10 Ways to Boost Your Self-confidence

Psst…we’ll let you in on a little secret. Do you know what the best accessory for the modern Irish woman is? Aside from a pair of amazing heels and a killer smile, it’s bucket loads of self-confidence.

Now, we know that cultivating self-confidence can be a difficult thing. We were raised in a society where it was expected that we brush off compliments and shun any kind of praise. Some of us just aren’t used to having confidence in our own opinions and abilities – it’s a sad but true fact.

However, here at Her.ie Headquarters, we want to flip this script. Actually, we don’t just want to flip it, we want to throw it on the ground, stamp on it a little bit then throw it in the bin.

We want to show you ladies how to become your own biggest cheerleaders. We want YOU to see the person we see when we look at you. We want YOU to see what an awesome, amazing, fabulous, powerful woman you are.

Are you ready to get your shine on?

10. Dress to Impress: Yes, even if you’re just taking the dog for a walk. Ditto if you’re just doing the school run or racing into town to buy some groceries. How we look has a direct impact on our self-perception. Therefore, if you think that you look good, you will feel better about yourself.

Remember, you’re dressing up for yourself. You deserve to feel good and know that you look amazing. Make the effort for a week and we can guarantee that you’ll notice a big difference.

9. Perfect Your Walk: Who looks better – the woman confidently striding down the street looking like she has a clear purpose in life or the woman who saunters down the road, staring at the ground and hunching her shoulders?

If you walk like you have a purpose, you’ll feel much better about yourself and you’ll appear more confident to everyone around you. Unleash your inner power-bitch and work that street like it’s your own personal catwalk (you go girl!).

8. Watch Your Body Language: How we appear to other people has a direct influence on how others treat us. If you use unconfident body language, chances are people will feel like they can take advantage of you.

This is why it’s so important to pull off some super-confident body language. Let everyone know that you deserve their respect. Always stand tall, push your shoulders back and work it. Not only will you look and feel more confident, you’ll also appear slimmer. Self-confidence and non-gym toning? Win-win situation! Holla!

7. Throw Compliments Around Recklessly: If you love what that random stranger is wearing, tell them. If you’re digging the new hairdo your BFF is trying out, let her know. If your boyfriend is looking particularly fine this evening, shower compliments upon him.

Giving people compliments improves your relationships and it improves your view of yourself. Dishing out compliments feels good, and anything that makes you feel good has a positive influence on your own self-worth and self-confidence.

Practice giving people confidence, and hey, you never know – you might receive some of your own in exchange for all your kind words.

6. Rebrand Yourself: How do you view yourself? Do you have a positive self-image or a negative one? Do you like yourself? Would you say that you love and respect yourself? If the answer is no, then it’s time you sat down and changed your self-perception.

Write a list of all your positive qualities. Focus on them. Now, what qualities would you like to have? Do you want to learn how to work a sexy pout? Do you wish you were kinder?

Once upon a time a wise philosopher said that characteristics are just habits that were practiced long enough. If you wish you were more outgoing, just start practicing being outgoing. Eventually it’ll become a habit and before long, it’ll be a characteristic.

If you’re not happy with yourself, ditch your negative view, focus on the positive aspects of yourself and add the traits you want to that.

5. Look After Yourself: Get your eight hours every night, eat well, exercise, take care of your skin, splurge on the occasional treat – self-confidence grows out of self-respect. Look after yourself. Love yourself. Respect yourself. Once you do this, your self-confidence will grow. Promise.

4. Be Positive About Yourself: Aside from your Mother, you are your own best cheerleader. Celebrate your achievements. Focus on your positive traits. Drown out any negative inner-voices. You are a beautiful, strong, amazing woman. You look deadly in a pair of skinny jeans. Girl, the way you apply lipstick is amazing. Be positive about yourself. Be proud of yourself. After all, if YOU don’t love yourself, who else will?

3. Know Yourself: A self-confident woman knows who she is and what she wants from life. Take the time to sit down and get to know yourself. What do you like? What do you LOVE? Where do you want to be in five years’ time? How do you plan on getting there?

2. Smile: Always smile. Even if you don’t feel like it. Smiling is the quickest way to boost your mood and make you feel better about yourself. Fact. So first thing in the morning? Crack a dazzler and have an amazing day.

1. Achieve Goals: Set yourself some small goals and then go about achieving them. Once achieved, celebrate the hell out of your victory. Achieving small goals will set you up to dream bigger and achieve even better goals. Once you see that you can easily reach the small stuff, your self-confidence will grow. You will believe in yourself more and, more importantly, believe in your own abilities. Awesome.