Mental and Physical Confidence Building Exercises
For anyone not conditioned to do it, running a marathon is virtually impossible. Your heart, lungs, legs and feet simply cannot withstand the exertion of running for such a long distance. And yet people run marathons all the time. How do they do it? How can their bodies endure the physical demands of running 43 km? The simple answer is that they train for it, both mentally and physically.
They acquire the necessary knowledge and skills, and then they work at it. They perform specific exercises to stretch, strengthen, and build stronger muscles. By dedicating themselves over a period of time they are able to extend their abilities. So that come race day, they are able to lace up their shoes, don their running gear, and put one foot in front of the other until they reach the finish line. What once may have seemed impossible, is now an accomplishment.
Achieving self-confidence is much like a running a marathon; it requires skills, knowledge and effort. It is not something that you are born with, but rather, it is something that you can achieve simply by working at it. Confidence is crucial; it is “nearly impossible to make time for your dreams and truly be yourself when you have low self-confidence”. But with confidence, you can achieve anything!
Confidence is believing in yourself and your abilities; it enables you to face your fears and come out the other side, stronger and better equipped for the next challenge. Increasing your confidence can help you live your best life and achieve your career goals. So how do you attain confidence? By exercising! Just like running a marathon, you need to take specific actions in order to increase your self-confidence.
Mental Confidence Building Exercises
Before your body can run a marathon, your mind needs to believe that you can do it. By completing these mental confidence building exercises, you will stretch, strengthen and build the muscles of your mind.
- Think positive. Although it may sound trite, thinking positive thoughts can actually make you feel better about yourself.
- Firstly, by repeating meaningful affirmations, you are able to reinforce your positive self-image and strengthen your confidence “muscles”. Choose a select few statements that truly speak to you and repeat them throughout the day, just to give your confidence a boost.
- Secondly, replace negative thoughts with positive ones. This will not only alter your thought processes from negative to positive, but it will also force you to become aware of the frequency of your negative self-talk
- Mentally photoshop yourself. Close your eyes and mentally take a picture. Are you happy with how you appear? Now mentally “photoshop” your image, and alter any aspects of yourself that you are not happy with. Once you are aware of what you would like to change, you are able to act on it.
- Be grateful. Begin your day by mentally listing 5 things that you are grateful for. By focusing on the positive aspects of your life, you will feel better about yourself; your confidence will increase and any feelings of envy will decrease.
- Set achievable goals. Accomplishing your objectives, whether they are small or large, will increase your confidence dramatically, because you will begin to believe in your own abilities. And don’t be satisfied with small goals; continue to set larger and larger ones for yourself.
- Create a life vision. Imagine your ideal day: What would you be doing? By answering this question, you are able to purposefully design your life. “Creating a clear vision for your life is one of the best confidence building exercises you can ever do”.
- Knowing where you are and where you would like to be, enables you to take the necessary steps to get there. You will be able to stop comparing yourself to others, because you will feel good about what you are doing. It is important to review your goals daily in order to remind yourself what it is that you are working towards.
- Empower yourself by learning new skills. Use this knowledge as a stepping stone in regards to your life vision; learn skills that will not only boost your confidence, but that will enable you to build a life that you love. People who love what they do, “have this magnetic vibe about them because they get to do things that they’re really passionate about”; people who love what they do have confidence.
Physical Confidence Building Exercises
Now that your mind muscles have stretched and strengthened, you are able to put these thoughts into action; “action is the key to developing self-confidence”.
- Act confident. Similar to the positive thought exercise, acting confident will make you feel better about yourself.
- A simple smile will make you feel more confident and will positively alter how others view you.
- Stand tall with your shoulders back. This will make you feel and appear confident
- Speak slowly. Individuals who lack self-confidence speak quickly because they feel unworthy of extended attention. By speaking slowly, you will project an air of confidence.
- Start an exercise routine. Try waking up 30 minutes earlier in the morning and going for a walk; the fresh air and exercise will get your blood flowing, will increase your alertness, and will make you feel better about yourself.
- Keep an achievement journal. Write down your accomplishments and review them daily. By reminding yourself of your successes and accomplishments, your confidence will continue to improve every day.
- Socialize with a positive network of individuals. Interacting with like-minded people who share your interests, is one of the most effective confidence building exercises you can do. By surrounding yourself with supportive individuals, you are able to become the confident person you envision yourself to be.
Similar to training for a marathon, achieving confidence requires both mental and physical exercises. In order to believe in yourself, you need to practice positive thinking and learn new skills.
Graduating from one of the courses offered at Ultimate Academy®, will empower you with the knowledge and confidence you need, in order to fulfill your life vision. As an added bonus, the Ultimate Academy® Team, your fellow graduates, and the Ultimate Alumni™, provide a supportive network that will boost your confidence and provide long-term positive effects.
You will have the confidence to achieve anything!