confident and motivated woman

So far, the coronavirus pandemic has caused over 15 million people to be laid off in the U.S. as of the posting of this blog article.

Right now, we are in a time where we need to take care of others, but most importantly, take care of ourselves first. Without looking after ourselves, we cannot help our family and friends to the best of our ability.

Not everyone has been impacted by the coronavirus directly, but as this drags out another week (or month), we will all be impacted in one way or another.

Whether you lost your job or have to deal with working in a stressful environment, we can remember small ways to build confidence and motivation to get us through the day.

Next time you are having a rough day, remember to take a break from the chaos and practice a few of these tips below.

31 Tips to Stay Confident and Motivated

 

1. Speak 20% louder
If you are soft-spoken (I typically am) this exercise could help you build your presence and send a more authoritative message to the recipient. Speaking louder will show that you actually mean and care about what you are saying.

2. Accomplish an easy goal
When we complete a task (big or small), we will naturally build our self-esteem. The more small wins we have, the more momentum and motivation we will have to achieve something great.

3. Dedicate time to groom yourself
When you look good you will feel good. Spending an extra 25 minutes to deep clean, shave, and pamper our bodies will make us feel like a million bucks. This will then help us feel more important and powerful.

4. Be generous to someone
Buying someone’s lunch or doing a good deed can immediately give you gratification and happiness. Even a small gift (like offering a stick of gum) can give us a small boost in productivity.

5. Stand tall with great posture
Standing upright with a good posture will help your body tell your brain that you are in the optimal posture. This can help your mind think about how your body is firing on all cylinders.

6. Visualize yourself as you want to be
If you could wave a magic wand and grant yourself all the wishes in the world, what would your life look like? Doing this exercise will help your mind focus on these positive thoughts, which will spark goals and ideas to motivate yourself for a better you. I have tried this exercise by crossing out my role on my business card and writing what role I really wanted.

7. Do something you are afraid of
Fear can cripple our decisions and actions. Whether it is starting a tough conversation with a family member or going for that sale after multiple objections, we will become more confident in ourselves if we act on bold decisions.

8. Give yourself affirmations
If you constantly tell yourself positive statements about yourself, your mind will eventually believe them as if they were already achieved.

9. Mentally celebrate what you are grateful for
There is a big difference between saying what you are grateful for and feeling the joy from your blessings in life. If you make a habit to focus on the small things in life, you will become more motivated, not to mention happier too.

10. Be overly prepared
This is the cheat code for a successful day. There are many ways to overly prepare for important upcoming events or regular days. An easy way to start this would be knocking out all those morning routines the night before. Waking up with a fresh shave, clothes laid out, and a full tank of gas will help you keep positive and productive energy.

11. Make yourself smile
Did you know that forcing yourself to smile will trick your brain into thinking that you are happy? Because we are using the same muscles from when we are happy, our brains will correlate this muscle memory with a genuine sense of happiness.

12. Kick a small habit
Start with something small, like making a point to listen to others instead of thinking about what you are going to say. Doing these small adjustments will let your mind feel like you have control which is a huge confidence booster.

13. Question your inner critic
Our minds are hard-wired to have a little self-doubt. For some of us, this is a big obstacle in our lives. When these assumptions arise, question the reasoning behind the assumption. Most of the time we make excuses for why we aren’t good enough and it is rarely accurate.

14. Help someone who is feeling down
There are plenty of people around us with painful struggles. Take the time to listen to someone or help them get through a tough situation. Afterward, you will feel a boost of energy for doing a good deed.

15. Eat healthy for an entire day (or more!)
We all have those lethargic moments after a heavy, greasy meal. Or maybe we have been feeling sluggish for weeks at a time. Making a point to eat healthy for an entire day will make the following day so much more enjoyable and comfortable. In addition, you may want to consider the physical factors that can increase your anxiety. Making small tweaks to your diet/health can give your mind and body a break, making you much more relaxed.

16. Set time aside for yourself
This is extremely important in today’s world. There are so many tasks we juggle that we often forget to treat ourselves with the respect we deserve. Literally block off a couple of hours in the near future so you can rejuvenate your mind and energy.

17. Be polite to someone
Showing politeness or kindness will almost always result in the other person responding in kind. The momentum of positivity will build and your day will only get better from here. Make a point to be extra courteous to someone you never would have on a regular basis and you might be surprised by the result.

18. Clean your work/living area
Living in clutter can be very distracting and unmotivating. I will typically be most productive when I have a clean workspace because there is nothing in my way, only the work at hand.

19. Brainstorm solutions for new problems
I don’t know about you, but I will get energized when I come up with a brilliant idea in the shower. Having these productive thoughts will always jumpstart my day with determination.

20. Plan to sleep well
Trying to get a good night’s sleep can be a difficult task. However, planning to get a good night’s sleep is something that you can accomplish 100% of the time. Avoid watching television and create a routine for a healthy sleep schedule.

21. Exercise for 30 minutes
30 minutes of exercise is all you need to rejuvenate your body. This will literally get your blood flowing and will help you stay motivated for the rest of the day. Sometimes we may think that working out is too exhausting, but it is the complete opposite effect if you think about it.

22. Define and live by your core values
Do you know your core values? Not knowing these values is like going through life without knowing yourself. When you can see who you are at your core and live by these values, you will naturally become confident because you are living with intent.

23. Eject negative thoughts
If you don’t have anything nice to think about, don’t think at all. But seriously, if you are constantly thinking negatively, that will only make you less productive. When you have a negative thought pop into your brain, squash it and tell yourself that you don’t need to think about that right now.

24. Say “no” to someone without reasoning
Every time you say yes to someone, you say no to yourself. Learning how to say no to someone can be hard for many reasons but mainly because we don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Mustering up the courage to tell that friend you can’t help them move this weekend can free up time to pamper your own needs.

25. Flirt with someone (significant others count)
Not only will this boost your confidence, but you will become instantly happier as well (Note: this is true only if you do this tactfully). You don’t necessarily have to flirt with intentions to start something physical or emotional, but it is fun and a good way to get your blood pumping for the day.

26. Wear an outfit that makes you look great
If you look good, you will feel good. Confidence and motivation both stem from positive feelings so this is an easy way to accomplish this. Take yourself shopping for something that makes you feel great and see how your day goes next time you wear that ensemble.

27. Speak slowly and articulate with precision
Not focusing on our words or thoughts can make us sound less confident. If we speak with intent and focus on exactly what we are trying to deliver, our presentation will be much more captivating and inspiring.

28. Look At Yourself Equally To Others
Too often than not, we compare ourselves to others and most of the time we do this in a negative light. If we compare our insides to other people’s outsides, we will always come up short. Look at yourself equally (if not more superior) and you will gain confidence in yourself and actions.

29. Maintain eye contact
This is a big one that may take some time. Start by making solid eye contact when you are listening to other people talk. Now that you have the hang of this, make a point to make eye contact when you are speaking to someone. The more practice you put towards this, the more confident you will be.

30. Tell a Funny Joke
It can be extremely motivating when you share happiness because it makes you happier in return. Think about one great joke that will absolutely make others laugh and master the delivery of this joke. Use it every once and a while to pick up the mood for others and yourself. (Bonus Tip: Learn to present in any situation and this will be very easy for you)

31. Learn a New Skill
Learning a new skill will make you feel accomplished and will motivate you to keep learning, building, and creating. Think about one hobby or skill you have been wanting to learn and block off 15 minutes per day to get this done. Your future motivated self will thank you.

Bonus:
One of the best ways to become more confident and motivated is to plan out specific ways to reduce any potential anxiety. Take a moment to write down what you are going to do to plan to make your stressful situation better. Once you do this, your mind will naturally want to solve these problems.

There are plenty of other ways to build confidence and motivation. If you come up with a few that work for you, please let us know in the comments below.

For more inspiration, check out some of these motivational videos to kick-start your morning.