3 Simple Tips for Instant Confidence

Confidence in yourself is essential to success. We all want to feel good, accomplish tasks with ease and efficiency, and live our best lives. However, we all have those days when we could use a little boost. Whether it's before a big presentation or meeting at work, a job interview, or date night, these three tips are sure to help give you an instant confidence boost so you can present your best self.

The best way to maintain confidence is through preparation. This can be applied in all areas of your life. If you have a presentation coming up for work or school, spend time practicing what you're going to say and how you're going to say it. Stand in front of a mirror to get a better sense of what you look like as you're speaking. If you are getting ready for a job interview, research common questions asked online and think about how you'd answer them. Again, look at yourself in the mirror as you speak your answers out loud. In addition, pay attention to your posture. Be sure to stand or sit up right, shoulders back, stomach in, and hands placed gracefully in your lap or by your sides. Hand placement can feel awkward, so practicing where you are going to put your hands will really help make whatever you decide feel more natural. Even if you have to send out business emails, you can prepare yourself and calm any nervousness by taking the time to write out your proposition or response in a thoughtful manner and double checking it before clicking send. Preparation is your best friend when it comes to confidence.

This second tip is pretty straight forward: dress for success. The truth is, first impressions are based in part on how you look. When you enter a room, before you've even had a chance to speak, people are making judgments about you. Do you look polished or disheveled? Do you look professional and put together or does it look like you don't care at all? Whether you realize it or not, we all make assumptions about people based on their appearance. It's human nature. The good news is that it doesn't have to take a lot of effort to put yourself together.

Make sure:

• Your hair is brushed and neat.
• Finger nails are trimmed and clean.
• Make-up is fresh and neat.
• Your clothes are appropriate for the occasion.
• Your clothes fit you properly and you're comfortable in them.
• Your shoes are polished and clean.
• Any scent you've applied is subtle.

This is especially important on the days when you are feeling under the weather or when your confidence is lacking. Don't throw on old sweats and a baggy sweatshirt, as tempting as it may be. Put on your favorite outfit that you know flatters your figure, the one that always makes you feel confident, and go tackle your day. Feeling good about how you look shows in how you carry yourself and will help you exude confidence. This isn't about being a certain size, it's about accepting your body as is, loving yourself, and wearing clothes that not only fit you properly, but also make you feel good.

Sometimes you have to force yourself to get over the nerves, set aside whatever is making you question yourself, take a deep breath, put a smile on your face, and get whatever it is over with. Fake it 'til you make it isn't about putting on a face: a fake smile, a fake laugh, a fake tone. People can spot that a mile away and it won't do you any favors. Be genuine in your interactions.

Before your presentation, interview, meeting, etc., take a few moments to psych yourself up.

• Close your eyes.
• Take a deep breath.
• Tell yourself that you can do it. You got this.
• Give yourself an affirmation such as, 'I am strong,' 'I am capable,' or even, 'I am confident.'
• Remind yourself that you've done your homework. You are prepared. You can handle this.
• Visualize yourself succeeding at whatever you're about to do.

Then take another deep breath. Put a smile on your face and get started.

Venus Williams says it best, "Just believe in yourself. Even if you don't, pretend that you do, and at some point, you will."