21 "Mantras" That Will Boost Your Self-Confidence

I created these positive statements for my personal use; they always make me smile!

Photo by Designecologist from Pexels

What is the best way to gain self-confidence? Can positive affirmations help you move beyond self-doubt and feelings of worthlessness?

Think of a tiny seed that pushes itself gently through the earth until one day it shoots through, opening to the sunlight. It knows its mission and moves steadily ahead without doubt or self-consciousness. When the right moment arrives, it blooms fantastically, willing to be seen in all its glory.

You can build your self-confidence in the same way.

It’s possible to change your brain's neural pathways by planting new seeds in the form of positive affirmations. Your new garden will gradually grow, replacing all the nasty weeds with beautiful blooms.

Self-confidence doesn’t have to be bold, brash, or belligerent. It can be quiet, gentle, and steady, like the seed growing daily into its fullness when fed with the proper nutrients and environmental conditions.

“Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.” — Lao Tzu

Build Your Self-Confidence with Positive Self-Talk

It begins with one thought, word, and step and continues with the next. Repetition is a necessary ingredient for changing the thought pathways in your brain.

How you speak to yourself makes a world of difference.

If you tell yourself scary stories, you’ll stay small, contracted, and unfulfilled. So start telling yourself a positive new story.

“Talk to yourself like you would to someone you love.” — Brené Brown

You can choose your favorite phrases from the list below.

1. I listen to my inner voice, intuition, and direct experience.

2. I take joy in every positive step I take.

3. I know my life is a miracle. I respect it like a precious gem.

4. My “failures” are stepping stones to success when I see them positively.

5. I value myself. I value my mind, emotions, body, and spirit.

6. Low self-esteem is an old story I’m no longer willing to tell myself.

7. It’s okay to make mistakes. I’m human! I still love and appreciate myself.

8. I’m a whiz at navigating bumps in the road.

9. I’m grateful for bumps in the road; they help me steer in the best direction.

10. Small steps build my confidence. I’ll take a small step toward one of my goals today.

11. I frequently remember my successes in full technicolor.

12. I believe in myself. I’m excited about my talents, gifts, and qualities.

13. I accept my weaknesses with spaciousness, humor, and ease. They do not detract from my confidence.

14. I don’t have to be perfect to be confident.

15. I’m unique. I don’t compare myself to others.

16. I am enough. I do enough. I have enough.

17. I’m in charge of my life. I make the best possible decisions for myself based on what I know in the present moment.

18. This is my life. This life belongs to me.

19. I distinguish clearly between what I need to accept and what I can change.

20. I do my best. At the same time, I know I’m not necessarily in control of the outcome. I won’t lose my confidence if things don’t go my way.

21. I’m always guided on my path. Guidance comes to me easily when I quiet my mind and listen.

Use a selection of these “mantras” every day to build your self-confidence. Or write your own, ones that address the nuances of your mind and heart.

• Write them on sticky notes and place them in visible spots throughout your home and workplace (if it’s appropriate in the latter).

• Or use a “stickies” app and place one or more on your computer screen.

• Write them in your journal, planner, or on index cards that you can carry with you and look at each day.

• Record them on your Smartphone and play them back to yourself every morning and evening.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be?” — Marianne Williamson

Let Insecure Thoughts Float By

Insecure feelings may still occasionally arise and attempt to undermine your positive self-talk. Let them appear and see them for what they are:

• Thoughts with no weight or substance that will vanish momentarily — or at least in time — into thin air.

• Emotions that want to bowl you over, but they too will disappear if you don’t feed them a sumptuous feast of more despair.

Please don’t give them energy. Just keep on with your confidence mantras.

Gradually, as you learn to be aware of your unhelpful thoughts and emotions and let them pass by like clouds in the sky, they’ll lose their hold on you.

Self-confidence cannot be forced; it comes from many little steps. Like a seed, it must be watered and tended to with care.

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