How to Build More Self-Confidence (And Why It's Important)

Updated March 18, 2023

When working towards professional and personal goals, it can often help to reflect on your mindset and how to improve it. Self-confidence refers to trust in your abilities, qualities, and judgments. Becoming more confident can help you develop meaningful relationships and identify opportunities to achieve your goals. In this article, we discuss the importance of being self-confident, explain how to build more confidence, and answer some frequently asked questions.

Why is self-confidence important?

Self-confidence is important because it can help you perform at your best in social and professional settings. For instance, if you're confident in your ability to lead a meeting, you may be better able to discuss the agenda clearly and effectively. Here are some other reasons you may want to become more confident at work:

Improves communication: Becoming more confident can help you communicate effectively with supervisors, colleagues, clients, and direct reports. For example, it may help you speak clearly and convey your message concisely.
Boosts motivation: With more confidence, you may be eager to participate in more work-related discussions and volunteer for tasks outside of your comfort zone.
Reduces stress: Building up your confidence can help you better manage your time and reduce stress to achieve a healthy work-life balance.
Increases assertiveness: If you're more confident at work, you may earn and show more respect, which can help qualify you for leadership positions.

How to build more confidence

Confidence is a learned attribute. Here's a guide you can follow to become more confident in yourself:

1. Recognize your strengths

Focusing on your skills and experiences can help you become more confident, especially when competing with others. Consider listing your positive qualities to recognize your individuality and avoid comparing yourself to others. This can also help you develop a unique style, identify skills to develop, and perform activities that feel more natural to you.

2. Plan your activities

Preparing for work and personal tasks can also help you feel more confident. For instance, if you receive an interview invitation, you can practise answering common questions to build your confidence. Then, trust your preparations. Here are other planning tips you can use:

Write the activity: Creating an outline can help you organize your thoughts before sharing them.
Develop a contingency plan: A contingency plan is an alternative plan created to help you prepare for unexpected events.
Conduct extensive research: Effective planning involves researching your talking points to ensure you can support your statements.

3. Be decisive

Decisiveness refers to the ability to make decisions quickly and effectively. After creating plans to become more confident, you can take action to control the expected outcomes. Being decisive also involves analyzing situations objectively to make informed choices.

4. Gain more knowledge

Learning more about a subject or topic can help boost your confidence. As you expand your knowledge, you can ask experts questions, listen actively to their responses, and observe your peer's behaviours. For example, suppose your supervisor requests you present your research in a general meeting. If you studied research projects, organized informational interviews with experts, and collected data from internet sources, you may deliver a more confident presentation.

5. Practise being confident

As you learn new qualities that show confidence, you can start applying them to your work and personal life. For example, demonstrating positive body language and requesting feedback from your network can help you pinpoint which qualities to maintain or improve. Positive body language includes sitting upright, maintaining eye contact, keeping your palms open, being responsive, and using a consistent tone.

6. Manage your emotions

Emotional regulation involves identifying your stressors and managing them. For example, if you're anxious about presentations, you can use positive affirmations to remain calm and feel more confident. Managing emotions also involves having the courage to take on new tasks, even if they're outside of your comfort zone. Here are other ways you can manage your emotions:

Set objectives: Dividing tasks into manageable objectives can make you more confident in completing them.
Become more organized: Gathering the required resources for a task can help you become confident in your ability to use them.
Discuss your feelings: Expressing your emotions to a trusted contact can help improve your confidence.

7. Develop a positive outlook

A positive mindset can help you feel more confident in your words and actions. For example, confidence can help you view challenges as learning opportunities. If you find yourself thinking differently, consider replacing your thoughts with positive self-talk. Developing a positive outlook also covers how you interact with your colleagues and teammates.

8. Acknowledge your success

Recognizing previous accomplishments can motivate you to perform the required task confidently. For example, if you're nervous about an interview, you can recall sessions when you impressed hiring managers and got the job. You can also reflect on your future success to show more confidence. For example, visualizing yourself in the position you want can help you speak confidently during interviews.

9. Identify positive role models

One way to boost confidence is to find confident mentors or peers whose behaviour you can study. Looking to role models can help you gain valuable insights to improve your confidence levels. For example, if you work in a competitive field, your mentor might suggest ways you can build on your strengths to become more self-confident. Aside from their positivity, here are other qualities to consider in a mentor:

Accountability: Successful mentors take responsibility for their behaviours and emotions, including their ability to show confidence in professional settings.
Integrity: Moral uprightness is an important trait of successful role models and mentors.
Respect: Mentors who respect their contacts typically treat their mentees the same way.

10. Prioritize self-care

Overall health and well-being can also impact confidence levels. Consider taking time each day for an activity you enjoy and get back into an old hobby or start a new one. You can also practise self-care at work by doing light stretches at your desk and taking short breaks throughout the day. Here are some other ways you can take care of your physical and mental well-being:

Eat healthy meals: Healthy eating can help you stay energized, which can help you feel better.
Meditate regularly: Meditating can help boost self-acceptance and awareness. It can also help you connect with mental aspects that may positively impact your confidence.
Get enough sleep: Sleeping well can help you become more optimistic and enhance your self-esteem.

FAQs about self-confidence

Here are helpful answers to common questions about being self-confident:

Is being confident the same as having high self-esteem?

Having high self-esteem is different from being confident. Self-esteem outlines how well you appreciate and value yourself. It typically changes as you gain life experiences and interact with other people. You can improve your self-esteem by becoming more assertive, rewarding yourself for achieving set goals, and surrounding yourself with positive influences. For example, your support system can help build your self-esteem. In comparison, self-confidence describes your belief in yourself and your abilities.

What are the common actions of confident people?

Confident people typically celebrate the success of others and take responsibility for their own actions. They may be more open-minded and receptive to new perspectives and ideas. Confident individuals are often willing to take risks and look for solutions to workplace issues.

What is self-efficacy?

Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief that they can be successful when carrying out a particular task. It reflects confidence in an individual's ability to control their motivation, behaviour, and social environment. For example, if an individual encounters a personal or professional challenge, they can show self-efficacy by feeling confident they can improve their situation.

Can self-confidence impact your motivation to work?

Confidence in your ability to succeed can enhance your motivation at work. For example, if you have a manager who offers feedback constructively, you might feel more confident in yourself and become motivated to improve your performance. This may lead to enhanced job satisfaction and help you enjoy a fulfilling career.

How does being self-confident impact academic success?

Showing confidence can help you remain committed to earning an academic credential. Conducting a self-assessment to determine your current confidence levels can positively impact your plan to become more confident. A self-assessment is an objective evaluation of your progress and career development.

Can continuing education and training help improve your confidence?

Professional development training can positively affect your confidence. Consider attending workshops and taking online courses about how to build confidence. Many programs typically offer practical sessions and a certificate upon completion.