Simple Steps to Build Confidence That Lasts

Photo by Robert Bye

For the lifestyle and wellness tips I have shared so far, they are all easy to do such as drinking water. Once you drink the glass of water, you have accomplished the task. The same is true for vacations, sleeping, etc. The challenge with confidence is you can have it one day and then it can be gone the next.

Sometimes, the ebb and flow of confidence is natural, such as when you go from your last year of high school to your first day of college. Losing that confidence is often expected and then grows again over time.

Other times, losing confidence is the painful reality of a negative situation, such as when a boss is constantly getting on your case and nothing you do is going right. This example was very real to me. I had a prior boss that no matter what I did, I couldn't do anything right and every time he called me, before I even picked up the phone, I thought I did something wrong. That feeling lingered with me as I switched companies with a new boss. I still had the feeling the boss was going to give me negative feedback and I always had a fear when my boss' name came up on my phone.

I was always a person with confidence, even from a very early age but the situation above was a rattled me and I didn't know how to get myself out of it.

Turns out that it happened naturally, and I mainly attribute it to a 30-day Ab Challenge my wife asked me to do. Up until this point, I think I did 5 sit ups my entire life and doing a whole idea of ab work including sit ups, crunches, and planks seemed ridiculous. So much so that I barely knew what a plank was at the time.

My wife and I embarked on this journey; a painful one both physically as well as motivationally, but we succeeded after the 30 days. The unexpected thing happened to me afterwards, my confidence grew.

I attribute it to my stomach muscles being stronger and as a result, I was standing up straighter, walking more upright and even sitting with greater poise.

Because of the increased posture, the confidence became much more engrained in my daily life, allowing me to bring more balance to the ebbs and flows that are traditionally met with confidence or lack thereof. Today, I still do plank exercises once a week and still believe it is the number one factor for driving a consistent level of confidence on a daily basis.

I know if may be scary but try a 30-day ab challenge yourself, and better yet, find a friend or family member that will do it with you.

Here is a link to my TEDx Talk, How Drinking Olive Oil and Curiosity Changed My Life, which I also cover the same topic of confidence.

Cover photo credit to Sydney Rae