A confident you starts today!
Feel ready for anything with these top tips
1 DROP THE CHARADE
DO THIS: Don’t pretend to be anything or anyone. WHY? We’ve been told that ‘fake it till you make it’ is the best way to get more confidence, but it’s not as effective as we once thought, says Katty. ‘Confidence isn’t about pretending or putting on an act,’ she explains. ‘In fact, faking it can make us feel less secure because knowingly masquerading as something we’re not makes us pretend to be anything or anyone. Instead, do one small brave thing, then the next one will be easier – and soon confidence will effortlessly flow.’ START BY… trying a micro challenge. It could be small, like whipping up tricky pastries you saw on
Bake Off, but you’ll be amazed at how mastering little things gives you the confidence to achieve bigger feats.
2 LEAVE YOUR COMFORT ZONE
DO THIS: Embrace the risk of possible failure. WHY? You learn by your mistakes. Doing what you know and have always done is safe, but it’s the enemy of confidence. ‘You won’t experience how far you can go without pushing yourself,’ explains Katty. ‘Gaining confidence means experiencing setbacks and, with determination, picking yourself back up. Doing risky things keeps you growing and gaining confidence. In contrast, staying in your comfort zone brings you little.’
START BY… doing more day-to-day things you wouldn’t normally expect of yourself (you don’t have to do anything radical like jump out of a plane, unless you want to!). For example, if you turn down party invites when you worry you won’t know people, go and pass around the food, introducing yourself. Once you realise risky things aren’t as bad as they seem (and neither is failure), you’ll feel brave enough to leave your comfort zone for good.