "I can do it." "I am intelligent." "I am qualified." Make this your first goal if this is a major problem for you.

Practice the new habit daily for 30 days. A good idea is to use the visual technique mentioned earlier. I got this idea from the MTV show, I Used To Be Fat. You can either make or buy a numbered pad counting down from 30 to 0 days left to go. The pad should be at least 8 1/2 by 11 inches as long as it's viewable from a distance. Each sheet of paper is a new day. Tear down a numbered sheet every day your goal is met until you get to day 0. Each sheet of paper that you tear down gives you another boost of self-confidence. You're stripping away the unwanted layers that have been holding you back for years and replacing it with a better you.

You can work on your goals for 60, 90, or 365 days if you want. However, if you are like me short term goals work best.

Knowing that you have the discipline and power to break any bad habit is a powerful step towards building self-confidence. Keeping these guidelines in mind can have a major impact on your success.

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