The Cheater’s Guide to Confidence: Tricks to Boost Your Self-Belief Instantly

Confidence – it’s an elusive thing. Some of us are born with bucket loads of the stuff and some of us…well, let’s be honest…some of us struggle when it comes to believing in ourselves.

Yes, unfortunately, there are those of us who shun attention, who get embarrassed when someone throws a compliment our way and who stutter if we have to speak in public. We put our dreams on the backburner because we’re afraid to chase them, we don’t go after that promotion because we think we’re not good enough and we keep our opinions to ourselves – mainly because we don’t like ruffling the feathers of anyone else.

Ladies, we’ll let you in on a little secret – there is nothing more attractive than a woman who has a firm conviction in herself and her abilities. There is nothing more inspiring than a woman who walks tall, chases her dreams and happily accepts kind words from others because she knows she deserves them.

Confidence not only makes you more outgoing, assertive and happier within your own skin – it also makes you majorly sexy. In fairness, would you rather be the shy girl who hides behind the sleeve of her cardigan or would you rather be the girl who strides down the street, unafraid and revelling in her own awesomeness? We know which one we’d choose…

But how do you transform yourself into one of these super-confident, self-assured women? The best thing about confidence is that it can be faked. Yes, faked.

Have you ever heard the old saying ‘fake it until you make it’? This is completely true when it comes to raising your self-belief and here are a few ideas to get you started on your way. Becoming confident takes time. Every day try to do one of the following – we guarantee you’ll be rocking a confident stride of your own in no time…

Fake it until you make it: anyone can increase their confidence levels.

Up Your Style Game: We all know that wearing a killer new outfit instantly makes us feel amazing, therefore it’s important to have an interest in how you look. Learn what colours and styles work for your body and start buying clothes that make you feel incredible. Clothes can provide a major boost for your self-esteem and while they don’t exactly ‘make’ a person, they can send your confidence levels soaring. Always look your best and you’ll always feel great. Fact.

Get Over Other People: Remember that other people’s actions rarely have anything thing to do with you. We know that it can be so easy to take personal offence when someone says something negative or does something hurtful. However, constantly worrying about what other people say and do does nothing except cause you stress. Remember – the only opinion that matters the most is your own.

Revamp Your Posture: You wouldn’t believe the amount of people out there who walk around with their backs hunched and their shoulders slouched. We’re all guilty of some bad posture every now and then, but did you know that standing up tall sends a signal of empowerment to your brain that will instantly make you feel more confident? Take a break, shake out your arms and stand up straight. Roll your shoulders back and relax. Good posture can not only make you feel more confident, it can also make you instantly look slimmer as well. Win/win situation? We think so!

Take Control of Your Life: There is nothing more confidence boosting than knowing that you’re completely in control of every area of your life. Take time to sit down and think about your goals – where do you want to be in five years’ time? What kind of work do you want to be doing? What kind of pastimes do you want to have? How do you want to look? Start planning how you can achieve your goals and make a resolution to take one small step towards your dreams every single day.

Repeat a Mantra: Did you know that any thought in your brain can be reprogrammed and that all it takes is a little bit of repetition? No? Well it’s true! Turn your negative thoughts into positive ones and see how much your life changes. Start your day by repeating a positive mantra in your head such as: “I am a confident person” or “I am a strong person.” Repeat this mantra in your mind throughout the day, over and over and over again. Repeat it every single day until it becomes second nature and watch your confidence levels increase rapidly.