What’s one thing that makes a person stand out in a crowd? Confidence. People are drawn to people who exude confidence.
It doesn’t matter what they’re wearing, what they look like, or what their achievements are. They could be the best or worst-dressed person in the room. A person secure in who they are can walk into a room and light it up. Confidence is a great concept – easy to say but harder to live. How does a person stand out with real confidence when everything in society screams that everyone should just work to fit in? How does someone stand out with real confidence if they’re always trying to live up to the standards or expectations of others? I am going to explain 7 healthy ways to stand out with real confidence that can be used in day-to-day life..
#1: Don’t Let Judgement Stop You
Society just plain makes it hard sometimes. If you fit in and go with the flow, people call you a pushover and a follower. But if we stand out and we do our own thing, people will call us a rebel and an attention seeker. The point is, anything we do will always be judged. Living for the approval of others is crippling. Real confidence acknowledges that judgement will come either way, which takes the pressure off. Each person must live their own life, not putting too much weight on the opinions of others.
#2: Why Don’t I Fit?
To get to the root of why they don’t feel they fit in, it’s important for people to be honest with themselves. No one can be compatible with everyone in all areas of life at the same time. Each person must take inventory of what their values are and connect with people who are compatible with what’s most important in their lives. We can find people that actually nourish and nurture us in different areas. This gives us confidence to display the different parts of ourselves in different places.
#3: Self-Awareness Leads To Confidence
There’s power in understanding both strengths and weaknesses. Accepting both strengths and weaknesses gives a person confidence. As an individual becomes aware of what they need to learn or develop, they can take steps to grow. Hiding weaknesses and only celebrating strengths and achievements only keeps people from developing truly meaningful relationships. As a person works through their own weaknesses, critical people have less power in their lives.
#4: Express Yourself
The key to communicating confidently is being able to express beliefs and viewpoints properly. Four things a person can do to express themselves well:
Be truthful. Be beneficial to all. Don’t agitate the minds of others. Keep aligned with higher philosophy. Taking the time for reflection and introspection strengthens beliefs just like a workout strengthens a muscle. Confidence is like a muscle. The way you strengthen the muscle of confidence is by introspecting on your values and beliefs. The more you introspect on them, the more they build, and the stronger they get.
#5: Don’t Judge Others
Ever been around someone who boosts themselves by putting others down? That’s not confidence – that’s ego and arrogance. Build confidence by helping build others up. One of the ways to stand out with real confidence is to continue to work on ourselves. That really builds a great mindset for success.
#6: Take Action
“Confidence develops when you commit to something and then put it into practice. The next way to grow confidence is simple – step out and take action. Practice makes perfect, and sometimes when a person takes action, the feeling follows.
#7: Find People Who Champion and Challenge You
Everyone needs people who support and encourage them. Seek out two types of people their lives. The first type of person everyone needs in their lives is a champion. A champion builds others up, providing a safe space to talk about achievements and accomplishments. The second type of person everyone needs in their lives is a challenger. It’s important to be challenged and given a chance to rise to the occasion sometimes. People who challenge while still supporting, stretch, grow, and encourage others to think deeper and bigger.
How to Believe in Yourself
Everything you are destined for is waiting for you on the other side of self-belief.
Believing in yourself is a combination of self-love, awareness, respect, and faith. Self-belief is about seeing yourself clearly. It’s about not only being aware of your self-worth, but understanding the irreplaceable nature of that self-worth. When you see your true self with real clarity and like what you see— imperfections and all, with every molecule of your being— that is the moment you begin building true self-belief.
To believe in yourself is to accept yourself.
You’ve grown so accustomed to yourself by now that you’ve become a little numb to your own magic. Rewire your brain to remember how lovely, pure, and capable you are. The only way to end self-defeating thoughts is to consistently revisit your inner truths, and to accept those inner truths fully. When you allow yourself to accept your own abilities, uniqueness, and perfect individuality, you’re better able to feel gratitude and love for yourself. Have faith in the power of that gratitude and love. Recognizing the beauty of your own personhood opens your life to the universe’s flow of abundance.
When you approach your life with the notion that you are always enough, your world opens up.
The next time you doubt yourself, remember your inherent self-worth. Remind your heart and mind of your undeniable inner truths— that you are loved, worthy, intelligent, deserving, and always good. The more you believe, the more your life shines. Repeat this affirmation whenever you need a dose of self-belief: Everything I need is already within me. Can I do this? Yes. Am I enough? Yes. Will I be okay? Yes. The answer is always yes. Yes I can, yes I am, yes I will. I believe in my abilities and my abilities believe in me. I am blessed, grounded, and guided. Let this affirmation be heard.