21 ways to boost self-confidence

Learning how to rebuild and maintain self-confidence is essential to having a fulfilled life. There will always be events that make us question if we are good enough. When that happens to you, try these tools to get back in touch with your inner strength and assurance.

Trust Your Feelings
Knowing that you know what is right deep inside yourself is truly empowering. Check in with both mind and emotions, and learn to trust your feelings. Seeing where you want to go is imperative to getting there.

Be Open to New Ideas
A willingness to consider new ideas and information when you are looking to solve a problem is what true learning is all about. Believe in your own resources, as well as those of people you trust.

Hold On to Your Ideals
Knowing that you are a person of honor and integrity keeps you on a purposeful and positive path. Those who have a strong moral fiber are generally confident people.

Build on a Good Foundation
When you have a good foundation, you can create anything. Learn the basics and you can go wherever you like. There is nothing wrong with reviewing, relearning, or rehearsing to make your foundation as strong as possible.

Use Your Intelligence
Having the mental capital to invest in your ideas, the hard work ahead, or your interpersonal relationships gives you a leg up on those who do not. Trust that you have the brains to make your life work.

Know Who’s on Your team
Assessing whom you can depend on — those you love, those in your support system, and, perhaps most importantly, yourself—is one of the most valuable tools you can have to get through a rough patch or create something new in your life.

Have Faith in Your Experience
Having been there (and gotten the T-shirt) lets you know that you can go there again and again. Even if it has been years, most things in life are like riding a bike. You may be a little unsteady when you first try again, but the ability returns quickly.

Fill a Need
Where would we be without the mother of invention? Finding a need and filling it is one of the best ways to make yourself indispensable. In addition, being needed is one of the greatest motivators. Also remember that the father of invention is perspiration. Be prepared to work for your desires.

Tap into a Wellspring of Courage
Courage is not the absence of fear; it is about moving through fear to reach your goals, despite your anxieties. Facing challenges with the understanding that you have the emotional mettle to withstand the difficulties that may be around the corner is a building block of confidence.

Keep Learning
Knowledge is power. If you get educated and really learn what you are taught, no human being can throw you off track, because your connection to what you know is solid.

Call on Your Inner Strength
The power within is what you can call upon when the chips are down and you are considering cashing in. Use your inner resources to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and you’ll find the capacity to deal with anything life throws at you.

Find Your Core Conviction
The ability to “know that you know” keeps you solid in your choices and decisions. Your thoughts can change with the wind, but your inner knowledge is unshakable.

Love Your Neighbor
That quality of selflessness — doing good for others — is a great way to increase joy in the world and, at the same time, your own. If you do nothing else today, help someone who needs it and then see how you feel.

Love Yourself Too
This may be one of the most underutilized sources of self-esteem. We can be harder on ourselves than on any other person. Consciously giving yourself a break and not falling into the trap of self-denigration will allow you to save your energy for the important parts of life.

Stay on the Journey
Feeling fulfilled isn’t a one-time thing. It isn’t about finishing up and not having any more room for additional emotions; rather it’s about being open and looking for opportunities to add to our well-being and confidence.

Get Energized
Energy in the form of positive feelings and deeds feeds our minds and hearts. When you don’t have energy, you can’t feel good about yourself or anything else, and the best way to get energy is to do something physical like exercise.

Believe in Your Purpose
Trust must first be given to yourself. Your self-doubt works directly against your self-esteem. Believe that you are here for the right reasons and that your participation in life is valuable to those around you.

Tune Into Your Emotions
Being in touch with your feelings will make you a better person, as well as a better parent and partner. Being true to your emotions can’t help but make you feel better about yourself.

Start a Ripple Effect
Effectiveness, the ability to influence the world in a positive way, can be incredibly empowering. Leaving the planet a tiny bit better than you found it can bring meaning to anyone’s life.

Learn What Motivates You
Motivation, that inner cheerleader, is what propels you to the next level in life. Wanting to have a positive impact on those around you is a great way to motivate yourself. It is also very life-enhancing.

Feel Good About Your Achievements
To feel that you have done the right things, even if the results were not what you would have liked, gives you the experience of knowing you can get it right the next time — or the next.

Dr. Barton Goldsmith, author of 100 Ways to Boost Your Self-Confidence: Believe in Yourself and Others Will Too (Career Press), is a psychotherapist, a syndicated columnist and a radio host on NPR/KCLU.

Article courtesy of Beliefnet.com. Beliefnet offers daily inspiration with news articles on faith, religion, politics, health, family entertainment, sustainable living and more.