2. Challenge Yourself

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“The quickest way to build your confidence is to get outside your comfort zone.” Now you don’t need to go booking yourself a sky-diving lesson or go audition for American Idol (although you could if you really want), but even small, everyday things can get you out of your bubble. “Taking on small goals, challenges, and hobbies require courage to push through the uncertainty,” Jones says. “You’re forced to ask more of yourself.”

It doesn’t take much contemplation to know if you need to challenge yourself more, as it’s something you intuitively feel. But sometimes, a visual reminder can help. “Look at your diary right now and ask what is in there that is going to push you out of your comfort zone,” he advises. “If it’s nothing, start filling it up.”

3. Do What You Say You Do

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According to experts, confidence isn’t just about whether or not we can do a task, but whether we view ourselves as capable of doing said task. So when it comes to confidence, you should do what you say you’ll do – not just for other people, but for yourself too.

“Most of us talk a good game,” says Jones, “but the way people build confidence is to do more and say less.” If you say you will clean up the house before your partner gets home, get it clean. If you say you are going to meet a deadline, meet it. If you say you are going to achieve a goal, do it.

When you do what you say you’ll do, and you view and understand yourself as fully capable, you start to achieve and believe more in yourself. “Your mind rewards you with self-trust; you believe what you say you are going to do,” Jones shares. So how do you begin to cultivate this sense of self-trust? “Start small, and then build up as you become reliable to your word.”