They Remind Themselves

They Can Do It Successful people recognize failure is normal. Getting there won’t be without bumps. The important thing when trying to regain confidence is to realize success is still a possibility…or even a probability. This is where you remind yourself of your goal and visualize success all over again.

They Walk Away

There comes a time where a break is the best thing you can give yourself. Confidence wavers when you’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Doing a hobby you love, or even just taking a walk, or spending time with friends, does a lot toward regaining a positive mindset when you’re feeling frustrated.

They Revisit the Past

Where have you succeeded before? Where have you failed? Everything that’s come before is a teaching moment. What do you know about yourself already from these events? Understanding the “you of yesterday” is where your insights today come from. Confidence comes from using this knowledge well.

They Forgive

Hating yourself for some mistake you made isn’t going to get you anywhere and only destroys your confidence. Being able to let go and forgive the past is crucial to future success.

They Keep a Handle on What They’re Saying

Self-talk can be particularly destructive to confidence. How do you talk to yourself? Are you patient and understanding, or do you tend toward negativity? Grabbing hold of those mental put-downs will preserve self-confidence. Using more positive statements will build it up.

They Start Over

The only sure way to fail is to do the same thing, in exactly the same way, when you’ve already failed the first time. Rather than force failure onto yourself and eradicate confidence, revamp the strategy. Ask yourself how you can do things differently this time.

They Keep Trying

Persistence pays off. If you fail and stop, you’ll always think of yourself as a failure. It’s the person who gets up and tries again who builds confidence as they go.

In the end, the only way to reclaim your confidence is to put intentional work into recovering it. By using these tips, you’ll get there. Recognize the process can sometimes be slow, but success truly does still lie within your grasp, even after a setback.

Honor Small Achievements

If you’re feeling like you never do anything right, making a list of the things you do well, and the accomplishments you’ve made is a great place to start. Enlist the help of someone who knows you well, as they’re apt to think of the things you might be too close to see. Once you have your list, keep it handy and re-read it when you feel confidence flagging.

Pull Yourself Together

A lack of confidence can make you want to hide in your own clothes. Rather than losing yourself in baggy, unattractive clothing, pull out the outfits you know you look good in. You’ll find yourself feeling more confident every time you look in the mirror.

Clean Up Your Act

Like dressing well, just taking better care of yourself does wonders for confidence. Eat right, exercise, and be sure to get enough sleep. You’ll feel worlds better, meaning your outlook likewise improves.

Check the Self Talk

Speaking of outlook, what have you been telling yourself? If you’re hyper-critical, it’s no wonder your confidence is flagging. Instead, turn your inner dialogue positive, focusing on the things you like best about yourself.

Challenge Yourself in Small Ways

A little success goes a long way toward improving confidence. Give yourself a task to do you know you can complete then set about doing it. Just the feeling you get when you finish is enough to give you a positive boost.

Finish Something

We all have unfinished projects around the house or at work. Digging in and finishing up something you’ve needed to for a while will serve a twofold purpose: you’ll feel good about getting something done, and you’ll even reduce some of the stress hanging over you. Both things increase confidence in giant ways.

Be Nice

Doing a kindness always boosts your own mood. This leads to increased confidence as you realize you really can make a difference in someone else’s life.

Because confidence comes from acting, use this list as a jumping-off point. Soon you’ll be discovering a multitude of ways to increase confidence. How exciting is that?

Remember Who Loves You

Sometimes just knowing someone is already in your corner is enough to replenish fading confidence. After all, your friends are your friends for a reason, right? If you’re feeling particularly alone, you might want to consider your Facebook feed or Instagram followers. Someone out there cares about you, probably more than you think.

Realize What Caused the Shift

Something just caused you to lose confidence. What is it? By figuring out where the problem lies, you’re that much closer to solving it.

Remember Who You

Were Somewhere before this confidence drop, you were someone else entirely. In other words, if you were confident once, it’s merely a matter of remembering who that person was. Believe it or not, you’re still the same person inside. You’re just not feeling it right now.

Figure Out the Goals

How are you supposed to move forward from this point if you don’t know where you’re going? It’s definitely time to look at the future ahead of you. Where do you see yourself in a week? A month? A year? What does this person look like? What are they accomplishing? Here’s where you do some serious goal setting. You’ll be amazed at how much a solid destination helps confidence.

Try a Strategic Retreat

If your confidence is wavering thanks to the input of a certain situation or individual, it might be time to pull back. There’s nothing wrong with cutting toxic people out of your lives, and no one says you need to stay in an unhealthy situation. The absolute best thing you can do for your confidence is to protect yourself from things bent on destroying it.

Talk to Your Tribe

It’s nearly impossible to feel confident after a hard blow when you’re going it alone. Find your friends and supporters. Talk to your mentors. These are people who are there to help and build you up. Let them.

Act “As If"

Faking it is an amazing magical thing all on its own. Oddly enough, studies have found that people who go out and fake confidence start feeling genuine confidence very quickly.

Give Yourself Time

Nothing happens overnight. Realize the process might take longer than you want it to. Be patient and acknowledge it might be a while before you feel your old self again.

Do What Makes You Uncomfortable

When you take risks, you stretch yourself in surprising new ways. This is a powerful feeling. Why? It takes confidence to step outside your comfort zone. Trying something new forces you to act with confidence, whether you started out feeling it or not.

Find Your Purpose

Knowing what you’re destined to do is a fantastic feeling and fills a person with confidence. If you’re unsure why you’ve set a particular goal, or are questioning what you’re doing, you’re not likely to feel confident at all. Solidifying the goal in your mind is a rapid boost to confidence then.

Keep Trying

It’s normal to experience failure from time to time. This kind of disaster can easily destroy confidence. You regain this confidence when you get up and try again.

Learn Things

Knowledge truly is power. When you really understand something inside out, you tend to be very confident (at least in that area). Continually learning new things expands your knowledge base. As a result, your confidence extends in new directions as well.

Drop the Idea Things Have to be Perfect

When nothing is ever good enough, confidence falters. How are you supposed to feel sure of yourself when you’re feeling things are always unfinished or lacking somehow? By accepting things as they are, warts and all, you’ll find you’re relax more and even become more confident in what you’re doing because you’re telling yourself that what you have or are doing is exactly what you need.

Dress for Success

How we present ourselves to the world really can affect our mental state. Wearing what makes you feel good about yourself will restore confidence. A change in attitude is only a change in outfit away.

Trust Yourself

When you doubt your instincts, you’re telling yourself you don’t really know what you’re doing. This is why it’s so important to ‘go with your gut’ when faced with a challenge. This kind of trust instills confidence in your ability to judge a situation or outcome.

Look Forward

Confidence has a hard time standing up to ghosts from the past. When you get caught up in your previous failures or uncertainties, confidence falters. Instead, look forward to positive emotions. When you recognize your potential, you start seeing just how amazing you are.

Make a List

Caught up in a spiral of thinking you never do anything, right? Defeat the blah blues by making a list of everything you’ve accomplished. You’ll very likely be pleasantly surprised to find out just how capable you are.

Learn Stuff

Nothing makes you feel more confident than having the feeling you know what you’re doing. With this in mind, become an expert somewhere. How about learning how to make the best-mixed drinks, take up a hobby you’ve been thinking about forever, or get a skill certification at your local community college?

Dress the Part

When you look your best, you can’t help but feel confident. Always wear clothing that makes you feel like a million bucks.

Understand Your Belief System

Do you hold with certain moral or religious beliefs? Why? Having your values questioned has a way of demoralizing even the most confident person. On the other hand, having a clear understanding about what you believe will give you the confidence to share these beliefs with those around you.

Do What Scares You

Nothing builds confidence more than achieving something you previously thought was beyond your capabilities. Dare to do something you never thought you’d do. For some, that might be something super adventurous, like skydiving. For others, even talking to a stranger can be terrifyingly daunting.

Be Inspired

Feeling like you can’t achieve what you want to? Find books, videos, or documentaries on people who’ve done something similar. Confidence comes from knowing what you want in life is possible. If they can do it, you can too!

Analyze Your Actions

Feeling like you’ve been making nothing but the wrong decisions? It’s hard to feel confident when your moral compass is taking a beating. Ask yourself if your actions are in keeping with what you believe. If not, something needs to change before you can be your confident self again.

In all of this, remember the most important thing is to be true to yourself. You’ll never feel confident if you’re caught up in trying to be something you’re not. Be true to you first and foremost. The rest will follow.