7 Little Things That Can Hurt Your Confidence (And How To Fix Them)
Avoid these mistakes and reap the benefits.
When it comes to confidence, there are several tiny things that can sabotage the way you feel about yourself—no matter how confident you think you are.
While these habits might seem insignificant in the moment, when you constantly do them over weeks, months, and years, they add up tremendously and can make a massive difference in how the world perceives you.
Here are seven critical habits to eliminate from your life that I’ve learned the hard way. Once you get rid of them and learn better behaviors, you’ll be able to watch your confidence grow quickly:
1. Poor Eye Contact
Eye contact is the strongest indicator of confidence: It creates trust, builds connections, shows sincerity, signals higher self-esteem, and is associated with greater leadership and intelligence.
Poor eye contact, however, does the complete opposite.
That’s why it’s critical to look people directly in their eyes when talking or listening. It might feel uncomfortable at first, but practice. (You don’t, however, need to stare at people and never break eye contact—that makes others feel uncomfortable.)
