This topic relates to the one I addressed in my previous article about the self-date. Going out by myself helped with my confidence level, but it also took a little bit of confidence to do it. So, in this article I want to talk about confidence.

Let's be honest: there aren't many completely confident people on this planet. Many of those that we envy for their confidence are most likely pretending because they want to appear as confident as others seem to be.

You may not be feeling confident in a certain area or you may just feel uncomfortable in general, but hopefully I can help with that. Being awkward and uncomfortable happens to be my specialty. I'll give you a few tips that have helped me along the way.

Some tips:

1. Embrace the awkward.

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There will be times when you will feel like you don't belong. In reality, you aren't the only one who feels that way. Accept the fact that you're uncomfortable, but acknowledge that other people are too.

2. Visualize success.

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This sounds cliche, but it helps. The thoughts you allow yourself to dwell on will deeply affect your confidence level. If you tell yourself that your worst nightmare is the least logical outcome of whatever situation you face, you'll feel better.

3. Have someone supporting you.

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This is probably the most important tip. You can't gain confidence if the people in your life are constantly tearing you down. Find someone, even if it's just one person, who builds you up and makes you feel like you can handle whatever is ahead of you.

4. Do it anyway.

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This is the most difficult part. You acknowledge that you feel uncomfortable, you imagine yourself succeeding at what you are attempting, you have your friend by your side, now all you can do is just swallow the fear and jump right in. You may make a mess of the situation, but that won't be the end of the world. Sometimes the best way to learn what not to do is to mess up. Failure is a part of life, so there's no reason to fear it.

5. Repeat.

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This process will take some time to sink in. You won't be completely confident in just one day. Let it take time; you'll start noticing the difference and be grateful for all the hard work.

Now that you are feeling slightly surer of yourself, it's time to face whatever challenge you're afraid of. This recipe does not ensure that you'll be confident immediately; like I said, this is a process. Hopefully, though, these tips will help you along the way.

I'm confident that you'll be alright!