Be More Confident
Now and then, we feel unsure about our abilities. We might wonder whether we have what it takes to achieve our goals. Standing at the crossroads, we might gaze toward the path that would lead us to success if only we dared to take that first step. Yet, we might just wait and contemplate if and when we could start walking while others pass by us with a smile on their faces, running down that very same path. We would justify their determined progress and convince ourselves that they are more capable than us or better equipped to handle the challenge ahead. We might even believe that we too could take that path if we were just a bit smarter, more sociable, more outgoing, more talented, better educated, or more of something else that we think others have but we lack.
We aren’t necessarily truthful when we tell ourselves that we aren’t good enough or don’t have what it takes to succeed. In most cases, we are more than capable of reaching our goals but lack the self-confidence that would allow us to take that first crucial step and to continue putting one foot ahead of the other until we reach the finish line. Becoming more confident might mean something different for each of us, and we might have unique reasons and goals coming into this course. Nevertheless, the ideas we’ll discuss and the exercises we’ll use in this course will help us unleash our true potential no matter what brought us here and guide us on our journeys toward being more confident.
Low self-confidence can limit your progress
Self-confidence refers to the feelings of competence and trust in your skills and abilities, whether it is general or situation-specific. If you have high self-confidence, you may feel like you are holding the reins as you progress toward your goals. Yet, if you have low self-confidence, you may feel like you’re not in control, and there is nothing you can do to improve your life. You might believe that you’re destined for failure, especially when you are presented with an opportunity for a higher goal.
Having low self-confidence is frustrating for sure. Nobody enjoys second-guessing their every move, let alone keeping a tab on their weaknesses and past failures. Not only can low self-confidence limit your options, but it can also hinder your progress toward your goals. It may confine you within false boundaries and prevent you from taking any steps to change the course of your life. In the end, your reluctance can turn into missed opportunities, which in turn may lead to dissatisfaction and a general sense of unfulfillment. However, it doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t have to feel limited in what you can do, where you can be, and who you can become. You can become more confident.
Being more confident can pave the way to a rewarding future
The first step towards breaking free from low confidence is to understand why it has shackled our minds in the first place. Some people lose their confidence after unpleasant experiences such as trauma, bullying, humiliation, or harassment. Others have low self-confidence due to societal expectations or gender-specific discrimination that conditioned them to act a certain way. Moreover, many people are exposed to a constant stream of curated picture-perfect lives on social media, television, or magazines. Similarly, advertisements that highlight weaknesses may further curb an individual’s self-confidence, leaving them feeling inadequate and full of self-doubt. Yet, once we know which factors have contributed to our feelings of low self-confidence, we can start weakening their effects on our minds.
Just like the negative experiences and influences in our lives can lower our confidence, there are also positive influences that do the opposite. These positive influences may help us understand the root causes of why we don’t feel confident in our abilities and help us gradually gain more confidence. The thing is, once we feel more confident, it is only natural to walk down the path that used to scare us. That’s right; once we reach a certain level of confidence, nothing can stop us from taking the paths we used to avoid. And with each step, we get just a bit closer to the finish line.
Be more confident: a science-based course
Confidence is, fortunately, one of the most popular topics in psychology research. Especially within the last few decades, confidence has been studied numerous times in a variety of settings and target populations. Thanks to hundreds of rigorous studies, we now have a much better understanding of how different factors contribute to or affect self-confidence. The good news is we can use these research insights to boost our confidence levels and take on new challenges in our lives. In this course, you will find just that. That’s because we have taken these insights, distilled the confidence-boosting strategies into five steps, and used them to create a course with five practical modules that will help you become more confident.
The five steps to being more confident:
- Understand the challenges that prevent you from being confident
- Start believing in yourself
- Undo negative thought patterns
- Treat yourself with kindness
- Engage in confident behaviors.
In this course, you’ll use these five steps to unleash your true confidence. Each module will present you with to-the-point lessons, relevant exercises, and thought experiments. These components will collectively give you a firm grasp of key strategies for boosting your confidence. When you finish this course, you’ll not only understand what it really means to be confident, you will also feel ready to take on whatever life puts in your path.