7 emotionally intelligent ways to instantly boost your confidence
Emotions are tricky. We need emotions as they guide us and protect us. They also can hijack our happiness if we are not aware. Gaining awareness is about understanding and labeling what we are feeling. Once we have awareness we can work on using those emotions to help us live more fulfilling lives.
While we strive to live better, sometimes we might not feel the way we are living connects with what is inside of us. We can change or accept. Either way the growth will happen if we let it.
We become what we constantly think about.
As we improve when improvement is needed, sometimes we need a quick boost of confidence.
Confidence is an emotion put into action. The better we understand our own emotions, the more we can manage and control them. Once we are aware of our own emotions, we can then decide how to act. When we choose to act in ways that help us and others, we are being emotionally intelligent.
Here are some actions that work quickly when you need a shot of confidence:
- Create a Personal Purpose Statement (Why you do what you do). Keep a copy with you and read it several times during the day.
- Make and replay your “true vision” (mental movie trailer that shows you achieving your goals) in your mind. What does it feel like? What steps did you take to make it happen. Now go and make it happen.
- List Your 5 Greatest Accomplishments. Read it. Remember how you felt when you did those things.
- Write down 5 “things” you are grateful for. The more you recognize the good you have experienced, the more you you will feel hope for the future. Hope helps create confidence.
- Smile. Smile again. Keep smiling.
- Keep a “Success” notebook (app?) and write down what you accomplish(ed) during the day. Tracking wins increases positive emotional awareness.
- Write down your daily positive affirmations. Read them out loud. Check out this Inc.com article for some actionable affirmations: 9 Affirmations the Most Successful People Repeat Each and Every Day
And if none of these ideas work, read an uplifting story, or a powerful quote, or meditate.
Emotions are powerful. Learn about yours. Learn about others. Use them to help yourself, use them to help others.
What we think about creates action. Actions create success. Positive actions create confidence as well as success.
Fulfillment comes from knowing we are living our purpose and helping others. The easiest way to build confidence is to know that what you do matters.
Bonus: 8 of my favorite quotes on confidence.
“Always be yourself and have faith in yourself. Do not go out and look for a successful personality and try to duplicate it.” Bruce Lee
“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
“Confidence is a habit that can be developed by acting as if you already had the confidence you desire to have.” Brian Tracy
“Don’t wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles, and less than perfect conditions. So what? Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident, and more and more successful.” Mark Victor Hansen
“If you are insecure, guess what? The rest of the world is, too. Do not overestimate the competition and underestimate yourself. You are better than you think.” Harv Eker
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” Dale Carnegie
“It is confidence in our bodies, minds, and spirits that allows us to keep looking for new adventures.” Oprah Winfrey
“Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” Helen Keller
Originally published at https://www.linkedin.com on April 26, 2016.
Originally published at medium.com