Develop

Self-belief, as the term suggests, means believing in yourself and your abilities. If you don’t have much self-confidence, it makes it hard to achieve your goals and maintain healthy relationships.

Low self-esteem can occur due to several reasons, such as:

• You’re struggling with unresolved trauma or neglect.

If your parents always criticized you and didn’t reassure you very often, you probably had to work even harder to love yourself as you got older. Learning how to build self-confidence as a young adult may take time if you never knew this valuable skill as a child.

• You are surrounding yourself with unkind people.

If you have friends who always tear you down or make snide comments, it may affect your self-belief. Not having boundaries and allowing people to walk all over you can hinder your confidence levels. Usually, people who have to put others down have low self-esteem and lack love for themselves, so try to remember that it isn’t about you. Also, make sure to distance yourself from these types of people and try to find positive friends.

• You entertain negative self-talk.

If you continuously entertain defeating thoughts about yourself, you won’t have much confidence and may find yourself in unpleasant circumstances. Perhaps you may take jobs that only allow you to barely scrape by because you don’t feel good enough for something better. You may also get involved with relationships that invite more stress and negativity into your life.

A few poor choices can take a toll on your self-belief. If you moved to a new city for a job opportunity and it didn’t work out, for example, it may cause your self-esteem to take a nosedive. Some people take things much harder than others, so a minor setback or a poor choice can cause them to second-guess themselves in the future.

Why do you need self-belief?

To put it simply, you need confidence in yourself to achieve goals and maintain relationships with people. Low self-esteem can affect every facet of someone’s life, from their job to their relationships to lifestyle choices. If someone holds a negative view of themselves, they may use substances or get involved in dangerous lifestyles in an attempt to numb their emotions.

If you grew up in a challenging home environment where your personality didn’t get a chance to flourish, you might consider therapy to help you develop confidence. When your upbringing doesn’t give you what you need, it usually reflects in some way in your adult life. Therefore, to have a healthy self-image as you grow up, you will need support from someone such as a therapist or a close circle of friends.

Not everyone who experiences trauma or neglect as a child will have self-esteem issues. However, studies show a strong correlation between childhood trauma or abuse and low confidence levels. Having a good relationship with yourself and believing in your abilities can help you navigate life’s challenges and create a fulfilling future. We all need some level of confidence to complete tasks and tend to our responsibilities in life.

With that said, what if you struggle with self-esteem and have no idea how to develop it? Don’t worry; we have some tips you may find helpful to get you started on your journey to self-love.

Here are eight steps to developing your self-belief:

1. Have an idea of who you’d like to become and what you want to accomplish.

If you have no clue what you wish for in life, you don’t know what qualities you need to develop in yourself or what steps you need to take. So, you first need to make a list of character traits you’d like to work on and goals you would like to set for yourself. This way, you have a clear idea of what direction to take your life in and who you see yourself becoming. Don’t put any limitations on yourself for this exercise; go all out and write down all the qualities you want in your highest self as well as your loftiest dreams.

You may not have confidence you can achieve these dreams in your present state, but put that negative thinking out of your mind for a few short seconds. Remember that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to – it just takes willpower and belief in yourself.

2. Practice positive affirmations.

If you want to achieve a more positive relationship with yourself and grow your confidence, you’ll want to include some positive affirmations in your daily routine. Before work or school each morning, write down a few motivational phrases such as “I love myself” or “I attract beautiful things into my life.” This way, you will start the day on a positive note and set the tone for the rest of the day.

You can even write them down on some flashcards and bring them with you so you can refer to them throughout the day. We all need some encouragement, and affirmations make a great way to reset your brain and prime it for positivity.

3. Get out of your comfort zone often.

Plenty of us get complacent after a while and don’t want to do anything to disrupt the order in our lives. However, we can’t grow unless we actively choose to experience new things and get outside our bubble sometimes. Unique experiences that may seem scary at first can help build your confidence and reveal your true potential. You can take baby steps at first, but make it a point to step outside your regular routine at least once a month.

Keeping life fresh and exciting will improve your perspective and allow you to expand your realm of possibilities.

4. Challenge any harmful and negative thoughts that pop into your head.

Humans have thousands of thoughts every day, most of them on repeat from the previous day. So, when you have self-defeating thoughts, remember that you don’t have to believe them. Because your thoughts are fleeting, you shouldn’t put too much stock in them. Meditation can help you remove yourself from your thoughts and gain clarity if you struggle with having a monkey mind.

5. Have a winner’s attitude.

Life boils down to our attitude about it. Because we create different realities based on our most prevalent thoughts, we all have varying experiences. If you want to have a more satisfying life, you should work on improving your attitude and seeing the silver lining whenever possible. This doesn’t come easily to everyone, but with practice, you can start having more positive experiences as your mindset shifts. If you believe wholeheartedly good things will happen, then they will because of the intentions and energy you’re putting out.

6. Encourage yourself and others.

Treat yourself like you want to treat others because the relationship you have with yourself determines all your other relationships. Hold yourself in high regard, and practice self-love and care often. None of us has all the answers to life, so don’t compare yourself to others. Everyone walks a different path in life, so focus on the one in front of you.

No matter your circumstances, as long as you show yourself kindness and love, you can achieve anything your heart desires. If you can fill your cup, make sure to give the rest to the people around you. We all need some love and encouragement to get by, so if you have any to spare, be generous!

7. Maintain a healthy lifestyle and practice regular self-care.

If you don’t feel good on the inside, you won’t have much energy to create a beautiful life on the outside. Confidence comes from within, so start there. Eat healthy, nourishing foods, move your body in a way you enjoy, tell yourself positive thoughts, and surround yourself with uplifting people. Also, make sure to get good-quality sleep and follow your heart when it comes to your career. If you have a good relationship with yourself, it will help build your self-belief.

8. Distance yourself from negative people and influences.

People who complain all the time or have a negative outlook, in general, won’t help you improve in life. Try to choose positive people and influences so you can continue to develop your self-esteem. Also, avoid watching emotionally upsetting TV programs or listening to depressing music, as these will influence your mood as well.

Final thoughts on developing your self-belief

Positive self-belief comes from the choices you make and the influences you have in your life. If you want to have more confidence, make sure to feed your mind and body well, keep positive people in your circle, and have goals for yourself. The beautiful thing about life is that we can change it in a moment’s notice. We do not have to keep stuck in a mindset or place that doesn’t allow us to flourish. As long as you continue working hard on your self-belief, you’ll never feel disappointed in life.

How to Be More Charismatic: 4 Ways to Develop Yourself

Meeting new people is scary, and it’s natural to feel nervous. If you fear going out and talking to people, it’s possible you have a condition called social anxiety. But for most people, it doesn’t go that far. 

We want to be liked, but we often fear that we’re annoying the people around us. That, in turn, just makes us more insecure. 

If you want to know how to be more charismatic, the first step is ditching the insecurity. Confidence in yourself doesn’t mean you’re arrogant, but it does mean you accept the person you are. 

Keep reading for four tips on how to be more likable. 

Be Interested

There’s a cliche that “Interesting people are interested.” That oversimplifies things a bit. Yet if you don’t know what to say in a social situation, start off by listening as much as possible. 

How do you let people know you’re paying attention? Nodding along in agreement is one way to do this. But don’t nod so much that you sprain your neck. 

Ditch the Phone

We’ve all been to parties where everyone sits on the couch and stares at their phones. But a party should not feel like the waiting room at your dentist’s office.

Yes, smartphones are cool. But checking your phone hundreds of times a day means you’re missing out on conversations. 

Phones can act as a shield to keep us from feeling vulnerable. If possible, put your phone on silent before walking into a social situation.

If that’s not possible, at least limit how often you check it. Unless you get an urgent email or text message, once an hour is plenty. 

Ask People Questions

You’ve been listening for a bit and are ready to speak up. But you’re not sure what to say.

Keep the focus on other people by asking them a question about what they just said. For instance, let’s say they mentioned a childhood in California. You can ask, “What part of California are you from?”

That’s an easy question that gives them an opening to discuss their life more. In turn, that makes them feel important. 

What if you’re a girl wanting to flirt with a guy? This site has the best questions for catching a guy’s interest. 

But don’t only ask questions. If you do that, you’ll start to sound like a game show host, or worse yet, a police interrogator. 

Make (Some) Jokes About Yourself

Self-deprecation often helps put people at ease. But don’t go overboard with the jokes about yourself.

For instance, making a joke about the year you dropped out of college to try and make it as an actor in New York is fine. But saying, “I’m such an idiot. Someone should have thrown me into the Hudson River” is not. 

You can admit you’re not perfect without acting like you hate yourself. People respond a lot better to the former than the latter. 

How to Be More Charismatic

A few people seem like naturals, but they, too, had to learn how to be more charismatic. 

Figuring out how to be more influential is a lengthy process. Give yourself some breathing room as you figure things out. 

Want more tips on confidence? Bookmark our site for advice that will help you lead a bolder, better life. 

How Your Business Can Develop Spanish Marketing

Studies show that not only is the Spanish speaking market growing, but marketing in Spanish isn’t as simple as hiring a translator. Your company’s Spanish marketing plan needs to be as culturally aware as it is grammatically correct.

As the Hispanic market grows in both size and spending power, it’s natural for businesses to want to expand their customer base to be more inclusive. Welcoming diversity to your customer base also shows the power of your product.

In order to develop a plan to include the growing Spanish-speaking market, follow these three tips.

1. Follow Trends

With most consumers watching nearly an hour a day of video on social media, Spanish-speaking mobile users average slightly more with over 8 hours a week. That’s a whole lot of 10 to 60-second Instagram boomerangs and Snapchats.

Finding a way to cleverly fit into that screen time will yield the results you’re looking for. Study other campaigns to strategize tactics to make your content go viral.

The top Hispanic channels on YouTube are constantly growing in subscribers and viewership. Universal has even created a Latino-centric channel on YouTube. They offer content and clips in Spanish as well as contests and promotional materials to target the Spanish-speaking audience.

Look at what products other companies are offering to download services. The design of Locopelis follows other sites but strongly asserts, in Spanish, “Locopelis descargar peliculas completas“.

2. Offer Options

Simply translating your existing campaigns into Spanish isn’t enough for a Hispanic audience. With Spanish-speakers coming from South America, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Spain and more, you can’t reach everyone with just a linguistic swap.

Google’s tracking of searches shows that Spanish-speaking users will often search in English or with a mix of Spanish and English terms. This means that your Spanish marketing needs to engage different ways that your audience consumes media.

If you can offer options on your site, app or product space to choose a language, you’ll find your audience more dedicated. Think about making every campaign bilingual and track what kinds of results you end up with.

3. Go Beyond Language

With the wide variety of Spanish speakers coming from different backgrounds, language is perhaps the only thing your markets will have in common. Think about the social or familial narratives that your customers will have.

A Puerto Rican audience is one that includes two full generations of American citizenship. The narrative of how they get to their product is different than Mexican-Americans, who tend to live more on the west coast and southwest regions.

Targeting people who come to the US from Spain is entirely different. They bring European sensibilities and will likely be from a higher income bracket.

Use actors, musicians, and artists who come from the regions you’re targeting. Don’t generalize or make assumptions and you’ll be far ahead of most companies.

Spanish Marketing Takes Time

Don’t expect your Spanish-speaking customer base to flood your site or stores because you added translation capabilities. Listen to the audience that you’re targeting. Hold some feedback sessions in exchange for your product and be willing to take criticism.

Allow this data to drive your content. For more information on how data can lead you in the right direction, read our list of helpful tips.