Five Unstoppable Ways To Radiate Confidence This Summer
It can be hard to be confident and resolute. Especially now, with the ever mounting challenges throughout our world from wars to cost of living crises. No one had this in their plans. It seems like the on-switch for uncertainty and global turmoil was flipped in 2020 and whoever controls it never clocked back in.
Despite this, some of us are thriving and making a way through. I believe that we are all called to live full and fulfilling lives, but what do we do when we are in the between places? If your confidence has been rocked, I have five effective tips of building it back up.
Do what you say you’re going to do
When you make promises to yourself and you don’t keep them, you lose confidence in yourself. Often times when this happens, it becomes even harder to pick ourselves back up or pursue bigger things because we cannot trust ourselves to follow through. So start small. Add something to your to do list that you know you’re likely to do and cross it off. Give yourself a win!
Track your wins
Set aside time at the end of each week and month, to review what you were able to accomplish and all the things you enjoyed. On tough days, it can be hard to see past our emotions but taking the time to reflect on what has gone well is a real game changer. For example, last month I had 17 job interviews. I had 17 opportunities to connect with brilliant people working in organizations and in roles that I am interested in. That in itself is win. We have to learn to see the process just as valuable and enjoyable as the outcome. My friend Tiwa has a win tracker for you to log all your accomplishments at the end of the month, you can find it here.
Get around confident people
If you have ever wondered how people are confident… ask them. You may be surprised to learn that they go through similar struggles that you face, and this allows you to have grace for yourself as well as give yourself permission to be confident right now. Social media can trick our minds into thinking that we are behind or that everyone is getting on with it while we are alone in our circumstances, but you have to remind yourself that Instagram is a highlight reel. How often do you post videos of yourself crying or lamenting? Someone is probably watching your stories and wondering how you do it. When you get around confident people you’ll learn that confidence is a practice. Allow yourself to have bad days without judgment, it’s all part of the journey.
Stop procrastinating
Sometimes when we put things off, we make them bigger than they actually are. As an example, I hate doing laundry. It usually takes me at least 3 business days to fold my laundry after washing and drying it. So for these days they are on my bed or in the dryer just waiting for me, and I feel awful whenever I look at it and its not put away. Like why can’t I just do it all at once? Why does this chore that everyone in the world does feel like such a burden? I decided I want to be the kind of person that gets laundry done in 1 day (radical, I know). So after I have dried all my clothes, I lay them on my bed and either set a timer or put on a YouTube video and tell myself I can stop folding at the end of the given duration. More often than not, I realize I did not as much time as I anticipated. I just need to strip the emotion out of it and focus. So whether its laundry, studying for the GMAT, or going to the gym — eliminate the story in your head that’s telling you it’s hard and you cannot do it. It may be hard, but you are more capable. Start small and build momentum.
Focus on your gut health and wellness
Two-thirds of Americans have gut issues and are unaware of the consequences. I remember when I moved to the UK and increased my dairy intake with all the custard, milk, cheese and cream that my heart could desire. At the same time, I was almost always bloated, would break out frequently, and experienced a lot of… flatulence. It’s hard to be confident when you don’t feel good or you don’t feel you look good. If you focus on your gut health, you will see changes in your skin, body, energy, and… confidence. Incorporate probiotic rich foods in your diet like yogurt, sauerkraut, or kimchi. I have been taking Ritual’s Symbiotic+ which is a 3-in-1 prebiotic, probiotic and postbiotic that supports a balanced gut microbiome. Use this link to get $35 off your first order. Taking care of yourself signals to yourself that you are valuable and worth tending to, creating positive feedback loops that help you feel more appreciated and motivated.
Three Good Things
A big part of my glow up journey has been taking care of my skin. In April, I started breaking out all over my cheeks and chin and it wasn’t regular pimples. These were teeny tiny closed comedones, and it kind of looked like a rash likely caused by a new sunscreen I started using. I incorporated a toner with protease to treat this. This is the toner that I use and it’s gentle enough for daily use and my skin is finally starting to clear up!
The weather is FINALLY getting warmer and that means out with my cold weather wardrobe and in with brighter colors, linens and flowy dresses. This Feeling Bonita Midi Dress from Free People in on my summer wishlist. I see myself wearing this to on rooftop in Brooklyn sipping on an Aperol Spritz wearing the fragrance Paradoxe by Prada, laughing with my friends as amapiano plays in the background.
Post half-marathon, I have switched up my fitness regimen to focus on fat loss. I’m back in the gym lifting heavy weights, which I missed and wanted to figure out how I could incorporate cardio into my routine and learned about zone 2 cardio to boost fat loss. So I’ve been doing the 12-3-30 workout (usually 12-2.5-30 to stay within zone 2) and the Stairmaster for 20-30 minutes — not easy at all, but looking forward to seeing changes in my body within the next 6 weeks.
A Question To Consider
What do you do well, and how can you do it more often?