A Daily Exercise to Build Your Confidence
There are probably a million different ideas and techniques you can implement when it comes to building your confidence. My favorite, and truly one of the simplest ways, is to do the things that make yourself proud every day. This means doing something that you know is meaningful and significant, even if it’s just a small task.
For example; recently, after a busy day of work, I loaded up my basket full of laundry into my car and headed out to the campground laundromat. After tossing my clothes in the washer and paying 2 bucks in quarters, I decided to sit outside by the lake in the gorgeous 65-degree weather.
There’s a wooden swing, a hill full of fall foliage in the background of the lake, and geese and ducks floating about on the calm water. After sitting for a moment and enjoying the calm, I thought, “This is really nice… I could have just gone back to the RV and worked some more…”
Then, what did I do? I whipped out my phone and recorded some videos for my Instagram reels.
It might not seem like something to be proud of to some, but taking a few moments to enjoy the scenery and the calm is something that makes me proud of myself. It can be far too easy for me to get wrapped up in the day-to-day tasks of life and business, and forget to take time for myself and enjoy the moment.
Chances are you too struggle with finding moments where you feel pride in what you’re building. You’re struggling to confidently streamline your business, organize your systems, and juggle the day-to-day tasks so that you have the time to do the things that boost your confidence and fill you with pride.
One Simple Way You Can Boost Your Confidence and Make Yourself Proud Every Day
It’s Not Just About Business Goals, Success, or Perfection
For some people, the word “goals” really rubs them the wrong way. It reminds them of the “hustle” culture – the idea that you have to work hard and work more to make money and be successful.
I, and most of my clients, prefer the idea of “getting into alignment” with your goals. That means making mindset shifts and changing your habits to get the outcomes you want.
Now, outcomes don’t have to be all about money or business success. Maybe you’ve been in a mental funk and want to take one step to get out of it today. Maybe you haven’t exercised in months, your back is hurting, and you just want to do something – anything – to move around more today. Those are great daily goals!
There are times when you need to “hustle” to meet a deadline you promised, but then the next day you need to take a break. There are times where your soul needs an amazing adventure, and then after being away you need to get some work done. Life is not ALL about the “hustle” or ALL about self-care & amazing adventures. It’s ebb and flow. Not every day is going to feel balanced, and the dishes and laundry are always waiting, even for a full-time RVer!
Overall, week-to-week, month-to-month, are you feeling fulfilled?
Ask Yourself This Question Each Morning
A little exercise I’ve been doing every morning is to ask myself, “What’s it going to take to feel good about myself today?” Or, rephrased, “What can I do to feel proud of myself today?”
One or two things immediately pop into my head and it could be any of the following, for example:
“Take a walk.”
“Do a workout video.”
“Catch up on those emails.”
“Meet that deadline a day early.”
“Cook an ACTUAL meal.”
“Do my hair and makeup.”
If I sat with the question for long enough, ALL of those things would come up but just focus on the first 1 or 2. Those are what’s going to feed your soul today. It will be different each day. This is an exercise in checking in with yourself and listening to your own needs. Doing this boosts your confidence in your intuition and you’ll start to naturally check-in with yourself and care for yourself better over time.
Try asking yourself this question – “What will it take to feel good about myself today?” – every morning for a week. Make those 1 or 2 things a priority each day, and see how good you feel. Schedule them into your day if you need to. The activities you need might be work-related or they might be some form of self-care. All that matters is they are important to YOU today.
Be As Understanding With Yourself As you Are with Others
I know some of you are thinking, “It would take WAY too much to make myself proud. I can’t fit it all into one day. There’s too much. I’m too behind. I’m just unhappy with myself.”
If that’s you, I’m truly sorry if you feel that way. I will say, this exercise requires certain mindset prerequisites:
Give Yourself Grace
This exercise will not solve all of your problems in a day. You are not super-human and I’m not asking you to be. I just want you to be proud of yourself at the end of the day. You are WORTH spending a little extra time on, even if you have to let someone else down occasionally. Over time, your mental health will really thank you if you do one or two things every day that fill your cup.
Take Inspired Action Daily
This exercise should not feel heavy or hard. The things that pop up when you ask yourself, “What’s it going to take to feel good about myself today?” should be things you WANT to do; things you normally may normally skip because you “don’t have the time.” Motivation shouldn’t be an issue here. You’re taking inspired action – so absolutely no “should”s.
Don’t Worry About Pleasing Others
I’m going to say it – it doesn’t matter if anyone else is proud of you. My hope is that you live an authentic and abundant life that YOU love – even if no one else understands or likes it, and that you make YOURSELF proud
Try not to make your daily activity all about meeting every demand in your email inbox. We all want to do a good job in our businesses, and some days, what you need for your mental health is to spend some extra time preparing for that meeting. The next day, it could be to take off 2 hours early and enjoy some sunshine. If you’re a business owner, use this as a first step to start creating the business, the life, and the schedule you really want.
Making yourself proud, even in small ways, on a daily basis is a HUGE confidence booster. When you have confidence in yourself, you become unstoppable.