5 Ways To Give Yourself A Confidence Boost

Since I was a teen, it has been my job to mow the lawn.

Even now, as an adult, it is my job. Instead of moping about it, I have turned it into LawnCare University. As I march back and forth cutting the lawn, I listen to podcasts so that I can redeem the time.

While mowing the lawn recently, I was listening to Dan Miller and his “48 Days Online Radio Show” (aka podcast). In this shortened podcast, he was talked about “The Magic of Thinking Big”.

He mentioned how David Schwartz, the author of The Magic of Thinking Big, has 5 simple actions that will give anyone willing to implement them a huge confidence boost. And who doesn’t need an occasional confidence boost?

Confidence Booster #1 Be a Front Seater

When you attend a class, seminar, or conference, sit in the front seat. You will avoid much of the distractions that happen.

If you are in the front row or seat, you won’t be distracted by people’s phones or tablets or when someone gets up to leave the room. You can focus on the presenter.

Think about how you get to the front row. You have to arrive early (for general admission). You can’t slide in late.

For all 5 years I attended Tribe Conference, I have sat at one of the front row tables. Each year, I learned so much. I think it was because I surrounded myself with other “front seaters”.

It eventually led me to become friends with the conference host and meet many of the speakers.

Confidence Booster #2 Practice Eye Contact

If you want to make the other person feel respected and show that you are interested in what they are saying, make eye contact.

Even kids know that if they are talking to you and you’re on your phone or watching TV you really aren’t paying attention and aren’t totally interested in what they are saying unless you put it down and look at them. Adults are no exception. We know whether or not you care by how much attention and interest you show when in a conversation.

Making eye contact also shows understanding.

According to a NYTimes.com article, “Anthropologist Ray Birdwhistell pioneered the original study of nonverbal communication… found that the verbal component of a face-to-face conversation is less than 35 percent and that over 65 percent of communication is done nonverbally.”

Confidence Booster #3 Walk 25% Faster

People with lower self-confidence typically walk slower, with their heads down, and slumped shoulders.

Those that have more confidence typically walk quickly, with their heads up, shoulders back, and with purpose.

These are the people that we look at from afar that we assume have places to go, people to see. Their walk imbued them with a sense of importance.

Try walking 25% faster with your heads up, shoulders back, and pay attention to how you seem to have more self-confidence.

Confidence Booster #4 Practice Speaking Up

There is a difference between speaking up and speaking out.

When we are in a class, seminar, or conference, and a question is asked, most people will not speak up because they fear to look foolish or not having the right answer.

Fear is not real. It only exists in our minds.

It is unlikely that the group will boo us or react in such a way that we will feel unwelcome. It is more likely that people will respect you for speaking up since they themselves are just as fearful as you are.

Next time you are in a setting, try to express yourself in front of others. Don’t mumble or speak softly. Have confidence and speak loud enough to be heard.

Confidence Booster #5 Smile Big

A smile is contagious and powerful. You cannot stay defeated or sad for very long when you smile.

Confidence is required in sales. Two of the most successful salesmen in history were Zig Ziglar and Brian Tracy.

Look at what they thought of smiles and smiling.

As Zig Ziglar has said, “Be helpful. When you see a person without a smile, Give them yours.”

When you smile at another person, a warm, genuine smile, you tell that other person that he or she is attractive, pleasant, likable, safe and secure in your estimation. A single smile is so powerful that it can often transform a person with low self-esteem, jolting them from negativity to a person with a positive attitude. ~Brian Tracy