When I first became a Coach, I thought the main problem I was solving was weight loss. As I had more and more conversations, one word kept coming up – confidence. People would say things like “I want to be more confident” or “I want to feel confident in my clothes”. That’s when I realized there’s far more to fitness than calories in and calories out.

I want to help you ooze with confidence. That way you feel like the best version of you. Yes, being healthy and fit will help you get there but I’ve added on 5 more confidence building exercises. These are things I’ve observed in confident people.

#1) Keep Promises To Yourself

The fastest way to build confidence is to do what you say you are going to do. It sounds simple but it’s one of the biggest separators between people with confidence and people who lack it. People who keep “kicking the can” and saying they will do something next week, next month or next year often find another excuse to not do it. Their self confidence erodes with every empty promise. When you commit to a workout, show up. When you take on a project, finish it. Keep the promises you make to yourself starting now. Look at the graphic below to see how this plays out over time.

#2) Practice Making Eye Contact

This is a skill that has been lost since we spend so much time on screens. People are losing the ability to interact in person and confidently look someone in the eye. Having eye contact builds trust. It shows the other person that you are present and that they are important. Look someone in the eye as you converse long enough that you can memorize their eye color.

#3) Walk 25% Faster

Psychologists link poor posture and sluggish walking to unpleasant attitudes toward oneself, work, and the people around us. But psychologists also tell us you can actually change your attitudes by changing your posture and speed of movement. Watch, and you discover that body action is the result of mind action.

People who walk quicker show confidence. They walk faster than the average. There seems to be a slight sprint in the way they walk. Their walk tells the world “I’ve got someplace important to go, something important to do. And I will succeed at what I will do 15 minutes from now.” Use the walk 25% faster technique to help build self-confidence. Throw your shoulders back, lift up your head, move ahead just a little faster, and feel your self confidence grow. Just try and see.

#4) Practice Speaking Up

Many people think to themselves, “My opinion is probably worthless. If I say something, I’ll probably look foolish. I’ll just say nothing. Besides, the others in the group probably know me more. I don’t want others to know how ignorant I am.”

Each time someone fails to speak, they feel even more inadequate, more inferior. Often they make a faint promise to themselves (that deep down knows he won’t keep) to speak “next time”.

This is very important – each time someone fails to speak, they take one more dose of confidence poison. They become less and less confident. But, on the positive side, the more you speak up, the more you add to your confidence, and the easier it is to speak up next time. Speak up and don’t be the last to speak either. You can practice this by speaking to strangers in line, on elevators or anywhere else where the opportunity presents itself.

#5) Smile Big

Most folks have heard at one time or another that a smile will give them a real boost. They’ve been told that a smile is an excellent medicine for confidence deficiency. But lots of people still don’t really believe this because they never tried smiling when they feel fear. You cannot feel defeated and smile big at the same time.

A big smile gives you confidence. Literally start smiling as you read this post and you will feel the energy that it can give you. Now imagine if you did that more throughout the day? One study showed kids smiled 400x per day while adults smiled 20x per day. Smile more and it will always work in your favor!

I hope these tools help you to build more confidence. Life is better when you have more of it and it can be tougher without it.

To be clear, this isn’t a flip switch that you can magically change overnight. It’s a dimmer switch. Using the practices above help you to build it up over time. I was a shy, awkward, introverted kid and now I’m comfortable with public speaking, getting on camera and sparking up conversations with complete strangers. It took YEARS but it was worth it. And I want the same for you if you feel this is an area of your life where you are lacking.

Have a great day and be a positive change in the world!