Being More Confident in Yourself: 5 Things to Do and What 5 CEOs Say

Get Your Happiness From Within:  Happiness is a critical element of confidence, because in order to be self confident in what you do, you have to be happy with who you are.  People who brim with confidence derive their sense of pleasure and satisfaction from their own accomplishments, as opposed to what other people think of their accomplishments. They know that no matter what anyone says, you’re never as good or bad as people say you are.

Seek Out Small Victories Confident people like to challenge themselves and compete, even when their efforts yield small victories. Small victories build new androgen receptors in the areas of the brain responsible for reward and motivation. The increase in androgen receptors increases the influence of testosterone, which further increases their confidence and eagerness to tackle future challenges. When you have a series of small victories, the boost in your confidence can last for months.

Exercise: A study conducted at Eastern Ontario Research Institute found that people who exercised twice a week for 10 weeks felt more competent socially, academically, and athletically. They also rated their body image and self-esteem as being higher. Best of all, physical changes in their bodies were not responsible for the uptick in confidence. It was the immediate, endorphin-fueled positivity from exercise that made all the difference.

Don’t Seek Attention: People are turned off by those who are desperate for attention. Self confident people know that being yourself is much more effective than trying to prove that you’re important. People catch on to your attitude quickly and are more attracted to the right attitude than what—or how many people—you know. And confident people always seem to bring the right attitude.

Confident people are masters of attention diffusion. When they’re being given attention for an accomplishment, they quickly shift the focus to all the people who worked hard to help get them there. They don’t crave the approval or praise because they draw their self-worth from within.

Don’t be afraid of being Wrong: Confident people aren’t afraid to be proven wrong. They like putting their opinion out there to see if it holds up, because they learn a lot from the times they are wrong and other people learn from them when they’re right. People with high self-esteem and confidence know what they are capable of and don’t treat being wrong as a personal slight.

Confidence comes in waves and will often rear its head in your time of need. True confidence is difficult to master and evolves from putting genuine work into achieving something meaningful to you. The more you know about a certain area—whether it is your business or yourself—the easier it is to be confident.
—Chris Tsai, CEO of Celery

When you’re down in the dumps, it’s easy to continue your cycle of negative thoughts that act in the background and prevent you from being your best. When you're having confidence problems, visualize your “ideal self” and how you want the world to perceive you. Get into the mindset of believing that you are working to become your ideal self, and you can make it a reality with the right motivation.
—John Milinovich, CEO of URX

On the humorous side, remember your inner Stuart Smalley from Saturday Night Live. He said, “I’m good enough. I’m smart enough. And, doggone it, people like me!” While a silly reference, it reminds people of a simple mantra: Of course, you can do this. Of course, you are going to get it right. Of course, you are good at this.
—J.T. Allen, president and CEO of myFoothpath

I always find that confidence starts with mindfulness. A confidence issue is usually a symptom of an underlying fear. This fear is often not a conscious fear, but something lurking beneath the surface. Even just verbalizing the fear of the outcome is often helpful.  Beyond that, it is helpful to understand that even that terrible outcome would be a good learning opportunity.  If you can get to a point where you welcome failure as much as you welcome success, both being essential elements of life, then it's hard not to have confidence.
—Bob Buch, CEO of Socialwire

For ambitious people, you are usually your harshest critic. Confidence problems can stem from unrealistic expectations and unsustainable work habits. I consciously try to de-stigmatize important necessities like looking after your health or needing to slow down once in a while—to balance work in the richer context of life.
—Sarah Nahm, CEO of Lever