This post originally started out as a round-up of the different factors that can have the effect of lowering the self-confidence of women in our shiny, bright modern world. But then we thought: “why focus on the down-side? Why not look at all the things that we have at our disposal to make us feel good about ourselves?” So that’s what this post is all about – the great and varied ways women can give a boost to their self-confidence and feel good about themselves.
Here’s the first part of this post with the 2nd to follow next week.
Shut Down the Put Downs
This may be one of the biggest things you can do to boost your self-confidence but it may also be one of the most difficult things to do. Say “no”. Say no to the little voice in your head (or wherever else it might be coming from) that says that you’re not good enough for something. It’s easier said than done since most of us, whether we admit it or not, have this annoying alternative version of ourselves that tries to talk us out of believing in our ability to do the things we want to do.
Without spending a fortune on therapy, the best idea we have for stopping that inner critic is creating a word or phrase that helps you to immediately block out any negativity. The moment you hear that voice in your head telling you you’re not good enough you pipe up with your own put down that silences that voice. The word or phrase can be a simple as “stop” or “not now”, for example.
Give it a try next time you begin to feel any negativity and see if you can build it into a habit. The more you work on it the better it will work.
Appreciate Yourself, Baby!
Give yourself at least two minutes out of each day to go over all your accomplishments. Don’t tell me you don’t have any – I know you do! Do it at least once each day and you will begin to see results.
Remember, they don’t need to be achievements that you think will wow the Ivy League. They should be achievements that are meaningful to you. Such as that time when you stole the show playing Mary in the nativity scene when you were a kid. It can be acing that interview and landing your first job. The more sentimental value a memory has for you the more impact it can have.
Treasure your accomplishments, no matter how great or small, for in our darkest moments they all accumulate and help us to believe in ourselves once more.
Don’t be shy to let us know your thoughts in our comments.
Part 2 of this post series will come next week, so stay tuned!
