Many of us experience the imposter syndrome – that feeling of not being good enough, not fitting in, of being found out. Some of us are crippled by it, while others are not. Confidence is partly an attitude thing, partly about personality and knowledge, but also partly a skill. And as such, there are aspects we can practice. Here are six things to try:

1. Posture – remember your mom or that piano teacher? Shoulders back, head up, and add in a bit more speed – try it for a week and feel the confidence grow.
2. Talk Slower – when we talk fast, people have a hard time following us and we come across as anxious. Slow down your speech a little and see if people lean in to you more.
3. Focus on small goals – small goals are all about building momentum, which builds confidence. Start with getting out of bed when your alarm goes off, make your bed, get to the meeting on time, respond to that email. Small things and stack them on each other.
4. Wear clothes that make you feel good – you know the outfit I’m thinking of. Perhaps it’s a suit, but perhaps it’s a shirt, a hat, shoes, or socks. When we wear clothes we like, that we know we look good in, our confidence goes up.
5. Grow your knowledge – it’s hard to feel confidence in a topic we don’t know about it. Build your knowledge.
6. Make eye contact – Practice it. Every day. Confidence is not found in looking at someone’s shoes.

I hope there is someone in the 6 things that you can try today. Do it for yourself, not to impress others. Give it a try this week and let me know how it goes. And add other tips in the comments below.

Photo by Thomas Kilbride