Having confidence is one of the most important things that influence being able to achieve your goals and live your best life!

Confidence and self-confidence are a state of mind and directly affect how happy and fulfilled you feel in life. Confidence is about knowing who you are and what you bring to the table. Your confidence determines how you move through life, embracing new challenges, and whether you are able to achieve your goals in life.

Ultimately, the way we feel about ourselves trickles into everything we do. So if your overall self-esteem isn’t where you’d like it to be, the good thing is, there are ways you can improve it.

This article dives deeper into the many benefits of confidence and nine things you can do to be a more confident person.

19 Benefits of Confidence

1. Less Fear & Anxiety

When your confidence is high, you can adapt, learn, and benefit from any situation you come across. In turn, getting out of your comfort zone and taking more risks means that even if you fail, you can view it as a learning curve rather than letting it define who you are. Going into it with this mindset generally reduces any fear and anxiety that can get in the way of trying something new and taking risks. 

2. Self-Worth

Confidence impacts how valuable and worthy you feel in many different areas of your life. Your self-worth is similar to your self-esteem, reflecting what you think, feel, and believe to be true about yourself. Confidence and self-worth are dependent on each other in that the more confident you feel, the more you will think good things about yourself, feel better about who you are, and believe in yourself. The more confident you are, the more worthy you will feel of having the life you desire.

3. Positive Attitude

Confidence helps you to feel good about yourself and succeed more. When you feel good about yourself and are succeeding more in life, it naturally elicits a more positive outlook and attitude from within. Having confidence is a state of mind that is positive in nature.

4. Greater Success

Whether you are looking to achieve career goals, make more money, or getting more fit- The more confident you feel, the more likely you’ll be to achieve the success you are after.

5. Stronger Intuition

Your intuition is one of the greatest gifts you have. Some may refer to it as a gut-feeling, innate instinct, a hunch. Whatever you want to call it, your intuition can guide you in knowing if something feels right and is a good decision or if something feels off and should be avoided without an analytic reason. As you develop greater confidence and experience less self-doubt, you’ll likely notice that you develop stronger intuition and are better able to trust it.

6. Freedom

Without confidence, we hold ourselves back. Whether it’s trying new things or doing something, you love out of potential fear and anxiety. For many, low self-confidence means living in fear. Rather than chasing after our dreams and what we want out of life because of the potential what-ifs, confidence allows us to feel secure enough in ourselves and believe we have the potential to accomplish whatever it is that we desire. 

7. Better Performance

When you’re confident in your self-worth and your own abilities, you become more productive in both your personal life and professional life. By knowing your abilities, you can better position yourself to take on tasks that come with ease working through them quickly and with great quality. And for the skills you don’t have just yet, confidence gives you the boost you need to tackle any challenges and overcome any barriers in your way or delegate them appropriately to someone who is more suited. When you’re feeling confident you can take better advantage of your strengths rather than getting stuck in worries of whether you’re capable of achieving a task, so you can devote your time and energy to what needs to get done. Ultimately, you are more motivated and perform better when you’re confidence and self-esteem are high. 

8. Creativity

Confidence comes from trusting ourselves and feeling free enough to explore our creative side. Being creative entails doing something new, whether it’s taking on a new artistic hobby like painting, or pitching new ideas at work. Remember, a lack of self-confidence keeps us within the lines of “what ifs” and potential worst-case scenarios.

9. Social Skills

How would it feel to be relaxed in social situations and meeting new people? There isn’t much room left for worries about what others may think about you if you’re confident and secure within yourself. Without an internal need to be accepted by others, you can enjoy socializing without fear of rejection or judgment creeping in. High self-confidence comes with a sense of positive energy, which can be contagious to others. In turn, you’ll naturally attract other positive people into your life. 

10. Happiness

Confidence can positively impact every aspect of your life. In fact, research has shown time and time again that those who have a healthy level of confidence are generally happier and feel more fulfilled in their day-to-day lives. Not only can it make you feel more motivated to reach your goals, but it can help you step out of your comfort zone and take risks. You can lead the life you desire and build solid, healthy relationships with others along the way. A life with meaning and purpose also means better mental and physical health. 

11. Healthier Relationships

Not only does having healthy self-confidence impact the way you feel about yourself, but it helps you better understand and love others in your life. Additionally, it gives you the strength to walk away if a relationship is unhealthy or toxic. 

12. Improved Mental Health.

Positive self-esteem and confidence are good indicators of mental health. When we feel confident in ourselves and believe in our abilities, there’s little room for ruminating, unhelpful doubts, and thinking patterns. In turn, we build a protective barrier for negativity and criticism, shifting our attention to what matters. 

13. Lower Stress Levels

Many people live stress-filled lives these days. Stress can weigh down every part of you from your physical to your mental and emotional health, impacting how you feel about yourself and how you connect with others in relationships. Having low confidence can weigh you down mentally and emotionally, adding additional stress to your life. Boosting your confidence levels can help you to better manage your stress by improving other areas of your life and maintaining support networks.

14. Quality Sleep

As you become more confident, your stress, fear, and anxiety levels will be reduced. It’s more likely you’ll be able to relax into a more blissful sleep.

15. More Influence Over Others

Feeling self-confident helps you to persuade and influence others. Whether you work in sales, lead a team, or just want to inspire and influence your kids, partner, or friends, confidence will help you persuade them more easily.

16. More Energy and Motivation in Life

There’s a domino effect that happens with confidence. Having more confidence, helps you to feel better about yourself and have a positive attitude. Naturally, this helps boost your energy and motivation in life.

17. More Fulfilling Life

When you feel confident, you believe you have a purpose in the world. That who you are and how you live your life is important. Feeling confident and purposeful in life helps you to connect with others and go after your own dreams.

18. More Compassion for Self and Others

Having confidence and feeling good helps you to be less critical of yourself and others. Having self-confidence also means you don’t need to judge others or put them down in order to feel better about yourself and your own abilities, which allows space to develop more understanding and compassion for yourself and others.

19. Confidence is Sexy

It just is. Think about an actor, a star, a co-worker, anyone that you find attractive and sexy. Do they also possess qualities of confidence? Odds are they probably do! The truth is though, it’s not just about looking or feeling sexy- but feeling more confident can also have a positive impact on your love life. Whether you are single or in a relationship, having self-confidence helps you communicate and connect better with others.

How to Reap the Benefits of Self-Confidence

Building your confidence is a great investment in your personal growth. By carving out some time in your day and putting in the time and effort, you can become one of the most confident people in the room. Self-confidence comes from within, whether you are an outgoing person or a quiet person, you can achieve the confidence you desire if you are willing to put forth the effort. Check out the following nine tips on how you can get started:

1. Check-in with yourself

The best way to begin developing more confidence is to take a look at what you’ve already achieved. Recognize your natural strengths and abilities and what things you can improve on. Consider making a list of what’s stopping you from achieving your goals, as well as the inner emotions (like fear, unworthiness) that are holding you back. Write down what comes to mind. If you have trouble coming up with natural strengths, consider looking at this list of potential ideas. 

As you are checking in with yourself, note any areas of “weaknesses” and shift your mindset to seeing these as areas for personal growth or areas. Get creative in how you can re-work these so they aren’t weighing you down. For example, I know that one of my “weaknesses” is time management. I don’t do well with a rigid work schedule of tasks, I always fail at staying on schedule, then feel guilty and end up feeling less than. However, I also don’t get anything done without having some sort of schedule to keep me accountable and on target. So I’ve compromised at a “loose” schedule each day giving myself more flexibility and ease with my time. Most importantly it keeps me feeling good and accomplished rather than in a place of self-judgment and negative self-talk.

2. Write a list of goals

It’s easy to dismiss our biggest dreams and desires when we don’t feel confident about ourselves. But what if you were confident? Would those dreams seem more realistic? What would you do, say, feel like if that confidence was there? Make a list of those goals and the things you’d like to achieve. Visualize them and break down any bigger goals into small, manageable steps. 

3. Stop comparing yourself to others

Easier said than done, but this is one of the most important things you can practice. Whether it’s about how much money you make compared to a friend or looking at how much fun other people are having in their lives on social media, comparisons aren’t healthy. Research has shown that the more we envy others and compare ourselves to them, the worse we feel. So whenever you find yourself stuck in a comparing rut, remind yourself of the natural strengths you identified in the previous step. 

4. Surround yourself with positive people.

Do the people you spend the most amount of time lifting you or bringing you down? The company you keep has an influential role in the way you think and perceive yourself. So if you notice feeling bad about yourself every time you see a person, it may be time to re-evaluate that relationship. 

5. Practice self-compassion

Being kind to yourself when you make a mistake or experience a setback is what self-compassion is all about. Numerous studies have shown that self-compassion contributes to high self-esteem and confidence. In other words, treat yourself the way you would treat a friend or a family member if they were in your situation. In turn, your emotional flexibility improves, and you’re better able to manage negative emotions and stress. Check out these self-compassion exercises to get started. 

6. Try New Things

New challenges are a great way to learn new skills, which help you grow and become more confident in who you are. All too often many people let their past experiences dictate their future, which keeps thinking and feeling the way they did in the past. Putting yourself in new situations and trying new things helps you get out of any rut and keeps your mind challenged and motivated. If you’ve always wanted to learn a new musical instrument, take an art class, or develop a hobby, now is a perfect time!

7. Learn from Self-Confident People

Whether it’s people you know in person or over the internet with podcasts and social media or with books, having access to role models and mentors who resonate with you is easier than ever. Find people that embody how you want to look and feel when it comes to confidence. Maybe there’s a character in a movie or an Instagram influencer who walks or speaks with confidence you admire. Observe their example and what they do that you feel makes them confident and make it your own. Better yet, if you know if there is someone you know personally, let them know you admire their confidence and ask them questions. “Picking the brains” of people who have the skills and traits you desire is one of the best ways to learn and most people find it flattering that you want to learn more about them.

8. Face your fears

If you’ve been putting off asking someone out on a date or applying for that promotion at work, it’s time to face those fears head-on. As anxiety-provoking as that may sound, there’s no better feeling than proving yourself wrong once the outcome is different than what you’ve anticipated. Look at it as an experiment. If your prediction or hypothesis is incorrect, go back and evaluate what you can do differently next time. Every time you challenge yourself, you’re that much closer to reaching your confidence goals. 

9. Prioritize Self-Care

Taking care of your mental, emotional and physical health are you telling yourself and the world, that you are important. Self-care is about so much more than getting a massage or using fancy face creams. My personal definition that I subscribe to when talking about self-care is listening to your body, your mind, and your heart in terms of what you need to feel good and take care of yourself from a place of self-love. A great place to start is by listening to how much sleep your body really needs. Research shows that people struggling with insomnia, are showing low self-esteem and a lack of confidence in comparison to those who typically get 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Self-care contributes to greater self-love and confidence.

Takeaway

Developing your self-confidence is important to your overall health and self-esteem. The better you feel about yourself, the happier and healthier you will be in life.

Remember to know your limits, be patient with yourself, and take things one step at a time. It’s the small things, the small steps forward each day, the bouncing back after setbacks that builds confidence over time.

Building confidence isn’t going to happen overnight, but it is achievable! 

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