Confidence is one of the things we all want more of. And after experimenting with plenty of self-esteem hacks, listening to other people’s advice, reading and learning about the science of confidence, we realize it all begins on the inside. The answers and solutions lie in our subconscious mind, but getting there takes some practice and a bit of hacking.
Let’s see some confidence techniques using the power of your mind, to finally become the confident individual you’re destined to be:
1. Give affirmations a try.
Affirmations are a popular thing, especially if you’re interested in the Law of Attraction. They are powerful simply because you repeat (out loud or in your mind) positive statements about a certain result you want to achieve.
Eventually, your mind hears it so often, and you sound more and more convincing, that it starts believing this as if it’s already true. And whatever the mind believes, it conceives. So you start taking more action as a result of this newly gained determination and faith.
2. Know what’s effective on a subconscious level.
Not everyone can stay consistent enough to see progress with affirmations, though. So it’s smarter to use a few tricks to make it more effective.
The way your mind works when you want to get a new desire or thought in it is this: it first reaches your subconscious mind (if it’s present for at least a quarter of second), then needs time and a strong enough stimulus to reach the conscious mind, which will notice and remember it.
It’s proven that the brain activity comes first. That is followed by a decision, and eventually we take action upon what we want.
For a start, be aware that not everything gets to the subconscious mind. So a long affirmation, no matter how detailed and positive it is, won’t do the job quickly enough. It’s important to stay consistent with using affirmations though, and so we need results faster. In this case, make them shorter and simpler.
Choose positive statements that will bring you to where you want to be if they were true.
Write down something like ‘I love exercising!’ if you want to lose weight. Repeat it to yourself daily. When your mind feels comfortable with it you’ll actually begin doing it more. And the moment you start living a more active lifestyle, you’ll also begin getting in shape.
3. Keep a confidence journal.
The reason why I want you to give this is a try is because writing things down helps our brain internalize them. Most often, we just wish for things and don’t know why.
But if you write about being confident, why you want it and how your life will be better once you boost your self-esteem, you’ll finally know the ‘why’ behind everything. That gives your mind the power to bring the right circumstances to you and help you generate ideas on how to get there quickly.
Some people journal their thoughts daily to let go of what’s on their mind and reduce stress. Others – many successful people, actually – keep morning pages, where they write about what they’ll achieve today.
Just turn this practice into one related to boosting your confidence, and you’ll notice results pretty soon. Do it first thing in the morning when no outer factors have had the chance to affect your subconscious mind. Or before bed, to go to sleep with a clear mind.
4. Ditch the negative self-talk.
The next confidence technique you should try is to remove anything negative from your life that might be destroying your self-esteem.
First, that’s the negative self-talk. Every time you say you can’t do something, think you’ll fail, or that you aren’t good enough to be part of somebody’s life after you’ve been rejected, you contribute to your lack of confidence.
Your conscious mind remembers these emotions and will often remind you of how you felt, thus bringing this to the present moment.
Get out of this vicious circle by noticing when you’re being negative, saying ‘stop’, and replacing it with a positive thought.
But the negativity around us doesn’t stop here. It could be your parents, teachers, partner, friends, colleagues or else. If some of the people you’re around daily have the habit of criticizing you, then you’ll eventually believe their comments and stop having faith in yourself.
Authority figures from childhood are one of the biggest reasons why we lack self-esteem. It’s important to think about this, analyze their behavior, understand that it has nothing to do with your abilities and who you’ve become, and let go of their opinion.
5. Try guided meditation for self-esteem.
Meditation is a wonderful exercise for the brain. And although it’s simple, most people struggle to make it a habit. It takes a bit of effort to learn to let go and just focus on your breathing. Once you get good at this, it’s time to bring in the power of positive affirmations.
But there’s another way to go about meditation and use it as a tool to increase your self-esteem. That’s guided meditation.
Just find an isolated place, put your headphones on, and listen to the sounds or instructions.
You’ll reach a state of hypnosis, and will find it much easier to forget about the reality around you and just be one with your mind. There’s plenty of free audio available online which you can give a try, and find what works best for you.
Could be relaxing sounds of nature, or confidence affirmations by a soothing voice.
Now that you’re familiar with these 5 confidence techniques using your subconscious mind, you can take action today to improve your self-esteem no later than tomorrow. What will you give a try first?