10 confidence building exercises you can start today
If you’ve been wondering what can you do to build confidence, you’re not alone. Confidence isn’t something you’re either born with or not – it’s something you build through small actions done consistently. The good news? You don’t need a major life overhaul to feel more sure of yourself. A few simple confidence building exercises can help you start strengthening that inner belief today.
Below are 10 confidence building exercises that are practical, doable, and actually make a difference.
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1. The “proof list”
One of the most effective self confidence building activities is reminding yourself of what you’ve already done well.
How to do it:
Grab a piece of paper or open a note on your phone. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Write down 10 moments – big or small – where you handled something better than you expected.
Don’t filter yourself. Don’t think “that wasn’t a big deal” or “anyone could’ve done that.” Just write.
Maybe you had a tough conversation that went okay. Maybe you got through a really hard week. Maybe you showed up for yourself when it would’ve been easier not to. Maybe you learned something new even though it felt uncomfortable at first.
Why this works:
Your brain has a negativity bias – it remembers the mess-ups way more than the wins. This exercise forces your brain to look for evidence of your capability instead of your failure.
When doubt kicks in next time, go back to this list. Read it. Let it remind you that you’re capable, even on days you forget.
Keep adding to it. Make it a living document. The more proof you collect, the harder it becomes for your brain to convince you that you can’t do things.
2. Do one thing you’ve been avoiding
Confidence grows when you face something uncomfortable and get through it.
How to do it:
Look at your mental “I’ll do it later” list. Pick the smallest thing on there – something that would take 15 minutes or less.
Send that text you’ve been drafting in your head for three days. Make that phone call you’ve been putting off. Deal with that one annoying task that keeps showing up on your to-do list and making you feel guilty.
Set a timer for 5 minutes. During those 5 minutes, your only job is to start. Not finish – just start.
Why this works:
Avoidance feels safe, but it’s quietly destroying your confidence. Every time you avoid something, you’re telling your brain “I can’t handle this.”
Every time you do the thing anyway, you’re telling your brain “Actually, I can.”
The action itself might be small, but the mental shift is huge. You just proved to yourself that you can do hard things. That proof stacks up over time.
And here’s the thing – once you start, the thing is rarely as bad as you built it up to be in your head. The anticipation is usually worse than the actual doing.
3. Practice showing up as “future you”
This is one of my favorite how to build confidence exercises because it works immediately.
How to do it:
Close your eyes for a minute. Imagine the version of you who already feels confident – not arrogant, not perfect, just genuinely sure of themselves.
Ask yourself:
- How does that version of you stand? (Are their shoulders back? Is their head up?)
- How do they speak? (Do they hesitate less? Do they say what they mean?)
- How do they make decisions? (Do they trust their gut? Do they second-guess less?)
- How do they handle mistakes? (Do they spiral, or do they shrug and move on?)
Now, for the next hour, embody that version of you. Walk like them. Speak like them. Make one decision like them.
Why this works:
Your brain can’t always tell the difference between “acting as if” and “actually being.” When you show up as the confident version of yourself, even for an hour, your brain starts getting familiar with that version.
Confidence isn’t something you wait to feel before you act. It’s something you build by acting first and letting the feeling catch up later.
Do this enough times, and “future you” stops being future. It just becomes you.
4. The “self-respect rehearsal”
This is one of those confidence building exercises that cuts right to the core.
How to do it:
The next time you’re facing a decision – any decision – pause and ask yourself: “If I fully respected myself, what choice would I make right now?”
Not “What would make everyone else happy?”
Not “What’s easiest?”
Not “What will avoid conflict?”
What would self-respect choose? Then make that choice.
Why this works:
A lot of what we call “low confidence” is actually low self-respect. We say yes when we mean no. We tolerate things we shouldn’t. We apologize for taking up space.
This exercise trains confidence at the identity level, not just the behavior level. You’re not pretending to be confident – you’re acting from a place of self-respect, which is where real confidence lives.
Would you set that boundary? Would you say no to something that drains you? Would you stop apologizing for having needs?
Each time you make the self-respecting choice, you’re building proof that you’re someone who values themselves. And that proof? That’s confidence.
5. The “10-minute challenge”
This is one of the best self confidence building activities for perfectionists.
How to do it:
Pick something you’ve been avoiding because it feels too big or because you want to do it perfectly.
Set a timer for 10 minutes. Work on it for just those 10 minutes. When the timer goes off, you’re done. You don’t have to finish it. You don’t have to do it well. You just have to start.
Maybe it’s that project you keep saying you’ll get to. Maybe it’s organizing one drawer. Maybe it’s writing the first paragraph of something. Maybe it’s researching that thing you’ve been curious about.
Why this works:
Perfectionism is one of the biggest confidence killers because it convinces you that if you can’t do something perfectly, you shouldn’t do it at all.
This exercise breaks that pattern. It proves that starting is more important than perfection. It proves that 10 minutes of imperfect action beats zero minutes of perfect planning.
Most of the time, you’ll find that once you start, it’s easier to keep going. But even if you stop at 10 minutes, you’ve still done something. And doing something, anything, builds confidence way faster than waiting to feel ready.
6. Stop the negative self-talk in real time
The next time you hear yourself saying something harsh: “I always mess up,” “I can’t do this,” “Why am I like this”, pause.
How to do it:
Notice the thought. Don’t judge it, just catch it. Then ask yourself: “Would I say this to someone I care about?”
If the answer is no, don’t say it to yourself. Replace it with something more neutral. Not fake-positive, just neutral.
Instead of “I always mess up,” try “I made a mistake, and I’m learning.”
Instead of “I can’t do this,” try “This is hard, and I’m figuring it out.”
Instead of “Why am I like this,” try “I’m doing my best with what I know right now.”
Why this works:
You can’t build confidence while tearing yourself down. It doesn’t work that way.
This is one of those 10 ways to build confidence that sounds simple but changes everything over time. You’re not trying to convince yourself you’re perfect. You’re just stopping the constant stream of evidence that you’re not good enough.
Your brain believes what you tell it most often. If you’re constantly feeding it “I can’t,” it’s going to believe that. If you start feeding it “I’m learning,” it starts believing that instead.
The shift doesn’t happen overnight. But catch yourself once today. Then twice tomorrow. Build from there.
7. Act before you overthink
Overthinking is one of the fastest ways to drain confidence.
How to do it:
The next time you’re about to do something that makes you nervous, use the 5-second rule. Count down: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Then move. Send the message. Make the choice. Take the step.
Don’t give your brain time to list all the reasons why you shouldn’t. Don’t give doubt time to build a case against you. Just count down and go.
Why this works:
Confidence doesn’t come from feeling ready. It comes from doing the thing before you feel ready.
Your brain is designed to keep you safe, and it thinks “safe” means “don’t do anything uncomfortable.” So if you give it enough time, it will always talk you out of the thing.
Action builds momentum, and momentum builds confidence. The feeling of being ready comes after you do the thing, not before.
The more you practice acting before overthinking, the less power overthinking has over you. You’re training your brain that hesitation isn’t required for action.
8. The “I did that” journal
At the end of each day, write down three things you did that day that you’re proud of.
How to do it:
Keep a notebook by your bed or create a note on your phone titled “I did that.”
Before you go to sleep, write down three things from your day. They don’t have to be big accomplishments. In fact, most days they won’t be.
- “I got out of bed even though I didn’t want to” counts.
- “I was kind to myself when I made a mistake” counts.
- “I said no to something I didn’t want to do” absolutely counts.
- “I asked for help instead of struggling alone” counts.
- “I ate something nourishing” counts.
- “I took a break when I needed one” counts.
If you’re having trouble thinking of three things, that’s your brain’s negativity bias at work. Push through it. There are always three things. Sometimes you just have to look harder.
Why this works:
This is one of the most underrated self confidence building activities because it trains your brain to look for evidence of your capability instead of evidence of your failure.
Most of us spend our days noticing everything we didn’t do, didn’t finish, didn’t do well enough. This exercise flips that.
Over time, you start noticing your wins in real-time instead of only at the end of the day. You start seeing yourself as someone who shows up, who tries, who keeps going. And that’s exactly what confidence is built on.
9. The “promise kept to myself” exercise
Pick one small promise – drink a glass of water first thing, walk for 5 minutes, send one email you’ve been avoiding – and keep it no matter what.
How to do it:
Choose one tiny, specific promise for today. Make it so small that there’s almost no way you can’t do it.
Not “I’ll exercise today” (too vague, too big). Try “I’ll do 5 push-ups” or “I’ll walk around the block once.”
Not “I’ll be more productive” (way too vague). Try “I’ll work on that thing for 10 minutes.”
Write it down. Tell yourself out loud: “Today, I’m going to [specific thing], and I’m going to keep that promise.”
Then do it. No matter what. Even if it’s at 11:58pm and you have to chug that glass of water or do those push-ups in your pajamas.
Why this works:
Confidence grows when you trust your own word. Every time you keep a promise to yourself, you’re proving that you’re someone who follows through. Every time you break one – even a small one – you’re destroying that trust bit by bit.
Most of us make promises to ourselves and then break them constantly. “I’ll start tomorrow.” “I’ll do it later.” “I’ll get to it eventually.”
Then we wonder why we don’t trust ourselves to do hard things.
Start small. Keep one promise today. Then another tomorrow. Build from there. Over time, you become someone who does what they say they’re going to do – and that person? That person has confidence.
10. The “daily self-back-up”
Ask yourself: “What’s one thing I can do today that supports the person I’m becoming?”
How to do it:
Every morning (or right now if you’re reading this), ask yourself that question. Not “What do I have to do?” Not “What’s on my to-do list?”
“What’s one thing I can do today that supports the person I’m becoming?”
Maybe it’s choosing the harder right thing over the easier wrong thing. Maybe it’s speaking up instead of staying quiet. Maybe it’s resting instead of pushing through when your body is begging you to stop.
Maybe it’s having the conversation you’ve been avoiding. Maybe it’s investing 20 minutes in learning something new. Then do that one thing. Make it non-negotiable.
Why this works:
This shifts confidence from a “one day” dream to an identity you’re actively stepping into right now.
Most people are waiting to feel confident before they act like the person they want to be. But it works the other way around. You act like that person first, and confidence follows.
When you repeatedly ask yourself this question and then take action on the answer, you’re sending a clear message to your brain: “I’m serious about who I’m becoming.”
And your brain responds by starting to believe you’re actually that person. Because you’re proving it every single day.
Ready to build unshakeable confidence?
These 10 exercises will get you started, but reading about confidence and actually building it are two different things. If you’re tired of surface-level advice that sounds good but doesn’t stick, I created something for you.
The Confidence workbook isn’t just a list of exercises you do once and forget. It’s a complete system for rebuilding the way you see yourself and what you’re capable of.
Inside, you’ll find:
- Specific exercises that target exactly where your confidence breaks down (not generic “believe in yourself” advice)
- Daily practices that prove to your brain you’re capable – through action, not just thoughts
- Tools for catching and challenging the patterns that keep you small
- A structured path from “I don’t trust myself with anything” to “I keep my word and I know it”
This workbook meets you where you are – whether you’re starting from rock bottom or just need that final push to trust yourself completely.
No fluff. No toxic positivity. Just real, actionable work that creates real change.
If you’ve been searching for ways to build confidence, these exercises are simple enough to start right now but strong enough to create real change over time. Confidence grows from action. From consistency. From choosing to believe in yourself – even a little – every day.
You don’t have to be perfect. You just have to keep showing up. Pick one exercise from this list. Just one. Do it today. Then do it again tomorrow.
That’s how confidence builds. Not all at once. Not from one big moment. But from small, repeated actions that prove to yourself that you’re capable of more than you thought.
You’ve got this.
