Need Some Major Confidence? Don’t Worry, I’ve Got You Babe

It’s your time to shine

Ana Klikovac
ILLUMINATION
6 min readAug 19, 2024

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Image designed by Michelle Leman

As you may or may not have already noticed, I have taken a bit of a hiatus from Medium. I’ll just say that life has been hectic and leave it at that because I don’t want to bore you with the details, and also because this article isn’t about that.

Alas, after far too many months, I have finally managed to sit down and write a few paragraphs about something that has been swirling around in my mind these past couple of weeks, and that is confidence.

What is it? How to gain it/keep it? Are some people just born with it or can it be learned? What can you do on those days when you don’t feel confident?

My mission for today is to answer all of those questions, as well as give you an insight into what has helped me to feel and act more confidently in pretty much all situations.

This might be the perfect time to write this article because I am currently in quite an unfavorable situation. You see I am an introvert living in a big bustling city full of people and on top of that I have a career in the media, which means I am forced to deal with people, who do not share my values, interests and general way of being, pretty much every single day. Not to mention that I am in a field that is grossly underpaid, and cut-throat, which is not in my nature. I kind of like vibe and live in my own little world.

Also, I live far away from my family, closest friends and my boyfriend. I am used to it, but it is really hard when you don’t have your hype team around. That is the reason why I realized that I need to find confidence inside of myself and really hone in on it no matter what.

I know that I cannot control what happens around me and that life can be tricky sometimes, but I can always try to stay in my magic. I believe that I can love myself and give myself the grace that I deserve by behaving in a way that serves my highest good.

I truly believe I have mastered the art of never doubting yourself, well, at least not for long. Let’s face it, we all have our moments. It’s important not to stay in the darkness for too long, and I know just the way to do it.

Love yourself

The key to having major confidence is being keenly aware of who you are, what you stand for, what talents you bring to the table, but also your faults, and loving yourself fearlessly no matter what. You have to be the most important person to yourself. There is no other way.

Image designed by Garon Piceli

This comes pretty easily to me and I think I know why. I believe this confidence was ingrained into my system from a young age. As the youngest member of my family, I was given a lot of attention and praise by those close to me. I was always in the center of attention, whether I wanted to be or not. I grew accustomed to it, though.

However, I also believe this confidence was always inside of me. Even though I was an introvert, I loved being dramatic and theatrical, and voicing my opinions about the things that mattered to me. I always believed that I was different and interesting and worth listening to. I knew I deserved everything that I wanted, whether it meant achieving my dreams or simply getting the attention of the people I admired.

That is why nothing anyone said about me in a negative way affected me long-term. I created an invisible shield and I was able to snap out of that negativity pretty quickly.

Be positive

As I mentioned above, a major part of confidence is believing that you deserve the things, people, achievements, attention that you yearn for. You have to trust that no matter what is currently happening in your life is leading you towards the ultimate blessings because your life is supposed to be beautiful and easy, and everything is supposed to turn out in your favor.

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You have to keep a positive mindset even when life feels like it’s crumbling under your feet. You just have to keep reminding yourself that all of that is temporary. That is just a random and minor obstacle that you are bound to overcome because you are strong enough to survive everything life throws your way.

Find your style

This may sound a bit superficial, but looking good can make a world of difference. If you look good, you’ll feel good, even in the depths of your despair. Trust that.

Image designed by Andrea Piacquadio

Find your style, do your make up, do your hair, accessorize if you like that sort of thing, and maybe spray some nice perfume. All of that will give you a confidence boost because you’ll feel more prepared to take on the world.

Just remember that this doesn’t mean changing yourself, but more so embracing what you already have, accentuating it and including the style and colors that you like.

Control your environment

Although you may not be able to directly control what happens in the outside world, you can still control what you consume, so pay attention to what kind of music you listen to, what movies/TV shows you watch, what people you follow online. All of that matters more than you know.

Media is a powerful tool that can influence who you are on a daily basis. Use it to your full advantage by finding things that really inspire you and make you feel confident. Find those comfort influencers/channels/shows etc. that you can always come back to when you feel like you are struggling.

Call your friends

Not all of us have the luxury to spend all our time with our friends, but we can always give them a call when we really need their support. Talking to a friend or someone you trust can make the biggest difference in terms of how you feel.

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You can share stories and experiences and really give each other the confidence that you deserve. Having a solid support system is key to building your self-confidence.

Learn something new

Do you remember how proud you felt when you learned a new skill in school? How you wanted to show it off to everyone?

Well, you can do it again as an adult by learning something new either by yourself or by taking a class. Find something that interests you and really put your heart and mind into it.

Image designed by Brett Sayles

You’ll find this incredible sense of accomplishment that will make you feel confident and motivated to bravely interact with the world because now you’ll have more things to talk about and knowledge to share.

Do you have some more tips? Leave them in the comments below!

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Ana Klikovac
ILLUMINATION

Curious soul, exploring the world through written creation | Instagram: @kannchywrites & @kannchy96 | Email: ana.klikovac8@gmail.com