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Self-development: eight tips to build self-confidence

by | Jun 23, 2015 | Schools

The development of oneself is one of the most important skills that a learner will ever learn.  Self-awareness and self-esteem are necessary for any self-development to occur. Self-awareness is the way we see and think about ourselves, while self-esteem is the way we feel about ourselves. It is our image of our worth as a person. Share these eight ideas with your learners to help develop and boost their self-confidence.

1. Communicate

Confide in a close friend, teacher or family member if you’re suffering from a  lack of confidence or low self-esteem. This is called self-disclosure, and can help you get an objective view of yourself through someone else’s eyes. You will probably realise that you have many more good qualities than you give yourself credit for.

2. Successful completion of tasks or projects

Do not allow feelings of failure to get you down. Use a situation in which you think you failed to reflect, and think about how you could do things better next time in order to get the result you want.

3. Participate in community life

Get involved with groups and activities in your community. The more you participate, the more people you will meet and get to know. They will also get       to know you and your skills and abilities, and help to boost your confidence.

4. Make good decisions

Focus on solutions. If you are lacking in confidence in a particular area of your life, don’t dwell on the problem. Rather think about possible ways of dealing with it.

5. Affirm others and accept compliments

Think about the way you handle compliments. Do you shrug them off or do you take them seriously? You are entitled to be praised and you should accept compliments paid to you. By the same token, you should affirm others and their worth, by paying compliments to them.

 6. Focus on your strengths

Do not focus on your weaknesses. Instead, concentrate on what you are good at and start developing these strengths.

7. Trust yourself

Focus on how you feel and think. Don’t worry about what you think others may be thinking about you. Try to forget about insults, real and imagined. What you think about yourself is far more important.

8. Act confidently

Even if you do not feel confident, act as though you are. You’ll be surprised at how positively people respond, which will give your confidence a boost.

Source: Oxford Successful Life Orientation Grade 10 Learner’s Book 

 

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