Self-confidence is the feeling of trust in yourself. It lets you believe in your abilities and achievements. Moreover, it provides you with a sense of surety that you can face any challenges in your life. 

When you have confidence in yourself, you’re not afraid to take risks & unfollow the trend. You value your worth and work accordingly. Everyone loves when you are self-confident. And more importantly, you begin to love yourself. 

Why Does Self-Confidence Matter?

Putting your opinions, choices, and rights heroically in front of others sounds easy-peasy, but it isn’t. Here’s when self-confidence comes in!

Let’s understand it with a simple story:

Shawn’s Math teacher asks his class to solve a problem. It turns out his answer doesn’t match with his classmates' answers. But it still didn’t bother him. He kept on standing for his opinion. 

And guess what? He was right. Now he’s a star for everybody.

In The Above Illustration-

• Shawn decided to stand for what he considered was right.

• He believed in himself. 

• He didn’t follow the trend.

• He didn't hesitate. 

• Consequently, he became everyone’s favorite. 

It was all possible because he had confidence in himself. 

Self-confidence helps you grow in your field fearlessly. And when you are not afraid of anything, your possibility of gaining success grows multifold.

Self-Confidence vs Overconfidence- How to differentiate?

One can easily identify the differences between self-confidence and overconfidence. Here’s a table for you to distinguish between the two. 

Why is Self-Confidence Important? Benefits of Self-confidence 

Self-confidence is important for every field you put your feet into. If you lack self-confidence, it’s less likely for you to succeed. Read the top five benefits of having confidence in yourself.

1. Self-Confidence is Significant for Your Health

Confidence brings happiness, satisfaction, and positivity. These elements are necessary for a peaceful mind and healthy body.  Recent research has proven that self-confidence provides a healthy life. ¹ It may also let you live longer. 

2. Helps You Choose What’s Right

People with low confidence are never sure about themselves. Many times, they don't know what they want in their lives. In addition, they come under peer pressure easily. That said, it forces them to make wrong decisions.

Meanwhile, a confident person knows what they want. They don’t rely on others for decision-making. Resultantly, they choose what feels right to them. 

3. It Keeps You Going

People with self-confidence do not sit back when they face failures. They always make a powerful comeback. 

The reason behind it is that self-confidence makes you value your skills and capabilities. You become confident enough to take failures as a part of your journey. Moreover, you stop thinking about others’ opinions or how they are going to react.

4. Helps You Get What You Want

Communication is the key to every conversion. Whether you want that dream job, propose to the love of your life, start your own business, or get a hike in your salary – everything requires communication. Right?

However, you can only initiate communication when you have confidence in yourself; the confidence to speak that first word. 

5. People Respect You

A confident person stays aware of their words and actions. They only speak if they know the topic. If they don't know, they don't indulge in the talk. These traits make a person sound genuine. Subsequently, people tend to respect them. 

5 Activities to Gain Self-Confidence 

Gaining self-confidence isn't as tough as it seems to be. No matter what you do and who you are, these 5 tips will help you gain self-confidence. It will also help if you want to be more confident.  

1. Bring to Mind Your Capabilities and Achievements

An effortless way to bring confidence in your life, in your mind and body, is to think about your capabilities. Think through your past achievements.

If you’re an employee lacking confidence because you think you aren’t good enough. I advise you to start thinking about why you would be even here if this is the case. 

Irrespective of the profession, one should be thoughtful of their achievements, skills, and capabilities. It ultimately increases self-confidence. 

2. Go With Gratitude

Often, we lack self-confidence because we aren’t grateful for what we have. Instead, we keep thinking about things we lack. 

It’s time to go with gratitude! Start admiring the qualities you possess and stop pressuring yourself for what you can’t have. Gratitude also yields positivity, another quirk for bringing self-confidence. 

If you lack confidence due to your short height, maybe you can look at another positive trait that you love about yourself and be grateful. Trust me on this, when we pay less heed to things/traits we don't have control over and start being grateful for our best traits, life becomes easier. Eventually, we begin gaining self-confidence. 

Be thankful for the virtues you own. Live with gratitude. It’s a key factor in gaining unlimited confidence.

3. You Body Language is Crucial

To gain self-confidence, take note of your body language. Acquiring the right body language helps you get aware of your actions. Thereby, helping you grow confidence in yourself. Further, when you acquire a proper body posture, your brain reduces cortisol levels.  Thereupon helping you feel calmer and confident. 

But do you know the biggest secret? No? Okay, let me tell you — Body language presents you as a confident soul even if you’re not. 

So pay attention to your posture when you sit. Do you sit straight? Yes? Excellent! 

No? Still not a problem. Start implementing it now. 

Equivalently, concentrate on the usage of your hands when you talk. Do you keep moving your hands OR keep them stationary the whole time? When someone uses hand gestures, it makes them look more confident. That said, start practicing proper body language.

4. Talk to Yourself

When you talk to yourself, you learn more about yourself. You start knowing more about your likes, dislikes, strengths, and weaknesses. And when you know yourself, you're able to convey your feelings to others clearer. This little activity, if done right, can reward you with immense confidence.

However, it comes with practice and consistency. Hence, interact with yourself daily for five minutes to witness the change. 

5. Celebrate Your Accomplishments

Rejoicing over your victories  (even if they are small) generates a big wave of confidence. The reason is, it reminds you that you’re capable of achieving your goals despite all the challenges in life. You realize your strength and plus points. Thus, it leads you to develop unshakable confidence.  

Wrapping It Up

Self-confidence is achievable through small changes in your life. Some ways to develop confidence in yourself are by being grateful, practicing proper body language, celebrating your wins, and talking to yourself. Dwell upon the fact that you’re priceless and can do anything in life. Even if nobody values you, we value you!