How to Practice Confidence as a Youth

takes you out of the moment. Practice not thinking about the past or the future. Concentrate on what is in front of you -- there is probably something exciting about it.

HOW TO PRACTICE CONFIDENCE AS YOUTH

1. Embrace your interests: If there is a sport or hobby you have always wanted to be good at, now is the time! Improving your skills will reinforce that you are talented, and subsequently boost your confidence. Learn a musical instrument or a foreign language, take up an art like painting, start building projects—whatever it is that catches your interest.

2. Do not get discouraged if you are not immediately

awesome: Remember that learning is a process, and you are in it for the small victories and the relaxing recreation time, not to be the best.

3. Take up a hobby you can do with a group: Finding likeminded people who share your interests can be an easy way to make friends and build confidence. Look around your community for groups you can join, or find kinship with fellow hobbyists.

4. Talk to strangers: Straight up, confidence is more than just a state of mind -- it is a habit. That is all humans are. So, to be confident, you have to do confident things.

One of those is making conversation with strangers. It is intimidating at first, but with each time you will be more and more unfazed.

5. You do not have opportunities, hub? How about the barrister at your coffee shop? The girl at the check-out counter of your grocery store? Random strangers you pass on the street? No, that will not creep strangers out unless you are a smelly. If someone says, “Hey!” smiles at you, and asks you whether they should go to Starbucks or Coffee Bean, how are you going to feel? Probably good. Everybody likes to be the hero, talk to other people, and be spontaneous. You are just brightening up their otherwise dull day.

6. Do not over-apologize: Being able to say you are sorry is a good trait and something too many people struggle with. However, be careful to say it only when necessary. Apologizing when you are slighted or have inconvenienced someone is polite. a. Apologizing when you have not done anything wrong, though can make you feel subordinate and like you should be sorry. b. Before it slips out of your mouth, take a second to make sure this is a situation that needs an apology from you. c. Use workarounds. You can express your sympathy or regret without actually apologizing. For instance, if you are worried about inconveniencing someone, you could say “I hope this has not been too much trouble” instead of automatically reverting to “I am sorry.”

d. Apologizing needlessly makes you seem unsure of

yourself. That does not make sense because you are inferior to no one. Why apologize if you did not do anything wrong? After all, do you mean it? And if you apologize all the time, it loses value. Being sorry for everything means you are sorry for nothing.

Think of “I am sorry” like “I love you.” It should only be said with care.

7. Accept compliments gracefully: Do not just roll your eyes and shrug it off — own it! You deserve it! Make eye contact, smile, and say “thank you.” Being nice about it when someone else wants to compliment you does not compromise your humility; it shows that you are polite and have a secure sense of self-worth.

Pay a compliment in return. If you are still uncomfortable taking compliments, try giving one back after you have accepted. This can help you feel like the score is even and you have not been too proud.

8. Build your confidence by helping others: Take time to pay someone else a compliment, or do an unannounced good deed. You will brighten their day, and you will feel better about yourself. When you become a source for positivity, others will seek to be around you, bolstering the good vibes.

Lots of people are not good at receiving compliments. Odds are if you give someone one, they will respond with one in turn. Just make sure you mean it or they might respond skeptically -- “Hey, I like that shirt you are wearing. Was it made in China?” might not get the best response.

9. Drop those who bring you down: It is hard to be confident among a group of people you feel are constantly judging you. You could naturally be the most extroverted, loud, self-assured person, but with these people, you turn into a puppy dog that has not been cared for well enough.

Those people need to be dropped like a bad habit, and now.

You must surround yourself with others who make you feel you are the best version of yourself there could be. It is only around these people that you will be able to make the growth you want to (and can!) make.

10. Expect success: A lot of life is a self-fulfilling prophecy. When we think we have failed, we do not try as hard. When we think we are not good enough, we often act not well enough. If you expect success, you may just draw it out. Pessimism can undermine your capabilities.

Right now, you are probably saying, I am no accurate predictor of the future! Expecting success is not logical “- were you not pushing logic just a second ago?!” Well, yes, but think of it this way: you often expect failure,