You would think we get more confident with age, but not always, sometimes we continue to lack confidence throughout our lives or have our confidence knocked through a toxic relationship.
Say stop to your inner critic
We all have an inner critic. The voice that tells us that we can’t do something, that we are too fat and look far older than our friends. Say STOP and change it with something else remind yourself of your smooth skin, your ability to listen well to friends. This negative voice is not your friend.
Wear your killer outfit
We all have at least one outfit that makes us look fantastic the colour suits, it flatters our shape and we know it makes people say wow! So anytime that confidence is important make sure you wear one of your favourite and flattering outfits. And ditch the outfits that are out of date, too tight or itchy. You will never feel great wearing clothes like that!
Smile
Go into a new situation with a smile on your face. When you smile it radiates across your whole face, and people are likely to smile back at you. You will look approachable, people will want to talk with you and you are at least half way there!
Understand your strengths
What are you good at? Do more of it. Where do you struggle? Do less of it. Our confidence takes a knock every time we fail. Using cooking as an example, just because a friend makes a perfect souffle or type of cake it doesn’t matter that yours doesn’t match up. Have just a couple of things you are good at your signature recipes perhaps and focus on these me? It’s my legendary trifle!
Be up for a challenge
Trying something new and finding that you are good at it can be a real boost. You have the time to take up a new hobby so try something you have never done before use an iPad, join a book club, Nordic walking and aim for a reasonable level of competence. You will get excited and have something new to talk about.
Remember your successes
You’ve had masses of success from learning to walk and read to passing your driving test and raising a child. Any time you have doubts about your ability think about the things you have achieved. It really helps to make a list in a notebook, on your phone, so you can refer to it again and again. Read and appreciate each and every one.
Handle mistakes and failures in a more positive way
When we get it wrong we can keep returning to our mistakes. We should have dealt with a family member differently, if we had, there wouldn’t have been the rift. Or perhaps we keep replaying what we said, or didn’t say, at a party. Be your own best friend. You wouldn’t keep on at a friend, and if your friend spoke like you speak to yourself you would remind them about their good points and look for practical ways to address this. There is always a learning point from every situation.
Spend more time with supportive people (and less time with destructive people)
Some people love to bring us down. They are worse than our inner critic. They tell us over and over not to do something, that we are too old, not intelligent enough, that it will all go wrong. They rain on our parade! Choose to spend less time with people who are unsupportive of your dreams or goals and more time with positive, people who encourage you.
Set a small goal
You don’t need to focus on large goals, aim for something small and achievable. Maybe to start counting steps and aiming to increase by 500 a day till you reach the 10,000 steps level you don’t have to do it all in one go. Or to drink a glass of water as soon as you wake. Once you achieve it you have a success so write it down (see point 6) and work on your next small goal.
Fake it until you make it
How would a confident person walk, talk, hold their body? Find your inner actor and act as if you are confident. Once you act in a particular way, you walk tall with shoulders back and smile, you will find you feel much more confident on the inside too.
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Brought to you by Denise Taylor One of the top UK career strategists, Denise Taylor,>www.AmazingPeople.co.ukis a double award winning career coach who specialises in career and job search coaching. Her books include Find Work at 50+ and Now Youve Been Shortlisted. Denise is regularly featured as an expert in the media including The Times, The Sun, Esquire.
I posted this article on my Amazing People blog 3 years ago, and thought now a good time to share, particularly with people like us. Re-reading my post I think I may have written this for a womans magazine, or possibly the Saga Magazine.