The confidence to be yourself. This is a tricky one – often people say, “just love yourself”, but that is easier said than done, right? Loving yourself is important, don’t get me wrong, but if you have spent years not liking the person you are, it is going to take some time to get to a place of self-love. You might not be able just to flick a switch, often you need to practice a few things before you have the confidence to be you. So, with that being said, here are some things you can practice.

First, you need to stop comparing yourself to others. I know, you have probably gotten into a habit of doing this, but the sooner you stop the better. You need to realise that you are on your own path, the only person you need to compare yourself to is you – as long as you better yourself in a way that you are comfortable with, that is okay. Comparing yourself to others will make you feel sad. Slowly practice doing it less and less. It will it take time.

Stick with positive people. If the people in your life are negative or make you feel worse about yourself, it is going to be way harder to be confident. You need to find people that will support you and build you up.

Take care of yourself. Self-care is different for everyone. You need to do things that make you feel comfortable. Meditating, eating well, playing and sleep are ways that can you make yourself feel healthier and more confident. I understand that not everyone is going to able to do these kinds of things easily. Do what you can and be patient with yourself.

Be kind to yourself. If you make a mistake or fail, don’t be harsh on yourself. Realise that you not going to succeed every time. Be a good friend yourself, this will help you to feel more confident your own abilities. Be comfortable with failing, seriously.

Change how you talk to yourself. Become aware of how you talk to yourself every day. If you find you are always being negative about yourself and your life, slowly change that. Start replacing the negative things you say to yourself with positive and happy statements. It is going to take time but trust me it works.

Face your fears. I know, this is hard but give it a try. Having the confidence to be yourself takes practice. Doing something that scares you, but that you truly want, shows that you can achieve your goals. By pushing through the fear and doing it, you’ll realise that it wasn’t as scary as imagined. If you do something despite of your fear, you’ll have a bit more confidence to try it again.

Having the confidence to be you is to have the realisation that you lack nothing. You already having everything you need for this moment and for the future. Realising this will give you confidence for life.

Good luck.