Lack of self-confidence, it’s something we all face to some degree. The key question: how do you overcome this feeling? For many of us, confidence feels like an elusive trait. We assume that, if we weren’t born with it, then we’re just out of luck. Spoiler alert: You had it all wrong. Self-confidence takes practice and it needs to come from within. Confidence takes practice, and it means adjusting your habits and behaviors, but it’s so worth the effort, because it affects every aspect of your life. The more you up your confidence, the better your chances of achieving your goals and the more attractive you become. Self-confidence is a set of good habits. The good news is that these good habits are things that anyone can pick up, start doing and begin to boost their confidence. These are no 10 or 20 or 100 habits, but if you practice these only 5 habits you can effectively improve your confidence and self-esteem.

5. Accept Reality

Too many people get caught up wishing things were different than they are and there could be a never ending list of wishes. By getting stuck wishing for things to be different than they are you are essentially rejecting reality and this never ends well. It only leads you to further regret, anxiety, and anguish which are all confidence-killing emotions. Only when you accept the way things are, or how people tend to behave, can you work on taking action to effectively change them.

4. Learn to say “NO”

People fear to say no because they think if they say so they won’t be liked by others. Saying “no” is really tough for those who lack confidence. Never saying “no” means others are in control of you, and there will never be a growth of self-confidence. Think about it: Who is really in charge of your life? Just because you fear of disappointing someone and not practicing what you want can simply derail your confidence in yourself and that is the worst feeling. If you don’t really want to do something, muster up the courage and let that “no” word come out of your mouth. It gets easier each time you do it!

3. Empower yourself with knowledge

By becoming more knowledgeable, you’ll be more confident. Empowering yourself, in general, is one of the best strategies for building self-confidence. You can do that in many ways, but one of the surest ways to empower yourself is through knowledge. Acquiring knowledge about anything sums up in your good habits because it is better to be prominent in a conversation than to be called a dull minded person.

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2. Stop Comparing Yourself To Others

You know who is your worst enemy? Its you, yourself. When you’re working on your confidence, constantly comparing yourself to those around you will be your ultimate enemy. It is better to learn and get motivated by the people around you than to compare yourself to friends and colleagues in every single way, shape, and form you can think of. Self-confidence has to come from within, so rid yourself of any ideas that losing 10 pounds or beating someone to a promotion is going to magically make you feel great about yourself.

1. Tone down your worst thoughts (Good habits)

One of the many practices of successful people is that they reflect on their life goals and priorities every now and then, because being real in any area of life begins with self-awareness. Being real means accepting how you feel, so if you feel terrible then your thoughts are terrible too. You don’t have to stay where you are now. Think about the thing you need to change about yourself because self-evaluation is critical to growth and sustained confidence.

Bringing it all together: If it helps, make a quick list of things you’re proud of. Then get back to your day and try to make it so you’re kicking this tough day’s butt and not the other way around. Ask yourself these questions:

– Which daily habits do you currently have that help you to feel confident?

– Which of the new good habits would make the most difference to your confidence?

– What can you do that will help you develop the habit of thinking positively and confidently?