Affirmations for Confidence

What is self-confidence?

Self-confidence, or lack thereof, often develops during childhood. Upbringing plays a major role, as well as interaction with parents, teachers and peers.

If you were bullied as a child, it may have a huge impact on your self-confidence. Perhaps your parents told you that you are 'stupid', 'ugly' or 'not good enough'. If they repeat this time and again, it might feel like poison in your body which is difficult to get rid of.

But even if you were raised by overprotective parents and did not experience many failures, you could still end up having problems with self-confidence. For example, on your first job when you notice that not everything works out the way you would like it to. This can have an impact on your self-confidence. Another example, if you never learned to take initiative or to tackle things yourself, you might find it difficult to be confident.

How can I improve my self-esteem and confidence?

Although everything that happens in childhood has a big influence on our self-esteem, it doesn’t completely determine who we are. You should never say "I just have low self-esteem and there’s nothing I can do about it". Truth is that you can develop it but you have to work on it. The following three tips will help you to regain confidence in yourself.

1. Dare to fail

Many people find it exciting to face challenges. They dare not start something, because they are afraid to make mistakes. But if you never start something, you will never create success stories.

In life, everyone has done something they were not looking forward to. You didn’t dare do it, but you had to. So you did it. And if you succeed at that something: wow. What a powerful feeling.

Sometimes you have to accept challenges in order to succeed. Or in order to fail, either way. But 'we learn through bitter experience'. Only by doing can you learn, can you discover and grow. The more success stories you create, the more confident you feel.

2. Know who you are

This may sound a little crazy: find out who you are. You are a lot of things, and you are also not a lot of things. Try to discover where your own strengths lie. What are your qualities? What are you good at? Really good at? What skills do you have? Knowing your strengths means you can start building on them, and that gives your confidence a boost.

3. Be aware of your thoughts

Your thoughts have a large impact on your self-confidence. In fact, you can actually drive yourself 'crazy' and keep telling yourself all kinds of things, like ‘I’m not good enough’. But all of that is taking place inside your head, it's not reality. Be aware of self-sabotaging thoughts, that's the first step to turning them into helpful thoughts.

4. Choose helpful thoughts

 Replace the self-sabotaging and negative thoughts with positive thoughts. Affirmations for confidence can help you with this. Affirmations are powerful, positive phrases and have the same effect as that little voice in your head, but then in a positive way.

So instead of "I can't do it" or "I'm not able to do that" say to yourself, "I can do it" or "I'm just going for it”. Positivity is a choice, so make the right one!

Can affirmations boost your confidence?

Once you start working with confidence affirmations, you will start taking more risks. If you tell yourself something every day, you will start to believe in it. This works in a negative as well as a positive way.

Self-confidence helps you to achieve more in life. If you’re having difficulties feeling self-confident, or difficulties believing that you are powerful and can achieve anything you want, use the following affirmations for confidence.

Examples of affirmations for confidence:

• I believe in myself.
• I am confident in my abilities.
• My power is unlimited.
• I am enough.
• I let go of limiting beliefs and choose to trust myself.