You will find times in life when you are requested to show up, speak up, take a chance, or step into something new. It might be something as simple as asking a raise, referring to yourself own business, defending yourself, or simply saying what you feel. However, at such times, fear tends to make an appearance. You might fear being judged. You can be afraid to fail. You can think that you are not worthy.
This is the point where boldness and confidence come to play. Boldness is the act of doing something despite being scared. Confidence is trust that you develop in yourself. By being brave, you confront fear. Being confident means that you keep going even when it is difficult.
Some individuals believe that boldness and confidence are inborn. However, this is not a fact. They are competencies. These are possible to create, develop, and work on daily. Whether you are left or right-brained, you can be bold and confident, not only occasionally, but as the nature of your life.
By the end of this post, you will know what it actually takes to be courageous and confident, what prevents most people from doing so, and how you can develop the courage and trust that will enable you to live your life to the fullest.
The Meaning of Boldness
Being audacious is actually doing the right thing when it is not comfortable to you. It implies that you do what you think is right not because you are afraid or stimulated by the opinion of people.
Being loud or aggressive does not mean bold. It is the truth telling, speaking your mind, and having the courage. It suggests taking a stand, being in the game in full, and saying yes even when your knees are trembling.
You do not have to be courageous to be fearless. All you have to do is one step at a time, even when you are scared. Fearlessness is not boldness. It is the choice to proceed nevertheless.
So What Is Confidence?
Confidence comes in the form of a conviction that one is capable of coping with what life throws at you. You do not think that you are perfect. It implies that you believe in yourself to attempt, learn and recover.
Experience is the real confidence. It thrives when you act, when you learn and when you do not quit.
It does not imply that confidence means that one never doubts himself. It implies that you do not allow the doubt to discourage you.
The Reason Why Most People Struggle With Boldness and Confidence
Most individuals do not move on in life due to the belief that they are not ready yet. They are waiting to get the right timing. They wait till they feel strong. They wait to feel confident. But the fact of the matter is that you have to do it first and then you feel confident.
The primary causes that people remain small are fear of failure, fear of rejection or being judged, or not being enough. When you never take action, however, you always fail to validate your inner critic.
The more you wait to say something or have a go at it, the more difficult it gets. You begin to think the falsehood that you are unable to change. But it is not so.
You only need to have a different approach. You must exercise your courage and confidence as a muscle.
How To Be Bold and Confident
1. Begin by Making Wins Small
There is no need to do something big on Day 1. Courage and confidence are made through small steps, repeated and repeated.
Decide something you will not normally do. Talk in a minor group. Do something you have never done before in case you are not sure about it. These minuscule successes gain momentum.
Each time you do something that your fear tells you not to, you are saying something to your brain: I can. The latter develops gradually and becomes conviction.
Read also: Why Boldness is the Key to Living Your Best Life (9 clear reasons)
2. Be Knowing What You Stand For
It is less difficult to be bold when you know what you stand by and what you strive towards. What do you think in? What is it that you value the most?
Because when you understand your values, you are less apt to get shaken by opinion of others. The truth is you are not expected to please every person. All you need to do is remain consistent with what you care about.
Brave individuals are not mad. They have foundations. They understand what they are fighting about.
3. Drop the Fear of Being Liked
When you become a people pleaser, you will lose yourself. Courage is being able to be misinterpreted. It is telling your own truth, regardless of its unpopularity.
Not everyone should like you. You must like and respect yourself. It attracts the right ones to your authenticity. The others are unimportant.
Read also: 9 Fun Ways to Glow Up This Summer
4. Practice Speaking Up
Speak out. Aged plead thou heavens. Speak out your mind. Never expect people to make guesses about what is in your heart.
Boldness means plain speaking. It is about relenting what you have been keeping secluded.
You need not to yell. All you need to do is to talk. The louder you speak, the more you gain confidence.
5. Welcome That Failure Is a Part of Growth
Nobody is ambitious or secure at any moment. We all go wrong. Everyone fails.
The specific difference is that confident individuals never allow failure to identify them. They perceive it as feedback. They learn. They adjust. They continue.
In case you fear failure, you will never attempt. When you realize that failure is normal, you will stop fearing it and you will start learning from it.
6. Quit Judging Against Other People
Insecurity is the killer when you continually compare yourself with others. The path to go is yours. You go at your own speed.
You can get inspiration in others but their path should not inform you that you are lagging behind. Concentrate on developing yourself. Concentrate on the step forward.
Boldness is never leaving your lane and taking your story.
7. Learn to Deal with Being Rejected
Even bold people get rejected. The contrast lies in the fact that they do not take it to themselves.
It is not always rejection about you. Other times it has to do with the timing, fit, or the issues of other people.
Every time you hear no and you get up again and again, your skin becomes thickened. Your cardiovascular system becomes stronger.
8. Get Around Bold Individuals
Your mindset is influenced by your environment. Meet with individuals that encourage your development. Encouragers of your hazards. Individuals that are fearless.
The correct individuals enable you to expand. They do not allow you to compromise. They tell you that you can do it even when you forget.
9. Take Care of Self
When you go through your body as well as your mind, confidence is enhanced. Eat well. Sleep enough. Exercise. Sleep when necessary.
When your body is good, you are boosted in the thinking energy. You reason better. You react more effectively. You present yourself more powerfully.
10. Don’t Wait For Permission
You do not need somebody to tell you that you can make an attempt. The universe does not need to point you in a particular direction. You need not be invited.
Taking a risk is being audacious about self-authorization. You determine that you are in a position. You choose you are good enough.
Nobody can do that to you.
11. Future Image Modeling
Close your eyes and think of what the most confident version of yourself would look like. What would that other you do? In what manner do they talk? What is their style of entering a room?
Begin to behave like that version now. The closer you act to be your future self, the quicker you are to be this person.
12. When You Are a Struggling Mind, Be Kind to Yourself
Even brave and assertive individuals experience rough days. They become frightened. They goof.
What makes the difference is that they do not dwell in shame. They absolve themselves. They attempt a second time.
Confidence entails self-kindness. A person can never be bold when he or she keeps beating himself.
Final Thoughts
Even being confident does not mean being perfect. It is neither about being courageous. It is about deciding to be bold and be bold again.
You can be afraid. You might be in a state of uncertainty. However, once you do that little step, you are already a bold person.
Confidence is not a character type. It involves a choice. A decision to believe in yourself a bit stronger than you did the previous day.
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