Rise Above: 5 Proven Strategies to Keep Your Confidence During Life's Toughest Moments
Strategies for Maintaining Confidence During Tough Times
Ah, confidence — that elusive little beast that seems to slip through our fingers the moment we face adversity.
Yet, it’s precisely during tough times that we need it the most. Whether you're navigating through personal challenges or professional hurdles, maintaining confidence can be your golden ticket to not just surviving but thriving.
So, grab a cup of coffee (or tea, if that’s your thing), and let’s dive into some practical strategies for keeping that confident spark alive, peppered with a few entertaining personal tales.
Some of these strategies, if not all, have been mentioned or talked about over this month of confidence builder for us.
It's helpful and important that we revisit and remind ourselves of these tools and techniques so we imprint them into our subconscious and make them into habit.
But, none of these exercises, tools, strategies or whatever you want to frame them as, will work unless you put in the work and apply them to your life.
Remember, knowledge isn't power, it is only potential power. Without action or the art of actually doing the things, we won't grow, get better, change or achieve whatever it is that we are setting out to accomplish.
Below are 5 proven strategies to maintaining confidence during tough times in my opinion.
The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall." – Nelson Mandela
Strategy 1: Embrace the Power of Positive Self-Talk
You know the age-old saying, “You are what you think”? Well, it’s absolutely true! Changing your internal dialogue can do wonders for your confidence. Replace “I can’t” with “I can” and “I will.”
Personal Anecdote:
I've already shared with you my experience when I first started training as an actor and got on stage. How on the surface I looked calm and collected, but deep inside I was a shrivelling mess. It felt like I had drank 100 cups of coffee I felt so jittery!
Luckily for me I had learned before had how to accept the fear and do the thing anyways. Along this journey, through journaling and meditation, I feel upon one of my most liked books in regards to personal development and psychology.
The book is called "Chatter." and in this book the psychologist Ethan Kross goes through the process of showing us how our thoughts work, and tools on how to overcome the "chatter" inside our own heads.
My favorite one that I am about to share with you is by just simply reframing the inner voice from that of yourself or a critic, to a friend or third person.
Think about it. Would you talk to a friend the way that you talk to yourself most of the time? (if you do, maybe now you know why they don't get back to you...) I thought not. So why would you talk to yourself like that?
Changing our inner dialogue to that of a friend or even just in third person distances ourselves from our thoughts, so we don't take it so personally, and we look at our thoughts more objectively.
I have use this simple process many times to overcome fears of starting something new, to asking a woman out on a date and many other examples. Mostly right now, during my entrepreneurial journey. (because who doesn't like a personal cheerleader in their corner?)
Strategy 2: Set Small, Achievable Goals
During tough times, setting huge, overwhelming goals can further dent your confidence. Break down your objectives into smaller, manageable tasks and celebrate every minor victory.
This process is called "chunking." Chunking is used in many different forms from breaking down big, audacious goals into smaller more actionable goals, to breaking something that you do down into steps so you can repeat the process over and over again.
Personal Anecdote:
Personally? I love setting big goals, which are called stretch goals. Stretch goals is setting such big goals that you actually aren't likely at all to achieve them at all, but because they are so out of reach, if you give it your all and go for them you are MUCH more likely to get farther ahead than if you were to set a achievable goal.
That being said, if I didn't chunk down and break that stretch goal into small and achievable goals, then not only would I not have a clear idea as to what to do, but I also wouldn't ever feel like I am making ANY progress towards my stretch goals achievement.
Setting those small and achievable goals helps build our confidence and momentum. They are essentially the proof and evidence saying that we are moving forward and making progress.
If there was no evidence that you were making any progress, you'd probably feel pretty discouraged wouldn't you?
Strategy 3: Surround Yourself with Positivity
Your environment plays a big role in how confident you feel. Surround yourself with supportive, positive people who uplift you.
Personal Anecdote:
This is something that I have always struggled with personally. I have always found myself with friends that either were extremely negative, or weren't good to me.
But since I have been working on myself and gone through all the courses, seminars and books on psychology, personal development and etc, I have completely changed my friend group and focus more on the family members that bring the best out of me and support me.
You want people who inspire you in your life. People who lift you up when you need it and cheer you on even though they may not understand what it is you are trying to do.
Those people who are always looks at the negative? Spend less time with them.
Those friends that are talks about how they're the victim and everyone else is to blame? Good-bye!
Those family members that talk trash about each other and everyone else? No thanks...
If you want to feel confident during hard and difficult times, you've got to build yourself a strong community of like-minded and positive friends.
You deserve to have someone who reminds you of how far you have come and what you have accomplished when you are feeling down. Because you're freaking awesome!
Strategy 4: Learn from Failures
Failures are not the end; they are stepping stones to success. Instead of viewing failures as definitive, see them as opportunities to learn and grow.
And that is what life's all about. It's about growing into the person that we want to become. The only way that we do that is through failures.
Personal Anecdote:
I have failed so many times in my own life that if each failure was a scar on my skin, I'd be covered in them.
I don't look at my failures as if they are or make me ugly though, in fact, I think they make me so beautiful and radiant. If it wasn't for each failure I have encountered and gone through, then I wouldn't be the man that I am today.
Those failures have also taught me so many valuable skills that I have carried over into many other areas of my life.
And through all of these failures, not only have I learned to embrace each new failure as a opportunity to learn and to grow, but I seek failure out now.
When I want to do something, start something, try something new (this blog,) and I feel that fear rising up in my belly and heart, I lean in even further now.
Because now I know that fear is the signal to my mind, body, soul, and heart that it's not only something that I want to do, but it is something that will stretch my capabilities and cause me to grow into a stronger, more courageous and more skilled human being.
So, embrace your failures. Seek them out, and grow by 1% or one step at a time into the person that you are meant to become. Because in my opinion, it's only going to happen through failure.
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.'" – Eleanor Roosevelt
Strategy 5: Practice Self-Care
Taking care of your physical and mental well-being can have a massive impact on your confidence. Exercise, eat well, get enough sleep, and take time for activities that bring you joy.
Personal Anecdote:
During a particularly stressful period at work, I found myself teetering on the edge of burnout. My confidence was plummeting faster than a skydiver without a parachute. Then, I started prioritizing self-care — from morning meditation and healthy meals to evening walks and digital detoxes. It didn’t take long before I felt rejuvenated and ready to tackle challenges with renewed confidence.
The walks don't have to be hours long either...they could just be for 5 minutes if you're strapped on time.
There are tons of meditation apps that I have suggested multiple times over this month on confidence like Calm, Headspace, and Balance.
When I say eating healthy too...please don't think I mean you have to completely do a 180 over night. Start small...there are tons of book on building habits, and I'll throw links at the bottom of this section incase you want to grab a copy and start deep diving into learning more about habits.
I also know a habit coach name Jennifer Vinges. She helps people over 50 build new and empowering habits
When you start small, what you're doing is building momentum, habits, and the muscles of doing that activity that will not only help calm you down during tough times, but will also help you build confidence through it also!
"The Power of Habits" by Charles Duhigg
"Atomic Habits" by James Clear
Conclusion & Call to Action
In conclusion, tough times don't last, but confident people do. By incorporating positive self-talk, setting achievable goals, surrounding yourself with positivity, learning from failures, and practicing self-care, you can maintain and even boost your confidence through any adversity.
Maintaining confidence is a continuous journey, but with these strategies, you're well on your way to handling any challenge life throws at you.
Now, what's one challenge you're currently facing that could use a confidence boost? Let's brainstorm some strategies together! Reach out to me via email and let's work on it together!
