Techgue | Not a few teenagers and young people in their 20s feel insecure or insecure in their lives. Insecurity actually comes from the feeling of lack of self-confidence that you often experience as you get older. You must not let feelings of insecurity and lack of self-confidence become obstacles to achieving success. So, how do you build self-confidence so you don't have to feel insecure anymore?
Come on, read this article until the end so that you understand more about self-confidence and how to generate it in yourself.
Understanding Self-Confidence
Lenney (1997) defines self-confidence as a person's expectations or hopes for performance and self-assessment of abilities that have been done previously. Meanwhile, Bénabou & Tirole (2002) has a simple definition of self-confidence, namely simply believing in yourself.
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According to Psychology Dictionary Online, self-confidence is a person's belief in their own abilities, capacities and judgment. Self-confidence is also defined as a person's belief that he can face challenges and demands every day until he feels successful.
The Importance of Self-Confidence in Achieving Success
Self-confidence is an important aspect of a happier and more fulfilling life. When you feel confident in your abilities, you will feel happier because you have achieved success. You will become more driven and motivated to take action and achieve your life goals,
Almost all aspects of life, from education, career, social, to personal life require self-confidence. The reason is, self-confidence brings five big benefits, namely:
- Lack of fear and anxiety
- Greater motivation
- Not easily discouraged
- Have better social relationships
- Better able to know yourself.
Increased self-confidence will make you eliminate fears and negative thoughts and make you dare to take real action. You will also have the motivation to achieve goals and achieve success. When you experience failure, you will not slump and face these difficulties because you are confident.
Factors that Influence Self-Confidence
Before knowing how to build self-confidence, you need to know several factors that reduce your self-confidence. The following is an explanation of the five factors that influence self-confidence in your life.
1. Trauma in the Past
Not a few people lack self-confidence because they have experienced trauma due to bullying or negative experiences in the past. Maybe you don't realize or remember the bad things that hurt your heart. However, this trauma can grow and ultimately impact your current self-confidence.
2. Negative Mindset
The biggest enemy of self-confidence is not insecurity, but a negative mindset towards present and future life. This mindset can be caused by past trauma or current conditions that prevent you from moving forward. Negative thinking will actually eliminate trust and confidence in you.
3. Surrounding Environment
The environment around you has a big impact on your self-confidence. Growing up in a social environment that is unhealthy or does not match your values actually makes you feel less confident. How could it not be, you live with people who have different cultures or values so you don't feel comfortable. Not only that, some people also comment on life values that don't fit their culture so you start to feel doubtful in your life.
4. Lack of socialization
You must already understand that humans are social creatures who need interaction with other people. Socializing can actually broaden your relationships and open your mind so that you feel more confident. On the other hand, isolating yourself too often and dwelling on your personal life can actually diminish your self-confidence.
5. Not Loving Yourself
Self-confidence is also influenced by how much you love yourself. Feelings of love for yourself will eliminate negative thoughts. You also try not to curse yourself when you experience failure so that you are always confident in living your life.
How to Build Self-Confidence in Life
Have you identified several factors that cause self-doubt in your life? Try building self-confidence through the following four simple steps.
1. Change your mindset
At a glance, it is explained that one of the causes of self-doubt is a negative mindset. This is why you need to change your mindset. Try to identify negative thought patterns that appear in your mind, if necessary you can write them down on paper. After that, replace the old mindset with a positive and constructive mindset.
The process of changing thought patterns is not instant. You need to practice absorbing and practicing new thought patterns regularly in your daily life. Gradually, negative thought patterns will disappear and you will start living using positive thought patterns which are healthier and build your self-confidence.
2. Focus on your strengths
The secret of successful people always being confident is that they focus on their strengths. You also need to see and increase your strengths and not see other people who can make you insecure. Start finding your strengths, whether attitudes, positive habits, talents or skills that you already have.
You also shouldn't focus too much on your shortcomings. Instead, focus on your strengths to become more confident and feel capable of achieving success. Take advantage of your strengths to achieve your life goals, such as building a career, creating creative work, or helping other people. You will also feel more positive and confident in facing every challenge that comes.
3. Manage Feelings and Emotions
Not many people realize that self-confidence is also influenced by the feelings and emotions in our lives. If you continue to be overwhelmed by negative emotions, you will not feel confident and less able to face everything in life. Begin to recognize the emotions and feelings you are feeling, including anxiety, fear, or sadness.
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After that, look for ways to overcome the feelings and emotions that bother you to move forward. For example, deep breathing and meditation when feeling anxious and not letting negative feelings dominate you. Lastly, you must learn to accept feelings and emotions that cannot be changed, such as disappointment due to failure. This step helps you learn from experience and improve yourself to be better in the future.
4. Take Steps to Build Self-Confidence
Lastly, you also need to take action and take the first steps to build your self-confidence. It's not uncommon for you to feel afraid of failure so you hesitate to take action for the first time. Don't be afraid, instead take small and easy steps in your life. If this is applied to companies, it will increase interest and improve employee performance.
Eliminate the fear of making mistakes or failing, in fact mistakes can be valuable lessons in your process. Learn from the mistakes that occur and keep trying until you achieve the desired goal. Always remember that success cannot be achieved without taking real action.