Building confidence is not about ability; it’s about belief. Ayn Rand’s quote, “The question isn’t who is going to let me; it’s who is going to stop me,” encapsulates the importance of confidence in achieving what we desire. Whether it’s a personal or professional goal, belief in oneself can make all the difference. Confidence and belief are interconnected and essential to each other’s existence. Thus, when building confidence, we must cultivate belief, and to uphold our belief, we must be confident.

It’s crucial to understand that confidence is not innate or inherited. Our experiences shape our beliefs and confidence. Failures and disappointments can cause us to be doubtful of our abilities and question what we know. However, knowing how to maintain confidence during such low points is critical, and it requires consistent practice and commitment. Here are five practical steps that can help you build unshakeable confidence.

1. Create a Strong Personal Belief Statement

A strong belief statement or affirmation can be a game changer. It should be a distillation of our beliefs and an empowering statement that reminds us of our capabilities. One should feel good and encouraged while reciting the belief statement. For instance, one could create a belief statement like, “I fearlessly succeed, no matter the circumstances, and remain victoriously affluent.” This statement signifies the ability to overcome life’s challenges while accomplishing one’s goals.

We can create a belief statement by identifying the challenges we’ve encountered so far, the recurring themes in our lives, and what beliefs helped us overcome them. Spend ten minutes generating a few belief statements that adequately capture your abilities to overcome challenges. Say them out loud and choose the one that evokes the most positive emotion and confidence in you.

2. Practice, Practice, Practice

Repetition helps us gain facility. The more we practice being confident, the more confident we become. We can identify things we already know we are good at or are capable of and use them as proof that we are confident. Anytime we believe we can achieve something or manage an expectation, we must express our confidence out loud. Verbalizing our true self-confidence immediately gives it more weight, and sharing it with others allows them to validate and support us.

Moreover, we can tap into the power of body language with power poses. Research shows that striking a power pose can increase levels of testosterone and lower levels of cortisol, promoting risk-taking and stress reduction. Therefore, we must strengthen our confidence like a muscle to face life’s unexpected disappointments.

3. Surround Yourself With Confident and Competent People

Our environment and the people we spend time with significantly influence us. Therefore, it’s essential to surround ourselves with people who exhibit confidence in themselves, as they model behaviors that lead to our growth. Watching others exercise their confidence despite life’s challenges will help deepen our belief and confidence in ourselves.

Confident and competent people serve as reminders on how to approach tough times confidently. Moreover, their presence reminds us that we aren’t alone on our journey. Positive feedback from those we trust can be a significant source of our confidence.

4. Keep Track of Your Wins

Our internal critic can get loud and aggressive, especially when we doubt ourselves. We’re good at remembering our mistakes and failures. Still, we tend to overlook the things we did correctly. Therefore, we must keep a record of our accomplishments to create an archive of valuable data that reminds us of our capabilities, bravery, and accomplishments.

When we feel doubtful, we can refer to our wins as tangible examples of our confidence in action. They reconnect us with our confidence and enable us to practice that muscle.

5. Trust in the Greater Universality of Life

Trust refers to a deeper knowing that helps us experience faith and promotes confidence. When we trust that something greater is in store for us, we can tap into a sense of acceptance when things don’t go as planned. We realize that everything happens for a reason, and this allows us to be more confident in ourselves.

Trusting that we’re dedicated to doing what’s necessary to move along our journey of self-realization is critical. It helps us cultivate a deep trust in the universality of life and be confident in our abilities.

Final Thoughts

Building confidence is not easy, but it’s essential for achieving our aspirations. Belief in oneself affects our confidence levels. It’s an oversimplification, but it’s true: if we don’t think we can, we won’t. Ultimately, confidence is about cultivating belief and trusting in ourselves. The five steps shared above are practical and will guide us towards unshakeable confidence. Consistent practice and commitment to these steps will enable us to overcome our hurdles and accomplish our goals.