Confidence can open doors and is at the heart of so many amazing success stories across industries and disciplines and so we’ve always been interested in learning how we can help our readers and community members increase their confidence and self-esteem. Below, you’ll find highlights of some of the great conversations we’ve had on this topic.
Sonia Kahlon
This has been a journey of that has taken me substantial effort and introspection. Despite consistently grappling with challenges like low confidence, self-esteem issues, and feelings of being an imposter, I’ve found ways to improve my self-worth. A key part of my approach involves daily reflection. Read more>>
Heath Martin
Confidence and Self Esteem are things that are constantly a work in progress. I’m often my own worst critic, but also my own biggest fan at the same time. I came up singing and performing R&B music, and baby if you ain’t confident? you are done before you’ve even started. so i surround myself with positive, and impactful mentors and peers. Read more>>
Tyra Gardner
As a child, my parents always told me to hold my head high and to believe in myself not being afraid to be me. I developed my confidence and self-esteem by utilizing daily prayer, positive self talk and affirmations to keep me grounded. I use daily journaling process my thoughts and feelings highlighting my strengths and areas that require growth. Read more>>
Josh Igwe
Self Esteem is built over time. Unless you were born with the delusional belief that you can do anything.(just like young dumb me was). I’ve had to develop my confidence through getting better at my craft, which might look like me composing music everyday., tweaking a design in photoshop, banging my head over a piece of code for hours on end. every little success contributes to a greater sense of self esteem.. Read more>>
Andeana Stewart
You know, building up my confidence and self-esteem has been a journey. I’ve been really focusing on recognizing my own achievements, no matter how small, and celebrating them. I also try to surround myself with positive people who lift me up and encourage me. Read more>>
Paul Jost
For me, it seems to be a never-ending dance between ego and my perceived reality, but I’ve also learned there’s nothing better to support confidence and self-esteem than simply being well prepared. We’re born into the world with insecurities; depending on someone else for food, water and protection. Read more>>
Kelvin Villalobos
Sports is and was an essential aspect of my life! Through sports I developed my confidence and self esteem. Also I am not going to lie, but Hispanics come with that natural swag too. Haha Read more>>
JuuDae
Well simply I developed confidence and self esteem through. How I was. Raised. My mom taught me to always be confident in my skin and own who I am. Building your self esteem takes a lot of work but it’s something that 2 better with time. Read more>>
Kim Jackson-Matthews
I developed the strong confidence and self-esteem I have today from both my parents, the late strong Harold M. Jackson, and the late dynamic dance teacher and choreographer, Bernice V. Jackson. My mom was my first dance teacher (ballet, tap, jazz). She taught me to hold my head high, have poise, and if I made a mistake just keep going. Read more>>
Angelica Chavez
Developing confidence and self-esteem involves spending a lot of time with ourselves. For many people this can be difficult because sometimes we are afraid of feeling uncomfortable. Before I dig more into these two different terms, I want to explain the difference between the two. Confidence focuses on our abilities and judgment whereas self-esteem focuses on feelings of worth and value we have towards ourselves. Read more>>
Gina Kunadian
Reflecting on my journey to developing confidence and self-esteem, I realize it has been a profound transformation, deeply rooted in overcoming personal adversities. From a tender age of six, I grappled with childhood trauma, which ingrained a profound sense of insecurity within me. Growing up, I battled self-hatred, perceiving myself as unworthy and unattractive. Read more>>
Bekah Morris
Growing up, one of the mottoes circulating my family’s house was “do hard things.” For a while it seemed those words always applied to someone else’s struggle or challenge until one day in the doctor’s office they spoke hope to me. My pre-teen self had no idea what scoliosis was or what it’d mean for the next few years of growth for me, but as the diagnosis of getting a back brace settled in so also did the tears. Read more>>
Monica Marks
It has been a life-long process. I have always felt “.different” from my peers. I didn’t always get the social rules that everyone else seemed to understand. I’ve also been over the weight of my peers all my life; I was teased mercilessly by the other children and body-shamed by medical professionals and strangers on the street. Read more>>
Lexi T.
From my earliest years, I found joy in freely expressing myself, using life as my stage. I embraced a philosophy of continuous practice, immersing myself in various experiences, even those that initially intimidated me. Read more>>
Shannon Adee
In my youth, I was a competitive dancer that struggled with weight. Coming face to face with the judges’ comments about my size, I chose a disordered eating cycle of binging and starving. I started my first official diet at age 11 at a diet clinic, and my diet of choice became starvation and abuse of diet pills by the time I turned 16. Read more>>
LaVada English
We all entered this world armed with an innate sense of confidence and self-esteem. However, as life unfolds, the external forces attempt to snatch away our confidence, dim our light, and coerce us into shrinking. The true measure lies not in the initial endowment but in the resilience to retain that power against the relentless assaults of the world. Read more>>
Tess Traynor
You know the old saying “fake it till you make”? Well, it’s more than just a saying; it’s a powerful truth. Building confidence doesn’t happen overnight— it’s a journey that requires time and effort. One way to accelerate this process is by adopting a confident demeanor and mindset, even before you truly feel it. Read more>>
Erica Goldstein
I love this question! My personal confidence is a byproduct of the way I was raised and the mindset of the women in my life that helped shaped me. From a very young age, my parents and grandparents always encouraged me to go after my dreams, pursue my enthusiasm for the arts, and embrace my energetic approach to life. Read more>>
Michela Parisi
This is one of my favorite topics to chat with clients, especially my teenage and young adult clients, about. Having “self worth” or “high self esteem” seems to be a buzzword on social media and in the upcoming generation. It seems to be portrayed as something we “think” ourselves into. However, what the science shows and is backed by my personal experience is self confidence is built through action, not thought. Read more>>
David Cookie” Koch”
This answer works for both this question and the one about imposter syndrome, there’s a ton of overlap. As a musician you need the utmost confidence when you go to perform regardless of the audience, from playing for your grandmother to an audience of 200,000. (and I’ve done both as a classical trumpet player!) Read more>>
Theresa Burleson
I Thank God, that He nurtured my confidence pretty early on, by helping me confront my insecurities and affirming me through the Word of God of His purpose and plan for me. God is intentional and gives me peace through knowing I don’t have to have it all together, because He does and He knows me through and through and made no mistakes. Read more>>
Tram Anh Hoang
1. Continuous Learning and Skill Development: By constantly improving my skills in nail art and massage therapy, I gained confidence in my expertise. Staying updated with the latest techniques and attending workshops and competitions helped me feel more competent and self-assured. 2. Overcoming Challenges: Read more>>
Alexandra Stewart
As a photographer, my job involves meeting new people and making them feel at ease right away. Back in the early days, the idea of talking to strangers or shooting in unfamiliar places would make me super nervous. I’d sit in my car, watching the clock, thinking, “Maybe they won’t show up, or we’ll need to reschedule to avoid this awkward situation.” Read more>>
Terri Dilling
I was a fairly reserved child, not overly confident, but I was a good student and also involved with a variety of sports and activities, so this helped develop some basic self-esteem. As an artist though, it can be hard to be confident in your own voice and to believe that you as an individual have something to say and contribute. Read more>>
Chesson Becker
The interesting thing about confidence is that, unlike other qualities, it does not show development in your teenage years…it actually falls on a downward slope. For women especially, in a world focused on a perfect body image and model-like countenance, growing up eliminates the confident spirit that our younger selves had. Read more>>
Ugly Josh
I developed my confidence and self-esteem. Read more>>
Konica Cherry
I always knew it was something different about me. I always felt like I had a certain light about me that separated me from other individuals. I was quiet and shy but I was bold enough to lead. I didn’t know what direction I would take in my future as a child but I knew I had a certain aura about me that could be a positive influence to others. I can’t name one thing that I have wanted to do that I didn’t do. Read more>>
Tony Merkel
My confidence and self-esteem didn’t develop overnight. In the beginning, I was uncertain about my abilities in this new venture. The turning point came from a place of necessity; I didn’t want to spend my life as a truck driver, passively watching the world go by. Left with no other option, I decided to carve out my own path. Read more>>
Sabriya Charles (Dobbins)
I have always been someone who was quicker to second guess herself than to trust what she was talking about. I noticed this about me very early on in life as I would find myself even questioning my own reality on a situation if someone insisted I had missed something. Read more>>
Jaslyn Anderson
I definitely believe honesty is the BEST policy and I will not try and pretend that I have always been confident in myself and in my passion with skincare, beauty industry and in myself. I was a very skinny kid with acne, struggled in school (especially in math) and always the tallest girl at every school I went to. Read more>>
Brittney Perry
Developing my confidence and self-esteem was a gradual process that largely revolved around getting to know myself better mentally and spiritually over time and also particularly through my experiences in working in corporate sales and entrepreneurship. Working in sales exposed me to the challenging yet transformative dynamics of constant rejection and the need to engage with strangers on a daily basis. Read more>>
Teren Robinson
Honestly, I just became MYSELF. I did, and wore things that made me happy or that made me feel most confident. Fashion, and putting looks together make me feel most at peace and happy when I walk out of the house. For example, I set a playlist and set a vibe and a feeling for myself before I even pick out what I am going to put on. Having a feeling for yourself, when putting a look together, will help. Read more>>
Robert Parks- Valletta
You have to first start recognizing the moments in your life that take your confidence away. For me, Growing up, I faced relentless bullying and physical attacks in middle school, ultimately leading me to be homeschooled. It was a defining moment that forced me to recognize life’s challenges demand a response. Read more>>
Alex Caruso
It’s always a challenge for me to develop confidence and self-esteem, however, I could say that the more you practice and do your work over and over, the more confidence you will gain. Self-esteem I think is the same as building confidence, you have to gain it through years of experience. Read more>>
Nathan Splese
My confidence as a chef didn’t really develop until after graduating Johnson&Wales university in Charlotte, North Carolina. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts I was able to really hone my craft working at one of Emerils previous restaurants called E2 Emerils Eatery. Read more>>
