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How to be Confident and Learning the Science Behind It.

Confidence is a great trait to have. When you’re confident, you’re just more excited and energized regardless of which challenges you’re taking on. That, in turn, can lead to more persistence and less hesitation as you tackle your goals—which can make you more likely to succeed! But having confidence doesn’t come easily to everyone. If you’re not feeling very self-assured lately, here’s what you need to know about how to be confident and why this trait is so important.

If you’re having trouble getting started on feeling more confident, these ideas might help: 40 Ways to Empowerment and Well-Being

How Confidence Works

So why are some people more confident than others? And how can you improve your confidence if it doesn’t come naturally to you? TED-Ed published a video that answers some major questions about the science behind confidence:

As stated in the video, a lot of elements can impact confidence. One aspect happens to include your genes, as the neurochemicals in your brain can affect how confident you are. That might be something that’s beyond your control, but that doesn’t mean you can’t learn how to be confident just because you weren’t born that way. In fact, the social pressures of your environment and the choices you make can both affect your confidence, and you do have control over those factors.

And that’s good to know, because it’s pretty important to display some confidence in all parts of your life. Maybe you’re sure of yourself at work because you’ve been there for years and feel like you’ve mastered your job…but that doesn’t always equate to being confident at home. So if you’re struggling with a lack of confidence in various aspects of your life, you should work on this, because being confident can help keep you focused and committed to weight loss plans, eating healthy, and any other goal you have in mind. Clearly, confidence and health goals go hand in hand, so it’s important you don’t ignore this issue if you want to feel better overall.

For tips on feeling more confident about your body in particular, read: On Body Positivity and Self-Acceptance

How To Be Confident

Now that you know how critical body confidence is for succeeding at all areas of life, it’s time to learn how to get more of it. You can start by simply believing that you have the power to improve at anything you haven’t yet mastered. Knowing you can solve your problems can help you respond correctly when you suffer from setbacks. And of course, once you overcome an issue, your confidence will begin to increase!

Another tip on how to become confident is to picture your success every time you start a new task. Close your eyes and imagine yourself succeeding, and you’ll be one step closer to actually doing it! Along the same lines, focus on positive self talk to pump up your confidence. Let your brain know you’re the best—and ignore any negative self-talk that might start to creep in!

Finally, practice failing. After all, you’ll fail sometimes; everyone does. People who fail regularly and keep on trying are well equipped to respond to setbacks the right way. Basically, if you fall off the horse, get back on and set your sights on success. This alone should boost your confidence, which makes it more likely you’ll reach your goals.

Clearly, self-care and confidence are pretty important if you want to succeed in life. That’s why it’s great that you can use these tips to learn how to be confident if you aren’t already. So what do you do to boost your confidence when you’re feeling unsure? Let us know!

If you’re struggling with negative feelings about yourself, you could use these tips: How To Feel Confident In the Body You’re In

More sources on understanding the science behind confidence:
7 Tips to Gain the Confidence You Need to Succeed
3 Ways You Can Treat Yourself to a Confidence Boost Today
10 Things You Can Do to Boost Self-Confidence

The original version of this article was first published on FitFormula.