How to make confidence an act or habit.

How would life look if we were more confident?

Would you take more chances at work?

More friendships?

When people visualize their ideal self, they usually have a shit ton of confidence. But no one does anything about it.

Below are just 3 simple practical steps to unleash your authentic confidence.

• Get physical

Think about a moment, you were your most confident. What's your body language doing?

Chances are, you're standing up straight in a wide stance with you chest out. Your posture is open and you're taking up physical space.

This is "dominant pressure" and it's common only among humans but the wider animal kingdom. When we are confident, our posture changes. This is an example of our mood changing our body.

Studies have found the inverse if also true: our body language can change our mind.

Harvard scientist, Amy Cuddy, studied how "power poses" change our body chemistry. People in high-power poses, had increased testosterone and decreased cortisol levels.

Just like our mind controls our body, our body language can affect our mood. And we can hack this for our advantage.

Try this, (actually do it);Put your shoulders back

1. Put your shoulders back

2. Puff your chest out

3. Expose your palms

4. Smile.

How do you feel?

Now, visualize talking to someone at work event holding this power pose. Feels good right?

That's the power of body language and you can practice it all throughout your workday. When combined with positive feedback, it will become an habit.

• Blend out

Formula 1 driver, Daniel Ricciardo, does things a little different. In a high-staked sport with very serious drivers, Daniel is like a flamenco in a flock of pigeons.

If you watch Daniel in press conferences, he will usually say something unexpected. He goes against the grain and doesn't care what people think. As a result, he's one of the most popular drivers in the paddock.

When someone has true confidence, they're not seeking approval. They're doing what is natural to them and they're not conforming to fit in the mould.

Whether it's job, cars or clothes, we are all guilty of conforming to the tribe, sometimes this means watering down you true personality to avoid standing out.

It's time to flip today switch, tap into you authenticity and showcase it to the world.

There's no doubt that people will love the authentic side of you. We love people who own their uniqueness. They're magnetic because they are authentic and they don't care what others think.

Have a thought about moments in your day where you are conforming to the tribe . Could you be minimising your personality at work? Maybe you say what you're expected to?

If you make use of those moments to stand out and express who you really are, confidence will follow.

• Make practice your playground

Imagine if Beyonce rocked up at Coachella without any preparation. No singing or choreography session and just expected to dial in get performance. This is how a lot of people think about confidence.

We can't expect to get to the event and then switch it on. To build confidence, it needs to become an habit.

James Clear says that "habit formation is the process by which a behaviour becomes progressively more automatic through repetition".

The structure of our brain actually changes when we repeat an activity over time. Neuroscientists call this "long term potentiation".

So to build authentic confidence, we need to repeat new actions throughout the day.

Think of it like practice. And the moment of your barista, Uber driver or neighbor are opportunities to get your reps in.

But these reps will be more than doing squats. You will feel wonderful after chatting with Cynthia the barista. The positive feedback will reinforce your new habit. The key is to begin viewing everyday moments into practice.

Summary:

Now, you can see that confidence is attainable. It's about finding moments in your day to flip your mindset, change your body language and get the reps in. Seek moments to stand out and soon "confidence" will become a part of your identity.

Our brain is incredibly adaptive. By using the technique, you will upgrade your comfort zone and your life will begin to change wonderfully.

I trust we've learnt something new today or just helped you to see a different perspective of life in action.

Thank you all for reading this, I appreciate a lot and would be hoping to read your thoughts on this at the comments section and don't forget to share to others as it may help them too.

We will see each other on my next article! Until then, thanks for passing by to read. May God bless you all.

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