If you want to have more confidence, consider this: Confident people don’t just do and think certain things, they also avoid thinking and doing certain things. So strive to avoid these things too. It’s easier to climb a mountain without carrying a rock. Drop the habits and other behaviors that burden your ability to feel confident.
Without these obstacles getting in your way, you’ll create a new ceiling for your confidence. Make it as easy as possible to have confidence in yourself.
Avoid these confidence-destroying traps:
1. Negative self-talk.
You can’t feel confident and say negative things to yourself. If you want to feel positive about yourself, it helps to have a positive outlook. Negative thoughts drain away positive emotions, including the positive feeling of confidence.
2. Self-criticism.
Remind yourself of your successes and keep self-criticism at bay. Be your own best friend and supporter.
3. People that sabotage them.
Most of the people in your life don’t want to see your success rise too far above their own. If you want to maximize your self-confidence, it’s best to avoid these people as much as possible.
4. Complaining.
Complaining is insidious. It suggests that you can’t fix the challenges in your life. Instead of complaining, work on a solution. Know in your heart that you can handle any challenge in your life and do it.
5. Seeking attention.
Confident people don’t need a lot of attention from others. If you’re confident in yourself, you’ll be too busy taking care of business to worry if others are paying attention. Only those lacking in confidence need attention and approval.
6. Worrying about what others are doing.
Be confident that you have a good plan and are capable of executing it. Let everyone wonder what you’re doing instead of worrying about what they’re doing.
7. Allowing a lack of information or certainty to stop them.
People that lack confidence need 100% certainty. Those that are confident can take action with far less than complete information. 70% is usually enough to get started. Be confident and get busy.
8. Avoiding making decisions.
Rash decisions usually turn out poorly but taking too long to make a decision is ineffective, too. Confident people make decisions more quickly and easily than those that are lacking in confidence. Indecisiveness is just a form of procrastination.
9. Relying on luck.
Luck is for those without the confidence to take responsibility. Wish, hope, or pray all you like, but keep moving your feet. Confident people will take luck when they get it, but they don’t rely on it. They know they will succeed without it.
10. Making excuses.
Excuses are a way for those without confidence to justify quitting. If you’re confident, you don’t look for excuses. You look for solutions and then implement them. If you catch yourself making excuses, ask yourself why you’re doing it.
Confident people avoid certain things. If you want to be confident, it makes sense to avoid those same things. How confident do you want to be?
What would happen if you could become the most confident person you know? The difference in your life would be staggering.
