What is your winning formula for feeling confident? Pearl Drops have asked me to share my tips for feeling upbeat and confident and I thought this was a great idea as it makes me reflect on the certain things I do to help myself. And I do rather get quite reflective at this time of year!
Since Pearl Drops is all about a bright, whiter smile, there is a big emphasis on improving the way we look. But I don’t think that we are born with confidence and I don’t believe that confidence is solely based on looks or appearances. Confidence is something we all build and develop as life goes on. Having confidence comes from the experience that enriches our lives.
I’ve let certain things whittle me down but it’s time for a pep talk! Here are some simple and achievable things to do every day that has helped my self-esteem lately. They may seem like really small to some people but they are tasks that should help you feel great and positive. Even doing a couple of these things each day will change your outlook on life.
Look After Your Well-Being
Taking care of you
Let’s start with an easy one. I love make-up and beauty products A LOT. And I must admit, I enjoy wearing make-up because I like creating a ‘look’ and it makes me feel better. But I am all too aware that while it’s easy to buy new clothes and put make-up on to make yourself look and feel good – it only really provides a temporary boost of confidence that only disappears at the end of the day when you hang up your frock and you’re make-up is removed. The key is to work on the long-term goals as well as short term ones.
Treat yourself to a new haircut, book yourself in for a blissful spa treatment, go to yoga, take a really long walk or do something as simple as make your smile brighter and whiter with Pearl Drops Lasting Flawless White*. This is their new product that whitens by removing stains, making teeth visibly whiter in just 5 days.
Don’t wear make up to bed
Cleanse, cleanse, cleanse! Remove your make-up every single night. All of it. Every single inch. Invest in a good skincare routine and stick to it. Start each day with good skin, it’s your blank canvas.
Get enough sleep
I find it hard to settle down at a decent time, and with my blogging workload at the moment, I’m not sleeping until midnight. But I know how awesome it feels to have such a good sleep that you’ll immediately jump out of bed in the morning. Sounds like a great start to the day, doesn’t it? Allow yourself to wind down at a decent hour, have 30-45 minutes of downtime – read a book or have a bubble bath, spray some lavender on your pillow and catch some Z’s.
Positive Mental Attitude
Be grateful for what you have in life
Start each day with a grateful heart. This is something I have learnt recently from a friend who gave me this advice. When I was feeling anxious because I was being negative, she told me to start each day thinking of three things I am grateful for. It changes the vibe of the day, and it makes me feel more positive, hopeful and grateful for what I have.
Don’t compare yourself (you can a little, but not too much, ok?)
Ok, hands up! Who goes on social media and compares themselves to people on the Internet? Me! I do this all the time! And you know what? It makes me feel really really terrible. It’s perfectly normal and even natural to look at a snapshot of someone’s life and envy what they have. But remember, comparison is the thief of joy. And anyway, not everything on the Internet is real. You can look but try not to obsess over it. The key is to channel that energy in to something positive. Let it drive you to become better person and more importantly, happier!
Be a kind human being
Spread the kind vibes and do a random act of kindness every now and then. It gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling – and you can walk away feeling happy that you’ve put some good vibes out! It doesn’t have to be a huge gesture – just do what you can. Recently, I bought a box of Quality Streets for my flat mates. I moved to London in July and I’ve been living with 7 strangers for the whole time. I’ve only crossed-paths with 3 of them and it was only for a quick introduction. We haven’t got a living room and our kitchen is too small for a dining table so it’s difficult to get to know them since most of my flat mates don’t come out of their bedrooms, they don’t even use the kitchen. I didn’t tell them who bought the chocolates (they don’t know me by name, anyway), I wanted to do something nice for them.
Be focused and do well at work/school
Whether it’s work or school, or anywhere in a professional environment, it’s always a confidence-booster when you get praised or recognised for hard work. This always drives me to do better! I admit that I wasn’t the best of students at school, but I’m a different person now. I hope that most people that I’ve had the pleasure of working with will be able to say that I’m professional, hard-working and extremely focussed, and that’s all I could ever ask for from a client or a workforce.
Be assertive and learn to say no
Learning to say no is one of the most powerful things you can learn to do. I don’t ever force myself to do something I really don’t want to do. Like being around people who aren’t good for you, letting someone take advantage, or being in a situation that makes you feel dreadful. Don’t do something just to impress someone. You always have a choice – sometimes you have to put yourself. Be firm, learn to say no. If you simply don’t want to do it, don’t to it.
Be adventurous and learn to say yes
When great opportunities arise, say yes. Or create unique opportunities for yourself. Start small – go for a road trip, go for a weekend away, anything that allows you to get out there and open your eyes to the outside world. It’s these experiences that are the building blocks for confidence. Plus, you’ll have interesting stories and funny anecdotes to tell. (And AWESOME photos to share on social media).
Challenge yourself
Do one thing every day that pushes you. It could be something as small as asking someone for the time, going to a coffee shop or restaurant by yourself, or try new foods. Push yourself out of your comfort zone.
Can-do attitude
Believe that you can do anything. Anything you want. Start believing yourself because you CAN do ANYTHING!
Learn a new skill and become an expert at it
My mum is my inspiration for this. She’s done so much and has ticked a lot of things off her list, and she feels incredible for it. She’s learned to swim (better than me!), went to computer lessons, goes to ballet classes, does salsa and Zumba, taught herself how to knit, and to bake, and learned how to play golf to a really REALLY good level. Mums really are superhuman, aren’t they? They’re the best inspiration in life. Learn how to do something extremely well and you’ll be the point of call if anyone needs help in that field.
Don’t worry about what others think
I am rather terrible at this, so I must admit that this is still a work in progress but I’ve learnt to let go of what others may think of me. Be the best version of yourself and you won’t have to worry about others. Concentrate on what makes you happy, think about all of your amazing achievements and forget the negative vibes people throw at you. Don’t ever let anyone dull your sparkle!
*This post was sponsored by Pearl Drops. They asked me to write about what gives me confidence so that I can share my tips with others.
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I think that white teeth and your smile really do boost your confidence, lovely post xxx
http://www.lurchhoundloves.com
I completely agree with all of these – positive mental attitude and taking care of yourself both make you feel great, giving an instant confidence boost xx
Sam // Samantha Betteridge
These are great tips, I really need to start working on this more and incorporating all of these in my daily life!
xx Susan | Growing Daydreams
I love these tips and I completely agree with the doing nice things for others one. I know that whenever I do something nice for a stranger, however small, it makes me feel happy for the rest of the day! I'll need to start taking more time to be grateful I think as its holding me back 🙂
Megan x
London Callings
So helpful, I definitely need to boost my confidence!
Anything & Everything | Bloglovin'
Being positive makes such a huge difference !
Sara,
http://www.thecrimeofashion.com
Well done for putting together some nice suggestions on how to work towards having a happy existence.
Tasmin ox
http://tasminstalk.blogspot.co.uk/
This is an absolutely lovely post, thank you so much for sharing! I will definitely be keeping this bookmarked if I ever have a down day x
ellie etc | a personal style & lifestyle blog
This post is lovely, its so important to look after your mental wellbeing as well as your appearance! Also I'm loving your blog photography it's on point!
Em // Emily Rose Vass