Confidence is such a powerful tool to possess. That feeling of unshakable self-belief is the first and most important skill that you need to have in order to be successful in reaching your goals. Not to be mistaken for arrogance, having confidence in your abilities and who you are as a person will take you far.
However, feeling confident does not come naturally to some and If you have confidence issues, it is important that you work on improving this to propel you forward.
The fake it until you make it technique is used to fake confidence with great success amongst the majority of people who try it. When used correctly and consistently, it leads to the development of real, lasting confidence in most people.
But consistency is definitely the key here. The only way to reprogram your mind to create new habits and thought patterns is through the repetition of the behaviour. So although faking confidence is no quick fix, regularly practising ways to boost your self-esteem will eventually lead to natural confidence.
Here are some tips to help you fake confidence in yourself and/or something you are doing.
Stand Up Straight
Posture affects how we feel about ourselves and our mood more than most people realize. Enacting good posture provides you with an instant confidence boost even when you feel insecure!
Fake Confidence By Dressing The Part
Part of tricking your brain into thinking you are something is to look like it. That means you dress like the part you are playing. If you are giving a presentation at work, fake your confidence by dressing like a successful businessperson, for example.
If you are trying to increase everyday confidence, dress like a confident person in clothes that make you feel good about yourself. Take pride in your appearance and it will naturally make you more confident.
Make Eye Contact
True or not, people believe that confident people make eye contact and insecure people do not. That means if you want to convince other people of your confidence, you need to look them in the eye. It does not matter if you are quaking inside -they will see you as a confident person.
This is an especially important tip to employ when you are trying to convince someone that you are right about something or that they should do something for you. When you fake confidence in this way, the odds of success go up exponentially when you convince them that you are confident.
Pretend To Be Confident
Finally, the most important part of the “fake it” method: pretend to be confident. Now that may sound all well and good but it really is that simple. Remember that whoever you are with doesn’t know how you truly feel inside. It’s what you’re displaying on the outside when it comes to confidence therefore act as if you are confident.
To work on developing natural confidence, why not brainstorm what confidence means to you? What are the specific actions a confident person would take? How does the new confident version of you walk, talk and think? You can recreate a whole new version of yourself and play it out in social situations until the “new confident you” manifests.
Push the insecure part of yourself to the back of your mind and take on the role of someone who is super confident until you get through your task. When you are faking it, you are not your normal self; you are playing a role just like an actor. But as the saying goes, “practice makes perfect” so keep practising fake confidence until your true confidence shines through.
