How should I say this? Not having confidence fucking sucks. There. As plain as day that’s how I feel about it. I watched this video on YouTube (more like those commercials you can’t skip after five-seconds) that said between the ages of one to seven, we’re in beta. And then something about how everything we learn up until that point is carried over into our lives. Well, fuck. That probably makes sense why so many of us have a problem with being confident unless you’re grew up around cocky assholes. The rest of us have to worry about how to dismantle the block that keeps us from tapping into our full potential. Start with these eight hacks
1. Know Your Shit
When you know your shit, it’s hard to fail and hard for anyone to change your mind about something when you know it to be true. So know the facts. Have those receipts for whatever it is that you bring to the table at work, in a social settings, etc. If you’re uneducated on a topic that arises, don’t be afraid to ask questions. Ask with the intention to learn something new and you’ll feel completely different.
2. Go Ahead And Say It
What I mean by this is that sometimes, and depending on how you’re raised, you may be too coy to say that you’re actually smart as hell. Or, that you are an expert in whatever because no one’s ever props. That’s the result of looking to others for validation. So be proud to take credit in things you’re great at because it matters. Say it loudly, say it proudly.
3. Transform Your Body
Do a couple of jumping jacks in the morning or do a set of 10 jump roping. Exercising releases endorphins, which in turns clears your minds, makes you focus, and helps you perform better. When you look good, you feel good and nothing gets the job done like exercising. Well, maybe eating clean and healthy but a combination of the two is like superfood for the brain, which leads me to number four.
4. Eat Foods With Live Enzymes
We are what we eat. For this reason, choose to eat foods with live enzymes like more raw dark leafs, carrots, blueberries, strawberries and basically more fruits and vegetables than meats and poultry. While they may be tasty to some people, dead animals is where dead enzymes live. This is the reason why you feel tired after meal involving meat and poultry, making you think unclearly and contributing to your self-doubt. Live enzymes make you feel more alert, awake, and focused. You’ll notice this change instantly.
5. Affirmation Journaling Challenge
The commercial I watched on YouTube said that in order for us reverse what was fed to use through during beta is to rewire our subconscious with affirmations. Meaning writing “I am” affirmations in a journal before falling asleep and repeating them in the morning. You can read them off your journal or you can use an affirmation clip on YouTube while getting ready for work.
6. Equip Yourself For Mind Games
There was interview of a young Venus Williams where she was asked if she thought she could win whatever match she was going to play. The journalist kept asking her if she was sure because she seemed awfully confident. Too confident that it of course made the white man _____ until her dad yelled from the back to stop asking her that. Why did he do that? Because he said her daughter had answered it with so much confidence the first time that every time after the journalist kept asking she was not saying it with doubt. Part of training for athletes is also mental. You may people like this on your day-to-day whether they’re family, friends, co-workers, or even your significant other. Equip yourself with reactions and phrases, so you’re not thrown off your game.
7. Make Peace With Yourself Once And For All
One of the things I learned by being a fan of Rihanna overtime is that she has really made peace herself. Everything from her fluctuating body weight like she calls it to her personality. She is, as she says, unapologetically herself. Have you ever seen that scene in “8 Mile” when Eminem tells Poppa Doc everything he was? Em reclaimed who he was and turned into a powerful thing about himself leaving Poppa Doc with nothing else to say about him in the rap battle forcing him to surrender. Once you make peace with who you are, nothing can stop you.
8. Wear Your Sunday’s Best Everyday
Wearing your best outfits takes a huge load off not feeling confident. When you’ve done your makeup, hair, and wardrobe according to your standards of beauty you’re naturally going to radiate your best.
