Luckily, confidence is like any other skill or muscle in our bodies, if we create a daily ritual around practicing it, our skill level will increase.

Confidence allows us to give and receive joy, love, abundance and gratitude with open arms. When we are confident, we are naturally grounded and move with more ease and assurance.

Have you even seen someone with confidence pouring off of them and think ‘how the heck did they get that way?’

Note: This is not a one-time hack kind of thing, all of these practices below can start right now but, must continue into a habit if you want to see lasting results.

Posture

First and foremost, sit up straight!

Research has shown that sitting up tall can increase testosterone levels, making you feel more powerful and confident.

Some people refer to this as the ‘power pose.’ Standing in your version of the ‘power pose’ for at least 2 minutes a day can dramatically increase your confidence, leading to higher levels of success….Can it get easier than 2 minutes a day!?

Morning routine

In a previous blog, we talked about the importance of a killer morning routine and gave some great examples of what that might look like.

Having a consistent morning routine will set you up to feel more confident and relaxed all day long. It’s simple logic, have you had a day when your alarm when off late, and you’re running around frantically trying to get ready and go, then for some reason, the rest of the day seems to snowball into a disaster?  Allowing your body and nervous system to wake up slowly, gets you mentally prepared to handle more throughout the day.

This is a great time to practice your power pose in the mirror!

Clothing

In combination with your morning routine, is choosing your clothing for the day. When we choose clothes that make us feel more confident, our actions naturally change to match.

Of course, comfort is number one, but following close behind is the feeling and emotion your clothing evoke within you. If you wear a suit, do you feel more powerful? How about a pencil skirt?

We can change our mood by simply changing our wardrobe. Another tool to add to your confidence toolbox.

Eating

This topic has been heavily researched and hold a lot of merits. We all know that our diet can affect the way we look but, what we typically forget is that it also affects the way we feel.

Certain foods can boost our mood, including carbohydrates, whole grains, fish, eggs, broccoli, spinach, and nuts, to name a few. Other foods can actually decrease our mood including sugar, caffeine and alcohol.

We are not suggesting that you go on a full detox and only eat these foods for the rest of your life but, just keep it in mind and remember everything in moderation.

Exercising

Not only does exercise help you feel and look great, but it also releases endorphins.

Endorphins are like the brains happy party friends. They trigger positive feelings and can reduce pain in the body. There are also other positive effects of exercise such as balancing blood sugar and personal perception.

Not sure if you’re ready to hit the gym today? Get some motivating research here: http://www.livestrong.com/article/438937-how-does-exercise-affect-your-self-esteem/

Thinking

The way that we think can have a huge impact on our lives.

“All that we are is a result of what we have thought; the mind is everything. What we think we become” – Buddha

This quote is true. Whether you believe it or not, you most likely have experienced it. When we have internal positive thoughts about ourselves or a situation, we have different actions around that situation (see the next step). Thinking positively can make or break all of the steps above.

Acting

When we can observe our thoughts we can eliminate negatives ones before they breed life. This gives us a magical advantage to change our actions without much effort.

As soon as our brain believes something, our body’s can achieve it.

Take advantage of that natural ability we all have, to create a simple switch in our brains, that will produce confidence driven actions. Eliminate negative thoughts, believe in yourself and achieve positive results.

Meditating

You have most likely been advised at some point in your life already to meditate, and that is because it works!

According to resources meditation allows us to observe our thought patterns. Once we gain this information, we can easily make conscious decisions to eliminate negative thoughts. Our awareness increase and we can go “ah ha there is a negative one, no thank you, I’m going to switch that into a positive.”

It may sound a bit fluffy to you, but give it a try. If it’s your first time meditating start with a few minutes a day to build momentum.

Empowering yourself

All too often we make decisions based on other people. That simple act of not doing or saying what we want because we feel others won’t approve can instantly decrease your confidence and self-worth.

Prove to yourself that you do matter, by making a decision that you feel is right. If you have done all of the work in the steps above this one might start to flow naturally already.

Owning it!

One of the best ways to get confident is to own it…whatever it is. Stop worrying about what other people think and celebrate being uniquely you.

Be proud of your emotions, hobbies, jobs, and place in life. Everyone is different, and that’s what makes us all so special. Once we get outside of our heads and into our bodies, this beautiful light bulb goes off that …this is our life and we can live it however we want.

-With Sweet Love