From the start of our lives, all the way to the finish, the mindset we hold will play a crucial part in whether or not we will be able to look back and say we were happy with it. There’s no one out there who wants to live an inauthentic life in which they weren’t true to themselves, and to prevent that, we must overcome any self-doubt and negative thoughts we may be holding onto. The cultivation of a positive mindset, along with self-confidence, is imperative in enabling us to live the life that we dream of having. Here are some personal tips I use to maintain a positive mindset and increase my self-confidence!

Start your morning off with an affirmation

If we want to make lasting changes, we have to start out small. Getting yourself into the habit of starting the day off with a positive statement is a great start. Saying something as minor as ‘today, I want to think positively,’ sets a nice tone for how you want to move going forward into the rest of that day. It doesn’t just have to be a statement either, if you’re not comfortable with that, you can set a little reminder in your phone calendar or leave sticky notes around your room-Make sure you put them where you can easily see them!-with positive readings on them. Don’t complicate it, keep it simple when you start out.

Practice gratitude

For how commonly this tip is given out, I feel like people underestimate just how effective it can be. The easy practice of acknowledging the things that are good in your life, instead of focusing on the negative, can boost your mood quite a bit. Take the time to make a list of all the things and/or people that you are grateful to have, read and recall it frequently, and you will begin to gradually shift into looking towards the positives in your life. Repetition matters greatly for this one.

Stop being your own hater and be your biggest supporter

If you’re anything like me, then this tip is extremely important. If you’ve struggled with bad self-talk when trying something new, or put your own ideas down when you’re not secure in them. This is most likely coming from the need to protect yourself from having to hear the possible negative feedback from others, or at least it was in my case. If so, you’re not doing anything but shooting down your confidence with this thought process. It’s not going to stop people from, nor lessen the impact of, them saying mean things, it might even make it worse.

Instead, we must combat this mindset by being gentle with self-talk and allowing ourselves to suck at things. Everyone is going to suck at something they’ve just started. Challenge this by becoming your own greatest cheerleader. Remind yourself that while you might not be where you want to be now, if you keep practicing, if you keep trying, and if you remain consistent, you will see improvement.

Celebrate your accomplishments

This tip is a major key to boosting one’s self-confidence. Celebrating your achievements, it doesn’t matter how big or small, emphasizes that your efforts are worth something and can decrease a lot of your self-criticism. It can also strengthen your motivation to continue on your path and take on bigger challenges. Then, most importantly, it combats self-doubt and helps a person gain more trust in themselves, as celebrating puts the focus on the positive impacts of their hard work.

Keep positive people around you

Nobody likes a negative Nancy; they drain the energy of the people around them and often destroy the mood. It’s hard to maintain a helpful outlook when your company never has anything good to say. If you have anyone like this around you, you should try to distance yourself from this person. Find people who tend to be optimistic and try to keep them as close as possible. The more positive thoughts you hear and surround yourself with, the easier it is to keep a mindset that’s going to benefit you.

These are the tips that have allowed me to be true to myself and allowed me to live a life I am comfortable and happy with. Remember, take it slow. Don’t overwhelm yourself by trying to do this all at once, or immediately, for that matter. I hope these tips are helpful to those who are willing to give it a shot.

Thank you for reading!