Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. – Norman Vincent Peale
Are you confident in your abilities? If you find yourself lacking confidence, you might also be lacking in motivation to get better and try different things in life. These two things are different but they are also closely connected.
Why does confidence impact motivation?
When you don’t believe in yourself, many things seem to be quite scary. They can feel too intimidating for you, so you won’t choose to do them. They might feel like something you could never try.
That means that your motivation doesn’t blossom. It just stays put. You imagine it would be impossible to achieve it, so why even dream about it?
But as you grow your confidence, you can also increase your motivation to try new things and take risks. Now, these are things that feel to be within your reach.
And how can you grow your confidence? Let’s take a look.
First, give yourself the opportunity to recognize your achievements. Celebrate the things you did in the past and that you are doing now, even if they are small. No, especially if they are small!
Talk to the people who love you. Ask them what they like and admire about you. And when they tell you, believe them.
You can find a practice related to confidence that makes you feel good. Some people like affirmations, others find them silly. Some like to meditate, others fall asleep. Find a spiritual practice that connects you to yourself and helps you feel better about yourself.
Growing your confidence is not easy. But confidence is not a built-in a trait. It’s more of a skill.
Some people are naturals. They find that confidence comes easy to them – and some of them can even be overconfident. But if that’s not you, you have to practice.
Act as if you were already confident; fake it til you make it. It makes you feel like a phoney at the start but little by little, it will grow your ability to be confident and trust yourself.
Stand up straighter. Hold your head high. And start doing the things that make you feel confident. Build it up until your motivation begins growing alongside yur confidence.
