5 Ways to Feel More Confident

When you’re raising girls, you think about confidence a lot. Sometimes, I get discouraged by the fact that some kids are born oozing it, while others are perpetually insecure. Where does this elusive thing called confidence come from, and how can we have more of it?

I believe that true confidence comes from knowing that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. It comes from knowing we are loved, and loving others. I also know where confidence doesn’t come from.

It doesn’t come from compliments or excessive praise.

It doesn’t come from perfection.

It doesn’t even come from a closet full of cute shoes.

I know. Crazy.

But even if your heart and your faith and all the big stuff is just where it needs to be, we all still need a little ego boost, now and then. Fortunately, it’s easier then you think to boost your confidence when you’re feeling blah. Here, 5 quick, simple ways to make you feel more confident, today.

Stay Polished

Have you ever noticed how self-conscious you feel when you have coffee breath? Or when your hair is frizzy and your hangnails are, well, hanging? Good grooming is so fundamental that we often overlook how critical it is to confidence. Start with hygiene, naturally. Nothing makes you feel better then smelling fresh and pretty, and clean smelling hair is an instant morale booster. (As I write this, I have just spent a couple of days with frizzy, fluffy hair, trying to avoid washing it right before a color appointment. I can barely walk through a door. So I am speaking from experience.) Feeling yucky and sweaty and bad-breathy are guaranteed confidence killers, but there are others. Raggedy nails. (I don’t do this often enough, but freshly manicured hands always give me a lift!) Dumpy clothes. Beat-up shoes. Shiny skin. Polish is all about paying attention to the details, so slap some lipstick on and face the day with fabulousness.

Clean Out Your Purse

I’ll spare you the story of the time I removed handful after handful of my girls’ discarded junk: empty Clif Bar wrappers, long forgotten plastic toys, a leaky bottle of bubble solution, frantically searching for a my wallet, while the clerk waited. (Note to self: A black wallet in a black-lined bag is a panic attack waiting to happen.) Junk accumulates in my purse quickly, so I use those small pockets of time between appointments, or when my kids are in music lessons, to clean the junk out of my purse, and it’s such an instant mood and confidence booster. Those of you whose purses are always neat and who don’t have little people (and, let’s face it, your own bad hoarding habits) to junk up your purse will never know the joy of a freshly cleaned out bag. It’s epic. The same goes for cleaning the discarded water bottles, crumpled wrappers and other debris from your car. Life-changing.

Do Something

Sometimes, we feel less confident because we feel ineffective, or sluggish, or like we are wading through mud and getting nowhere. The easiest way to snap out of this is to do something productive and positive. Organize a few drawers. Clean out your Inbox. Read one of the books from the stack by your bed. Sign up for that marathon. Doing something that you’ve been procrastinating is such a liberating feeling, and it can even be addictive, prompting you do to do cross more and more off your list. Yes!

Break a Bad Habit

There is nothing more negative and fatalistic than hearing someone say: “That’s just how I am.” Too often, we get stuck in old ideas of how we are based on how we have been in the past. We decide that we’re unathletic, for example, or disorganized, or that we always procrastinate, and then we use those tendencies as an excuse for not changing the things in our lives that aren’t working for us. Then, when we feel fed up, we decide we want to change everything, right away. Instead, choose one small habit to change today. Whether you decide to start doing squats or stop drinking soda, one small positive change can lead to another, and another, and soon, you have managed to completely transform an area of your life.

Fake It Til You…

I know it seems simple, but stand tall, with your shoulders back and head held high, and walk enegergetically. Nothing helps you feel more confident then adopting the body language of confident people. Positive body language has even been shown to boost mood in mild cases of depression. Smile, saunter, even strut a little. Sometimes, I imagine I’m on a runway and the world is admiring my cute outfit, but then again, everyone does that.

Oh. Well. Maybe it’s just me then.

I hope that you found these confident boosting tips helpful. Do you have any tried-and-true techniques of your own? If so, please share them below!