How many of you would think that you are confident? C'mon, be honest. How many of you out there would genuinely believe that you are confident? I'm willing to bet that not many of you would. You might be confident in some things but in other things you might lack that all important confidence level.
So what can you do to lift your confidence levels? There are a few things you can do and lets go through some of them today.
1. Groom yourself
I must admit that I have let my hair grow a bit long recently. I have grey hair and although I used to dye it in my 20s and early 30s, I took a look at George Clooney and I thought he is doing quite well for himself without the hair dye so why not stop dyeing my hair? Also I saw this guy one day in a pub here in Tokyo and it was quite obvious that he dyed his hair. Basically his hair was orange. Yes, orange. The colour had obviously fallen out of his hair and it looked laughable to be honest.
Anyway, I think my hair looks better short so I have got an appointment tomorrow to get it cut and to have my beard trimmed. I must admit that after these appointments, I feel a million times better and I feel like I can take on the world.
Introverts are known for being a little sloppy when it comes to the personal grooming so don't be that person.
2. Dress nicely
I used to dress like a slob. Rugby jerseys, tracksuit pants, running shoes. It wasn't pretty. However, I found that when I took a little amount of time just to think about what I was doing then I felt a hundred times better. You don't have to wear a $3000 suit everyday like Donald Trump, but just make sure your shirt is nicely pressed and your shoes are clean. You will feel like a million bucks.
3. Get to know yourself
One of the best things about this blog is that I have gotten to know myself. I have learned who I am and what I am about and it might have taken over 40 years but when you work this stuff out you feel very good about yourself and your place in this world. When you work yourself out you don't feel bad about missing out on things because in the end you are not missing out on anything because you are where you are because you want to be there and that gives you a lot of confidence.
4. Be prepared
I know that I am at my best when I have done a bit of preparation. When I am giving a presentation or a speech I know that I am going to do a good job if I have practiced it a few times and I know that content. Not necessarily by heart but I can memorise some passages.
For introverts who may not be at their best when they are in conversations, practice conversations in your head. Anticipate who you might be talking to and try to come up with topics that you might bring to the table. Visualise the conversation. They say all of the best people visualise. Why don't you do it?
5. Have good posture
My posture is very lousy, however, recently at my gym (I do Crossfit) a fellow gym member suggested that I really pull my shoulders back when I address the barbell. I really took her advice to heart and now when I walk around town (when you live in Tokyo, you do a lot of walking) I'm consciously pulling my shoulders back. I exaggerate it on occasions. It must look weird sometimes when I'm really pulling back. I also carry my bag around like I'm carrying a kettlebell. That also helps to pull my shoulders back. All of this has really helped my posture a lot.
6. Reading
Over the years I have read many books and this has undoubtedly helped my confidence levels. Little bits of information that I have picked up over the years are now well entrenched in my brain and I will bring them out at the appropriate time and I must admit that I do feel like the authority when I talk about it and you can see the people around you reevaluate their attitude to you. I know that in the past when I tried to talk about something that I wasn't 100% sure about, people will cut your off, talk over you because they don't want to listen to someone who is not sure about what they are saying. They care too much about listening to their own voice than your own stuttering.
Above all in trying to become more confident, it is about making the right choices. Peter Voogd in his best selling book 6 Months to 6 Figures talks about a confidence account. He says that when you have a decision to make, you have a choice, one choice can be to make a deposit in your confidence account (go to the gym) and one decision can be to make a withdrawal from your confidence account (stay on the sofa and watch television and eat bon bons like Peg Bundy).
Why don't you try these things? You will, I assure you, feel a lot better about yourself.
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