How to Be More Confident is something everyone wants to know. Everyone has insecurities, even if you exude confidence in most areas. Learning how to be more confident sounds difficult, but it can be done. I know that sometimes it’s difficult to build yourself up, but if you take things one step at a time, you can get there. It takes patience and determination, but anyone can learn how to be more confident, how to build self esteem, and how to believe in themselves.
1. BE CREATIVE
One of the best ways to learn how to be more confident is to be creative. Start a new project or an endeavor that encourages creativity. It can be something simple, like learning how to sew, or something really big, like painting a mural or writing a book. When you complete it successfully, it will fill you with confidence. You’ll feel accomplished, because you started something really big and finished it.
2. FOCUS ON YOUR ATTRIBUTES
Everyone has strengths, talents, and attributes. You might be a gifted poet, a great listener, or really good at organization. No matter how big or small, your strengths are important. Focusing on those rather than what you see as your faults makes a huge difference. If you cook delicious food, take beautiful pictures, have a great knowledge of history, or love animals, focus on that. Write down all the things you do well – and as you see that list grow, you’ll feel so much better about yourself.
3. SPEND TIME WITH GOOD PEOPLE
Another way to teach yourself how to be more confident is to spend time around good people, the people who love you for you. Hang out with your family members. Go out with your friends. These people love you, they see all the good in you, and I bet it shows. As you spend more time with you, it will become easier to see yourself through their eyes.
4. BE A RISK TAKER
Taking risks can be hard – it’s kind of scary. However, being willing to do something risky can make you feel empowered. I don’t mean indulging in dangerous behavior or anything. However, by doing something you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t had the courage to try, you can really inspire yourself – and others. Don’t let your fears hold you in one place. Overcome them and your confidence will grow.
5. DO UNTO OTHERS
One of the best ways to learn how to be more confident is to do nice things for other people. Volunteering your time will enrich your life. You can volunteer at a soup kitchen, hospital, or homeless shelter, organize a charitable or philanthropic event, or even help people you know who may be down on your luck in some way. Doing good for others will help you see what a great person you are.
6. SMILE MORE
I’m sure you’ve heard that it takes way more muscles to frown than to smile, right? It’s also true that when you smile, it boosts your confidence. To quote another cliché, smile and the whole world smiles back at you. When you exude good feelings, people respond to that. Knowing that you can inspire good in others is an even better confidence boost.
7. BE ACTIVE
Exercise can actually help you learn how to be more confident, as well. Simply having more energy does wonders. Even if you just start taking walks around the block or walking your dog in the park, it will help.
Learning how to be more confident does take time, and it can be a hard journey. Confidence isn’t something you can gain or build overnight. You have to surround yourself with positive people and actions in order to teach yourself how to be more confident. The end results are so worth it, though. You’ll feel so much better about yourself.
Chris Kotsiopoulos is a Greek astronomer who takes amazing 360 degree panoramas of the sky. The perspective he gives us is incredible! For some of these photos, Kotsiopoulos shoots for an entire 24 hour period just to capture one scene. With so many historic sites, Greece is the perfect backdrop for this kind of photography.
“I hope and trust you will enjoy the photos,” says Kotsiopoulos. “And, perhaps, they will motivate you to take a moment to reflect upon the richness of the overhead sky which has intrigued and fascinated man ever since he became aware of his humble existence.”
Update: We caught up with Chris, asking him how he creates these amazing 360 degree panoramas. You can catch that exclusive interview, here.
“This is a 24 hour picture. I was wondering if it is possible to visualize on a photo a full day, from the morning to the next morning. I finally decided to give it a try! The shooting began the morning of December 30, 2010. I started taking photos with the camera on a tripod facing east. The ‘day part’ is composed of a dozen of shots covering the landscape from east to west and the Sun’s course from sunrise to sunset. The Sun’s position was recorded exactly every 15 minutes using an intervalometer, with an astrosolar filter adjusted to the camera lens.”
“This is a ‘little planet’ 360 degree panorama. Moon, Jupiter, stars and clouds and at the foreground, St George, a small church, compose this surrealistic scene. The photo was taken near Livadia, Viotia.”
“A ‘little planet’ panorama taken at Parnassos mountain. The temperature during the shooting was -17 °C.”
“A nice little village near Dimitsana at Peloponnisos.”
“Epidaurus little planet! A 360 degree panorama taken from the center of the most famous Greek ancient theatre.”
“This is a 360 degree panorama taken at Meteora. Meteora means ‘suspended in the air’ and it is one of the most impressive Greek landmarks. It is a complex of strangely shaped sandstone mountains located near Kalabaka in central Greece. Apart from their geological significance, Meteora is one of the most important Greek Orthodox Church centers as many monasteries dating from centuries ago are located on top of these gigantic rock pillars.”
“360 degree panorama at Kokoros bridge near Loannina, Greece. This is a remarkable landscape composed of a beautiful old stone bridge, two vertical mountains and a modern bridge.”
“Dimitsana, Peloponnisos. This is a 360 degree ‘little planet’ panorama.”
“Health is like money, we never have a true intent of its value until we lose it.” — Josh Billings
“Patients should have rest, food, fresh air, and exercise – the quadrangle of health.” — William Osler
“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” — Jim Rohn
“You can set yourself up to be sick, or you can select to stay well.” — Wayne Dyer
“A man’s health can be judged by which he takes two at a time – pills or stairs.” — Joan Welsh
“Commit to be fit.” — Author Unknown
“Eighty percent of success is showing up.” — Woody Allen
“The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare.” — Juma Ikangaa
“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” — Jim Ryun
“If you don’t do what’s ideal for your body, you’re the one who comes up on the short end.” — Julius Erving
“What fits your busy schedule better, exercising one hour a day or being dead 24 hours a day?” — Randy Glasbergen
“Workouts are like brushing my teeth; I don’t think about them, I just do them. The decision has already been made.” — Patti Sue Plumer
“Living a healthy lifestyle will only deprive you of poor health, lethargy, and fat.” — Jill Johnson
“Exercise and temperance can preserve something of our early strength even in old age. ~Cicero
“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.” — Plato
“Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.” — John F. Kennedy
“Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person’s physical, emotional, and mental states.” — Carol Welch
“Those who think they have not time for bodily exercise will sooner or later have to find time for illness.” — Edward Stanley
“To feel ‘fit as a fiddle’, you must tone down your middle.” — Author Unknown
“Physical fitness can neither be achieved by wishful thinking nor outright purchase.” — Joseph Pilates
“Fitness needs to be perceived as fun and games or we subconsciously avoid it.” — Alan Thicke
“An hour of basketball feels like 15 minutes. An hour on a treadmill feels like a weekend in traffic school.” — David Walters
“Exercise should be fun, otherwise, you won’t be consistent.” — Laura Ramirez
“Wholesome exercise in the free air, under the wide sky, is the best medicine for body and spirit.” — Sarah Louise Arnold
“Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.” — Vince Lombardi
“You are never really playing an opponent. You are playing yourself, your own highest standards, and when you reach your limits, that is real joy.” — Arthur Ashe
“The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win.” — Roger Bannister
“No matter who you are, no matter what you do, you absolutely, positively do have the power to change.” — Bill Phillips
“The pride you gain is worth the pain.” — Dennis Ogilvie
“Health is the thing that makes you feel that now is the ideal time of the year.” — Franklin Adams
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