Develop your self confidence

As happy as you may be, chances are that you, like many outwardly content men, suffer from a lack of self-confidence. This is not to say that you are overly shy, nervous, inadequate in your daily routine or that you have any serious psychological hang-ups, but it could be a lack of self-confidence if you feel as though you are not living up to your potential. Even if you're reasonably assured most of the time, it is beneficial to do a little mental strengthening every once in a while.
It feels good to be self-confident, which perpetuates more confidence, impresses people and brings you success.

Simply put, self-confidence is a sense of certainty that your own personality is honest, capable and fulfilling. Self-confident people generally have a high self-esteem. If you have a diminished self-esteem, bolstering your self-confidence will help immeasurably. Note that there is a distinguished difference between self-confidence and confidence in general. You may be confident that you can impress a woman or a boss, while at the same time you question whether or not you are interesting to smart women or have chosen the right job. Or, you might walk into a party and command the floor, but as soon as you have a moment to yourself, you wonder if you really fit in. Confidence can exist without self-confidence, meaning that there can be a certain degree of falsehood -- of lying to one's self -- at play. Sort it out.

Threats to your self-confidence can be felt in almost any challenging circumstance, from reading the bus schedule to getting fired. Different men are susceptible to diminished self-confidence on account of different causes. While losing the football match made your neighbour question his physical condition, it didn't bother you nearly as much as failing to impress your boss at today's meeting. The truth is that self-confidence can be attacked by almost anything. Of course, there are common culprits. We each want to be the ideal man for our woman, so we struggle to be financially independent, physically healthy, intelligent, dependable, interesting company and have a strong character. If any of these issues have been wearing away at your manhood lately, take a deep breath and realise that we all have the same thoughts; there's nothing wrong with you.

7. Surround yourself with good people - Make it a point to socialise with people that you share a mutual respect, and who are able to put you in the limelight during conversations. Friendship is a fundamental boost to the self-confidence of both parties. When your mate is quick to recognise that you're a cool guy, you'll notice it too.

8. Be well-rounded - Maintain interest and skill in all aspects of your life. In other words, don't neglect your DIY, your public-speaking voice or your painting & drawing, whatever the hobby is. Meanwhile, don't let your job absorb all of your free time, and make sure your new partner doesn't keep you away from your other passions. To maintain a maximised level of self-confidence, you want all of your personal qualities to be exercised as often as possible.

9. Keep up with the world - Follow the news and do your best to know a little bit about everything. Learn something new every day, and make a point of having an opinion on things, from current events to long-term political issues. This way, you won't feel completely out of touch when you encounter old friends or new acquaintances.

10. Socialise with everyone - The newsagent, the bus driver, the receptionist at your doctor's surgery; it is beneficial to strike up a conversation with anyone who crosses your path. Sharpen your social skills and this will make you more sociable and confident with people, especially strangers. As a result, you won't feel threatened or insecure in unfamiliar situations.

11. Partake in things you excel at - Are you currently a bit overweight, but used to be a star striker? Then stop avoiding the local Sunday league football match and show them what you're made of. You will, more importantly, show yourself what you're made of and build your self-confidence. Even if you have to go out of your way, doing something that you know how to do well will boost your conviction and self-confidence when you do something else.

We all need to boost our self-confidence in different ways and for different reasons. The trick is to find out where you need to improve and then go out and do just that. When you have self-confidence and faith in yourself, life makes more sense and it becomes something you can tackle. So take the bull by the horns -- that bull is you.