Whether you're at the gym, in class, at work, or just in public - we could all use a confidence boost. Having confidence is one of the most important skills in life that you can acquire, and it will definitely help you in almost every life situation to become more successful. Here are 5 ways to appear more confident instantly.
Develop Good Posture
If you can develop good posture and stop slouching, you’ll appear 100% more confident within seconds. Not to mention if you have a conscious effort to focus on standing up straight, you'll strengthen your lower back and eliminate any back pain. So stand up as tall as you can, pulling your shoulder blades down and back as far as possible. Then, pick up your chin and look straight ahead. You don't want to look down while walking around. There’s a whole world out there for you to see, and people want to see you too! You can do this even if you sit in a chair all day - just sit up straight and follow the same rules. Once you have a concerted effort to have better posture, you’ll have a more confident appearance, and pretty soon you won’t even have to think about doing it.
Speak Slower
Many people have a fear of public speaking, which can make them appear less confident when the time comes to speaking in front of an audience. To appear more confident, start by taking a deep breath, slowing down, and practicing a ton beforehand. When you get nervous, your voice tends to get higher and you’ll talk faster than you realize. By being conscious of your talking speed and taking longer breaths between sentences, you'll actually talk more confidently. In your head it might seem way too slow, but out loud it’s just right.
Maintain Eye Contact
Along with standing or sitting up straight and speaking slowly, you should also always maintain eye contact. This can be a single person you're talking to, or everyone in a room if you're talking to an audience. By looking straight in their eyes, they know you're listening, they know you're not afraid, and you instantly appear more confident. Better yet, look at somebody in the eye until THEY look away first. Just remember to smile and blink so you don't look creepy and it doesn't turn into a full-blown staring contest of course. You'll be the more confident one out of the mix, which eliminates all your nervousness.
Smile More
Not a fake smile, but a truly genuine smile. People don’t smile enough these days, whether it's at work, an interview, or at the gym. When you're dealing with any situation where you’re uncomfortable, it’s easy to get caught up in your head and show a sad look on your face. However when you're aware of your facial expressions and make an effort to smile, people will see that you're more comfortable and confident in any scenario.
Get Out Of Your Head
This leads to our last piece of advice to appear more confident - get out of your head! Literally, stop living inside your head and stop over-thinking. If you feel out of place in a situation, everybody around you probably does too. Everybody has their own insecurities, but it's up to you to exist outside your brain and project that confidence. Don't give yourself the time to over-analyze things and become nervous. Go approach a new person you're interested in. Introduce yourself to a stranger in a social setting. Follow the presentation plan and present it the best you can. Part of building confidence is taking risks and having the ability to do stuff that scares you. So start putting yourself out there - you honestly have nothing to lose.
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-Gina
