A 360-Degree Approach to Improving Self-Confidence

I know that when I’m not feeling particularly confident in one area of my life, the other areas begin to suffer too. When my job becomes stressful and tiresome, for example, so do my relationships and personal health.

However, I don’t think I’m alone. Many of my friends tell me they also feel a connection between self-confidence and their personal level of happiness. After all, we all want to feel good about ourselves. We want to realize the incredible potential we possess and to really feel worthy, be loved, and have nice things.

But to hold your head high and feel strong on a consistent basis takes focus. It also takes the commitment to look at your life from a holistic point-of-view. When one element of your life is out-of-alignment, then self-confidence is not operating at maximum strength.

A 360-degree approach to improving self-confidence may be the best solution because of the synergies that exist between the different parts of your life. When you begin to understand how these parts connect to one another then you begin to see the beautiful picture that is being created – the picture of your confident life.

Health and well-being
To feel strong, your body must first be strong. Fatigue, a lousy diet, and lack of exercise, all contribute to poor health and a weak body. Good health, however, does not happen overnight. Consider these simple, but healthy quick-wins to kick-start your lagging confidence as well as your metabolism:

1. Take the stairs if your destination is less than five flights.


2. Commit to walking just 10 minutes a day.


3. Trade the fries for a salad and the soft drink for a bottle of water.


4. Start going to bed one hour earlier or wake-up one hour later.


5. Slow down and find a place of stillness where you can be calm and centered; if only for a few minutes.

Finances
The feeling of paying the bills on-time while putting a little money away is a good one. For some, a sense of confidence grows at the same rate as one’s bank account. But money, in a cruel twist of irony, can often determine what we think our true value is.

Feeling empowered over money, or at least the management of money, is the first step to capturing some financial self-confidence.

1. Make a plan. Create a budget and keep to it no matter the temptations.
   


2. Begin paying more than the minimum payment on your credit card statement.
   


3. When you receive your paycheck, pay yourself first by putting a modest percentage in a savings account.
   


4. Attempt to pay each bill by its due date. For ones you can’t pay, contact the merchant and see if different terms can be reached.
   


5. Schedule a meeting with a financial adviser or accountant with the goal to create a plan that will allow you to be in charge of your financial position.

Relationships
My self-confidence soars when I know I’m making a difference in the lives of my wife, children and friends. Connection, communication and intimacy are all taken to the next level by my soaring confidence.

Nothing is as important as the people I choose to share a life. To keep my confidence strong, I often remind myself of the following:

1. To stay away from negative, toxic people.
   


2. To live in the moment and appreciate exactly what I have, right now.
   


3. To put the needs of my children before my own.
   


4. To tell my wife that I love her every night.
   


5. To love myself a little more each day.

Career
You spend a lot of time at work. Long hours, difficult projects and missed opportunities can often lead to a lack of self-confidence. However, you can crack the code to your career and get your confidence back on track, too with these reminders:

1. Pinpoint one area you want to improve and put a little more effort there.
   


2. Tell your boss everything you are doing. Don’t assume she knows; tell her.
   


3. Put 100% effort into a project for your benefit; not for anyone else’s.
   


4. Look for the new talents and skills you are developing and then celebrate them.
   


5. Build your career the right way and never compromise your values or standards.

360 Degrees of Self-Confidence
Good health, a viable financial position, strong relationships and an effective career game plan will all conspire together and deliver a much-needed dose of self-confidence. By blending these elements together and relying on your ability to maintain a focus to each one will give you what you need to improve your self-confidence and complete that beautiful picture of a confident you.

Written on 3/12/2010 by Alex Blackwell. Alex writes for The BridgeMaker, an honestly-written blog about faith, inspiration and personal change. To receive twice-weekly articles subscribe here.

Photo Credit: Igor Bespamyatnov