The Power Of Mindset To Boost Confidence

May 20, 2019

Confidence is our ability to view ourselves positively and to believe that our talents and skills are enough to gain success. It is basically mixing self-efficacy and optimism to “feel” good about oneself. It might be easy to define confidence, but usually acquiring and maintaining it is a great challenge, especially nowadays where social norms and stereotypes govern much of our perception to others and even ourselves. With the rise of social media, most of us start to focus on the outside influences, judging and comparing based on how society dictates what is acceptable or not. Such perception greatly affects our confidence and how we work to reach our goals.

One way to effectively boost one’s self-confidence is NOT by forming and emulating what the majority prescribe, BUT it is changing and nurturing a mindset that would develop positivity in our lives – beliefs, efforts, failures, and challenges. The way we perceive and accept reality significantly impacts the way we live our life. Promoting and cultivating a mindset that develops confidence would create a healthier outlook and stronger self-resilience to become more productive and successful in life.

Generally, there are two types of mindset commonly observed, and before delving deep on the ways to develop the right mindset for improving self-confidence, let us look into its differences:

FIXED MINDSET VS. GROWTH MINDSET
“I am either good at it or not”
“When I am frustrated, I give up.”
“I stick to what I know.”
“I do not like challenges.”

These are some common phrases of a person with a fixed mindset. Believing that their skills, talents, intelligence, and potentials are predetermined, makes people with a fixed mindset limit their opportunities in life.

While on the other hand, you can normally hear these phrases from people with a growth mindset:
“I can learn anything that I want.”
“Failure is a chance to grow and improve.”
“I like to try new things.”
“My effort and my attitude determine my abilities.”

Since they believe that abilities, skills, and intelligence are dynamic, they always push themselves to attain their goals, no matter how difficult or challenging they may be. People with a growth mindset focus on effort and view criticisms as constructive. They are never limited but continuously seeking improvement.

HOW TO DEVELOP A GROWTH MINDSET?
Contrary to common belief, confidence is not something people are born with; instead, it is a learned behavior and acquired through life. With this knowledge, establishing how we think, we perceive and we know ourselves are some of the essential steps to improve one’s self-confidence.

Developing a growth mindset is like learning a new skill; it takes patience and practice. It starts by changing the negative perception of one’s self and embracing all your flaws and imperfections – sounds easy right? But it is not. One must keep in mind that recognizing that we can never be perfect for everyone is different from obtaining perfection on how you perceive yourself – meaning it’s all about setting your mind to accept that you are enough and you are highly versatile to grow and to be perfect on your way. Growth mindset also opens us to a wide variety of strategies to adapt and to survive – to become better each day and to change according to what you feel is best for you. Focus your energy in learning rather than giving up when you fail. Train yourself to value your efforts and enjoy the experience, and not get frustrated or pressured to attain your expected outcome. Lastly, acknowledge and be proud of your belief in constant learning and development.

GROWTH MINDSET FOR HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
With the threats of modernization, technology, and career in our self-confidence, developing a growth mindset is important. It does not just help you with becoming resilient, but it considerably brings out the best in your holistic health and well-being. Having a healthy outlook and belief leads to a healthier lifestyle and habits.

Sometimes the problem with establishing a growth mindset is our lack of time for ourselves due to the demands of work and day-to-day responsibilities. We tend to get stuck in a cycle of hard work and stress. The result of this kind of “unhealthy” routine can be damaging in long-term, particularly to our health. As cliché as it may sound, health is always our greatest wealth, therefore stop using your work as an excuse but use it as a motivation to start nurturing growth mindset and confidence.

The concept behind Shelley Booth Fitness Programme – Feel Look Be is a holistic approach to fitness and health – physical, environmental, emotional, and spiritual. It is a product of 20 years expertise, knowledge, and hands-on experience that provides everyone highly effective methods in altering one’s daily habit, mindset, and lifestyle into becoming more sustainable, productive and successful.