A Guide to Self-confidence- Part 1

Self-confidence. It's a phrase we hear thrown about on an almost daily basis. But what does it mean, and what can we do to improve it in ourselves and others? In the first of a three-part blog series, I'll be exploring what self-confidence means and how it manifests itself in everyday life.

So, what is self-confidence?
The Merriam Webster dictionary defines self-confidence as "confidence in oneself and in one's powers and abilities". Fundamentally, it's a measure of how much you believe in yourself and your ability to face everyday challenges.

So what?
We often get told how important self-confidence is, but what's the big deal? Does it really matter if we're not that confident? Well, the answer to that is sort of. Many scientific studies have proven the positive effect that self-confidence can have on our lives. From talking to someone you have a crush on to acing your next interview, being confident can improve your chances of success. Being confident can reduce anxiety and stress, as well as help you enjoy activities more. However, it's not the end of the world if you don't have much self-confidence, and plenty of people have become successful without it.

Ok, so I want to be more self-confident. How do I go about it?
You might have been told that having self-confidence is as simple as deciding you want it. But for many people, it can be a much longer and more complicated journey than that. In my next blog post, I'll be discussing ways of improving your self-confidence and helping your friends along the way. However, a great first step on the path to self-confidence is to recognise that it looks different for everyone. For some people, it's the ability to walk into a room filled with strangers and strike up a conversation. For others, it's knowing that they don't need to apologise for everything they do. Everyone is at a different stage in their self-confidence journey and their successes will be unique to them. Simply recognising that, and not comparing your levels of self-confidence to those around you will be a huge step in the right direction.

Stay tuned for my next blog post which will look at positive actions we can all take to improve our self-confidence.