Today’s post is all about building confidence. Guest author Kimora Chanel shows us how.

We’ve all been there before. Letting the evil voice in our head define our worth. Letting the harsh words of others influence the way we live our lives. Even allowing our own emotions to determine the things we are and are not capable of achieving in life. We’ve all let the power of negativity hinder our confidence in one way or another, and have found it hard to recover at times.

It can be hard to shut all these negative feelings, thoughts, and emotions down. To cast them away and convince ourselves that none of it is true. We feel things, we go through emotions that drive us crazy, and we constantly fight with ourselves about what is and is not the right way to feel about something. Especially when it creates a whole lot of guilt inside of us because we feel or think a specific way about something that others may not agree with. It’s just a part of life. It’s all a part of being human.

We can’t escape it nor should we try to. So what do we do about it? Do we just fall over and give into the darkness? Do we just give up and allow for our worst dreams to come true? Do we let that voice that tells us we’re not good enough, convince us that we’re not good enough, and live the rest of our lives believing so?

No. That would be the easy way out.

Instead the key is to focus more on building your confidence so that you can start living the life that you deserve. We very rarely ever hear this, especially in moments when we need to hear it most, but our confidence is the key to everything that we allow ourselves to have in life. People who have achieved their wildest dreams, achieve them because they have the confidence that allows them to believe that they can. People who genuinely live happy lives, are genuinely happy because they have full confidence in their ability to be as happy as they desire to be.

It by no means is an easy route to take. In fact, it’s a very brave and courageous one. It takes a great amount of courage and bravery to be able to let your confidence shine, and allow you do to everything your heart desires, all while not caring what others think about you or have to say about your journey.

It can be hard to build up your confidence to be able to unapologetically live the life that you know you deserve. The reality is there are going to be plenty of moments, people, and situations that are going to try their best to defeat you, but there will also be plenty of moments, people, and situations that are going to push you.

If you’re reading this post this is going to be one of those moments that will push you.

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10 Ways You Can Build Confidence & Start Living the Life You Deserve

Have a vision

It’s important to have a vision for what you want your overall future to look like. I know this can be overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be. Don’t overthink it and don’t try to force yourself to see something that just doesn’t realistically fit in with your vision for your future. You want this vision to be as clear, specific, and simple as possible. This will make your ability to achieve that vision of your future more realistic for you, and motivate you to confidently chase it. There are three simple rules you need to abide by when creating this vision.

• It has to be realistic and attainable for you
• It has to consist of meaningful goals
• It has to be a vision that you want for yourself, not for somebody else or suggested by somebody else

Abiding by these rules will guarantee that you are designing a future that will be the perfect fit for yourself, simply because above all it is a realistic vision that you can live up to. It’s important to keep your goals as a big part of what your future will look like because this is ultimately what is going to be the starting point for you. If you have an idea of things that you would like to achieve, you can then begin to develop a strategy to help you achieve these goals. The clearer you are about your goals, the clearer your vision for your future will be.

Seek inspiration

One of the biggest pieces of the puzzle to building your confidence is having the inspiration to better yourself. For some people this inspiration may come from within, such as being inspired by their big goals and dreams. For others this inspiration may come from other people, such as admiring the way someone in particular lives their life. Wherever you get your inspiration from it’s important to be able to identify that particular person, place, or thing because it will be a source of comfort and reassurance that you will find yourself resorting back to very often.

When we are inspired by things, we somehow manage to find empowerment within that inspiration. It’s really this empowerment that slowly begins to build up inside of us that makes us feel unstoppable. Grab onto this power and hold onto to it for dear life. This power is going to be your best (and sometimes only) friend as you make your way down your very own golden brick road of goals, dreams, happiness and unlimited possibilities.

Build a reliable support system

One sure way to remain consistent in building your confidence is to build a reliable support system along the way. This support system is going to consist of people who are going to support you unconditionally, and yes this is a very important piece of the puzzle. It can be hard to live a life that we find fulfilling if the people who make up our social circle don’t support the lifestyle we have chosen to live.

Building a support system where the people who make up this system do support the lifestyle you have chosen to live, will make achieving your dreams and goals all the more worth it. This is really what will push you to step out of your comfort zone and have the confidence to tackle challenges head on. Your support system is going to be there to catch you when you fall, and they will be there to lift you up when you’re ready to get back on your feet.

Free of judgement and criticism this is going to be one of your biggest places of comforts. You will learn that you are able to let down your guard, to reveal your flaws, and to just be who you are. This will help your confidence shoot through the roof and give you the motivation to take life by the balls.

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Try new things

Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. Our comfort zone keeps us in a safe space. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to be and feel safe, sometimes it can put major limitations on our potential. Especially when you’re trying to reach new heights in life. Confidence is a combination of support from others, belief in your ability to be great, and your courage to try new things. Even if you fail the fact that you were brave enough to try in the first place speaks volumes.

This will light a fire under you that will leave your craving for more. If you continue to step out of your comfort zone and try new things eventually it will become a natural part of who you are. The best part about trying new things is that you never know the amazing opportunities that can and will come about it. You could literally be opening the door to all your dreams, or meeting the right people you need in your life as a part of your support system.

Life is journey, might as well make it an exciting one!

Believe the impossible is possible

This sounds like such a silly thing to say, trust me I know. However, there is something truly empowering about allowing yourself to believe that there is absolutely nothing that you can’t achieve. When we choose to believe in the impossible, we are giving ourselves permission to take off any ridiculous limitations that society, others, and even ourselves have put on us. The thing about success is that it is often times coupled with competition, haters, and just flat out negative people who want to project their negative energy onto you.

Don’t let them. Block it all out and don’t let it have an effect on you.

Commit to yourself

The only way we ever move forward in life is if we commit to ourselves to move forward. My mom has always told me that when things don’t play out the way we may have planned and intended them to, that, that is the biggest evil in this world trying to bring us down. The only way that evil wins is if we allow it to. The only way we allow it to is if we just simply give up, throw in the towel and convince ourselves that fighting wouldn’t have made a difference.

Don’t be that person. Don’t let the evil win. Starting and finishing anything we choose to do in life always starts with the self. This is why it’s important to make a commitment to yourself, so that you can actually see every project you start through until the very end. Even if it takes years to complete, never give up on yourself.

Eliminate toxicity

Just like building a support system you want to eliminate any toxicity in your life. This will grant you with the power and self-strength to confidently and unapologetically live the life that you so deserve. This step scares a lot of people but it is a very important step. Probably the most important step on this list. This can be scary because it often times involves saying “no” more often, creating a big amount of distance between yourself and others, and even in some cases just completely eliminating people from your life who don’t serve a higher purpose for you.

This seem harsh but it’s necessary if you want to get the most out of your life, and live your life at the highest level of confidence you can muster. There are no special rules to eliminating toxicity either, all friends and loved ones are on the line. While this can be hard, and both parties (you and the other person) may feel extremely hurt and betrayed in doing so, it will be worth it. This is going to build your confidence up in ways you may have never thought possible. You’ll see a difference almost immediately.

Surround yourself with positive vibes

Wondering what the main point of building a support system was beside having that unconditional amount of support for your chosen lifestyle? Well here is your answer. Having a solid support system is going to ensure that you are always surrounded by positive vibes. Your support system will become your new group of friends. You will learn to engage in social activities with them, to support them just as they support you, and to depend on them to be there whenever you need them to be.

They are going to have your back for all the right reasons and ensure that the atmosphere you share with them consists of nothing but positive, supportive, and encouraging vibes. These types of vibes are going to be the fuel that you need to push yourself even harder, and to go even further than you ever thought imaginable.

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Shoot for the stars

Don’t limit yourself in all the things that you can achieve. Once you begin to build your confidence up you will start to paint a bigger picture for yourself. That vision of your ideal future that you previously envisioned for yourself, is going to become bigger and be filled with more desirable things that you are going to want for yourself in your life. In doing so you will be expanding your opportunities and strengthening your confidence.

Living a very freeing and fulfilling lifestyle can come with a lot of consequences, such as having a much smaller group of friends than you may be used to, and constantly feeling like the world is against you. However, you must understand that these consequences are in fact opportunities that you are creating for yourself. It will be these very opportunities that will help you achieve things you may have never thought you were cable of achieving.

Take a leap of faith

After it’s all said and done what is really going to skyrocket your confidence is taking that leap of faith. Life is so unpredictable, even when we fairly play by the book. We never really truly know what’s in store for us. However, when we choose to remain hidden behind our talents, our gifts to this world, we prevent ourselves from exploring greater depths of who we are, and of what we have to give to others.

It can be scary taking that leap of faith and literally hoping that faith has got your back, but it can be so debilitating never moving forward with your life. No matter how scary it may seem, how unsure you may feel, or how unprepared you may be, you have to push yourself past your “best”. Push yourself past your best, which is what you have been giving to the world thus far, and allow yourself to give the world your greatest. In order to do this, you have to be brave enough to take that leap of faith.

Conclusion…

Take a chance, and start living a life that is fulfilling to you. Start living a life that genuinely makes you happy. It’s not enough to just sit back and dream big, to plan big goals and never set out to achieve them. Your confidence is going to not only help you develop thick skin, but it is going to unlock a power inside of you that you may have never knew existed.

Confident people get everything that they want out of life simply because they have the confidence and the courage to fight for it. Be that person, big or small, fight for the life that you deserve. Think positive and be positive…

And you’ll have the world at your fingertips.

This was a guest post from Kimora Chanel:

My name is Kimora and I’m a motivational and wellness blogger. I create content for anyone and everyone looking to live a more fulfilled life by learning how to build their confidence, conquer their fears, and find comfort in their own skin through the power of wellness.

Here are some other helpful posts from Kimora:

• Make Your Goals A Priority: 5 Ways You Can Stay Motivated to Reach Your Goals
• How to Live Your Best Life: 8 Books You Need to Read to Help You Get Started NOW!
• Be Your Own Superhero: 10 Ways You Can Boost Your Level of Confidence to Achieve Your Dreams and Goals