If you’ve ever felt lost, insecure or unmotivated, then you’re not alone. There’s a good chance that some of the problems you face are coming from your own personal belief system.

A strong sense of self-belief is essential so you can look after yourself, conquer your insecurity and make better life decisions. 

In this post, Upskill Coach is here to help you take back your life and focus on what you can do today to manage your self-belief. 

We’ve compiled a list of all the best self-belief tricks, let’s call them life hacks so you can regain your inspiration, feel confident about yourself and put your best foot forward every day.

What is self-belief, anyway?

The concept of the self has been around in professional psychology for decades.

If you have a strong sense of self it generally means that you can capably think, evaluate and perceive yourself in constructive ways.

In particular, the definition of self-belief is to have the confidence in your own skin, features, abilities and skills.

As you can imagine, your self-belief is therefore very important because it affects your lifestyle, your choices and how you perceive yourself.

Diagnosing self-belief

One of the simplest ways to better understand self-belief is to imagine a scenario where you lack it entirely. If that happens, you’d recognise some of the following symptoms: 

• Feeling stuck or paralyzed in the middle of a challenge;
• Feeling an inability to “get ahead” or find success;
• Half-heartedly applying your talents;
• Downplaying your abilities; or,
• Settling for less than you deserve.

Benefits of strong self-belief

Luckily for us, the power of the mindset is a popular subject for researchers and psychologists. That means there’s lots of documentation we can rely on to draw a positive link between a strong self-belief system and life achievements.

Some studies have linked self-belief to students achieving better educational achievements. Others point to self-belief as having a positive role in how graduates are more employable in the workforce.

Self-belief and self-coaching is also popular coaching principle used in the sports world. It can be the difference-maker between a footballer consistently putting the ball in the back of the net and missing horribly.

In the business world, self-belief is considered to be an important leadership ability. A strong sense of self-belief can help you to make important decisions, take calculated risks and tackle difficult challenges head-on.

Life hacks for your self-belief

Take a look at the following self-belief life hacks – they might just be the difference between you living a more productive life rather than getting stuck with your insecurities.

1. Make a decision

It can be as simple as that. It doesn’t have to be a huge decision. Just start small and grow from there. Something simple like “I’m going for a walk to clear my head” is far better than “I’ll lie in bed and play with my phone”.

2. Ask yourself “what if” questions

Consider what it would be like if you weren’t scared to do something. Dream big! What would happen if you had the confidence to apply for that new job? Thinking about it might help you move in that direction.

3. Make positive affirmations

“I am worthy” or “I have the talents to succeed” can be powerful life mottos to help you at home and at work. If you’re embarrassed, you can make them privately by writing them down.

4. Self-talk

Take those affirmations one step further by speaking them aloud. No, you’re not crazy if you talk to yourself. It can help shoo away your fears and reduce anxiety.

5. Face your fears

Don’t let your personal anxieties tell you how to live your life. To do this, think about your worst fear. Try to imagine a worst-case scenario. Guess what? It’s all in your head! By really digging deep with your worst fear, it can help you understand that your fears are only in your mind.

6. Respond to your inner critic

That nagging voice in your head can limit your self-belief. Luckily, it can be silenced. As an example, instead of stressing over all the things at work that you can mess up today, flip that mentality on its head! Ask yourself “how can I improve the lives of my colleagues or customers today?

7. Don’t compare yourself to others

Always remember that two different people have totally different qualities and abilities. If you fantasise about being like others, you waste time that you could instead use to be yourself. One theory of motivation says that comparison is often unmotivating and can decrease productivity.

8. Count your successes and celebrate

Don’t forget to have fun along the way. By doing a simple counting exercise of your accomplishments, you’ll realise that you’re much more capable than you might think. Your self-belief will improve if you celebrate success.

9. Get outside of your own head

Ask a friend for feedback. Make sure it’s someone that you respect and trust. Ask them for constructive advice and feedback. Read up on the Johari Window to get a new perspective on how you communicate and an awareness of what you’re doing well and what you can do better. That new perspective will help you cast doubts on whatever it was that held you back in the first place.

10. Look out for #1

Your mental health and your self-belief system is closely related to your physical self. So be sure to take care of yourself. A healthy diet, good hygiene and social interaction can help you feel better about yourself.

11. Stay on top of the facts

Your memory clouds your judgment. It’s all too common for a bad experience to spiral out of control once you start to replay the scenario in your mind over and over again. Instead, focus on the facts. If you whiffed on a job interview, don’t focus on the negatives. What can you learn from it and what went well? There are probably plenty of things that you wouldn’t change.

12. Play a game of numbers

For every one negative thought, come up with three positive ones. It’s simple but it works to block out your poor belief system.

13. Be curious

Keeping your mind active by learning new skills or trying new things can help declutter your brain and to keep the positive thoughts in and the negative ones out.

There you have it. Thirteen life hacks to conquer your self-belief. Although, it might be unlucky to end this practical guide with an unlucky number thirteen …

So here’s a bonus fourteenth tip. It might even be the most important!

Be your own self-coach!

What does that mean? Well, consider for a moment that no one knows you better than yourself. That means that you are in the best position to help yourself out of whatever it is that you’re going through.

In short, you’re the leading expert about you. To grow, be happy and improve yourself by being your own coach. Use the tricks that we covered to help build self-awareness and cultivate your own development.

For other thips on improving your motivation and finding your why, read our motivational blog. Ready for the next step?