Who doesn’t want to feel confident all the time? Confident people are admired and envied by all. They attract attention and it seems like success comes to them easily, without them falling apart and worrying about making mistakes like the rest of us.
Confidence is a skill and there are ways to build it over time. There is, however, an easier way to feel confident.
Fake it until you make it
Choose a person, real or fictitious, that has all the qualities that you admire and envy.
Then visualize yourself in their skin. You need to think and act like this self-assured, confident person and practice becoming confident like them.
You can also mimic their body language and the way they would act when faced with the problem that you are facing.
Fake it enough times and you’re on your way to being confident for real.
Your Body Language Matters
Your body language significantly affects how others perceive you and most importantly it affects how we perceive ourselves. A sure way to fake confidence is to mind your posture.
Stand tall and align your shoulders with your spine.
You can also strike a Superman pose by placing your hands on your hips. Social psychologist Amy Cuddy suggests that holding this power pose for a couple of minutes can boost your confidence on the spot.
Here’s the Ted Talk where Cuddy explains this:
Dress to Impress
First impressions aren’t everything but dressing to the nines will have a major impact on your confidence.
When you feel comfortable in your attire, you feel easier to approach other people and situations. Your overall outer appearance should represent your inner professionalism.
Eye-contact is Important
Maintaining eye contact without making it awkward is a very useful skill that you could learn if you want to seem confident.
Excessive eye contact can be considered rude, creepy or an intent to belittle. So you should avoid staring into the other person’s eyes for a long time.
On the other hand, too little eye contact may leave an impression that you’re insecure, disinterested or uneasy.
Think of Fear as Excitement
Fear is excitement without breath.
– Robert Heller
When you step outside of your comfort zone, you are bound to get fearful jitters. Assume that these jitters are coming from a place of excitement instead of fear.
When you interpret fear as anticipation, your negative thoughts are replaced with positive ones and you will not run from an opportunity because of fear.