Have you heard people say “I am feeling confident!”, “I got this!”, “I’m good enough” and even “I made a mistake, but I know I’ll do better next time”? All of these statements point to a sense of confidence

Confidence is not classified as a typical emotion, rather it is a sense of self-assurance, belief, and faith in oneself that someone feels when they know they can meet the path ahead them head-on and succeed. This feeling is also accompanied by the willingness to move forward, knowing that one can respond to the result of one’s pursuit and the related emotions whether welcome or unwelcome.

Many factors, such as a sense of pride, trust, a positive sense of self-worth, and self-esteem, are associated with confidence. Being confident in oneself and one’s abilities can motivate people to do things they wouldn’t normally do, try new things, and listen to one’s gut feeling’ or intuition.

Confidence is not a predetermined trait. It’s a state of being or skill that can be learned and developed with practice.These are a few ways in which confidence can be built:

Acknowledge your past achievements: Look back on the challenges. Certain skills you already have in place supported you and helped you get through. Make a list of all the aspects of your life that you are proud of. Take a look at the list whenever you’re feeling down and use it to remind yourself of all the steps in your journey that brought you to this moment!

Set some goals: Define your goals and the steps you must take to attain them. It’s okay to set little goals that you can cross off a list in order to build your confidence in your ability to complete tasks.

Develop yourself: When you feel underconfident, is there a certain part of your life our your skills you feel that needs attention? Can you bring your attention and energy to strengthening this skill?

Be your own cheerleader: If you constantly hear doubtful thoughts telling you that you are worthless, you will never feel confident. Watch that self talk closely. Is it overly critical sometimes? Take a deep breath when you notice this and consciously shift your thoughts to what you consider wins and skills.

Remember it’s okay to feel what you are feeling. You got this!