Last updated on February 8th, 2024
Do you want to become more confident? It’s possible!
Confidence is a state of mind that can be hard to master, but it’s worth the effort.
Confident people tend to do things differently and make different choices than those who are unsure of themselves.
People who are confident in themselves and their abilities often have greater success in life.
But what do they avoid doing?
They avoid certain behaviors that can be damaging and prevent self-confidence from developing.
In this article, we will explore the things that confident people avoid doing in order to stay confident.
By learning what kinds of things people who are confident and successful tend not to do, you can learn how to boost your own confidence and be more successful.
What is Confidence?
Confidence is an important personality trait that can help us succeed in life and make a positive impact on those around us.
Confident people are often admired for their self-assurance, courage, and optimism.
But what exactly is confidence?
And how do confident people stay that way?
Confidence is the feeling that one trusts their own skills, qualities, and decisions.
It lets people take risks and face challenges without being afraid of failing or being embarrassed.
When someone has strong self-confidence, they often take pride in their accomplishments and feel empowered instead of intimidated by difficult tasks.
With the right amount of confidence and self-belief, they are more likely to act without second-guessing themselves or feeling overwhelmed by the situation.
18 Things Confident People Avoid Doing
1. Toxic Comparison
Comparing ourselves to other people can be dangerous, especially in the digital age we live in now.
This is one of the major things that many people do throughout their lives.
It can lead to feelings of dissatisfaction, envy, and even depression if we don’t feel like our accomplishments measure up to those around us.
Social media has given us access to the lives of people all over the world in a way that has never been possible before. This makes it easier than ever to compare ourselves to others.
Comparison is a normal part of life, but when it gets out of hand and only looks at one side, it can make people feel inadequate and less-than.
This kind of “toxic comparison†can lead to low self-confidence, decreased motivation, and even depression.
People who have a lot of self-confidence are smart enough to know about these risks and work hard to stay away from unhealthy comparison behaviors.
They understand that comparisons serve no purpose if they detract from their own abilities or leave them feeling worse about themselves than before.
By avoiding unhealthy comparisons, confident people are able to prioritize their own personal growth without being influenced by what other people are doing or have achieved.
2. Negative self-talk
Negative self-talk can lead to problems. It’s easy to fall into a pattern of speaking negatively to yourself and believing things that aren’t true.
This kind of behavior isn’t just bad, it can also make you feel bad about yourself and even make you depressed if you don’t stop it.
If you want to build self-confidence, it helps to be aware of and stop negative self-talk.
When people talk negatively to themselves, they often focus on things they don’t like about themselves, like their looks or abilities, instead of praising the things they do like about themselves.
They may also compare themselves to other people, which can make them feel jealous or insecure instead of inspired or motivated.
Negative self-talk can also show up as doubt in oneself. For example, someone who doesn’t believe in themselves enough might wonder if they could ever reach a certain goal or finish a certain task.
Negative thoughts drain away positive emotions,
3. Making excuses
Making excuses is something that confident people avoid doing. People who lack confidence often make excuses in order to explain away any failure or disappointment they may experience.
Having a strong sense of self-confidence means having faith in your abilities and taking responsibility for your actions and decisions – not making excuses when things don’t go the way you’d hoped.
Confident people understand that while it can be difficult to accept defeat, making excuses isn’t always helpful or productive.
Instead, they focus on learning from their mistakes and finding ways to improve in the future.
This type of resilience helps build their self-confidence as well as increase their chances of achieving success over time.
They also tend to be more open about admitting mistakes instead of trying to cover them up with lame excuses.
4. Self-criticism
Self-criticism is a sneaky habit that can slowly destroy our confidence in ourselves.
It can keep us from reaching our goals, and if we don’t do something about it, it can take over our lives.
Self-criticism is one of the most important things that confident people try to avoid.
Instead, they remind themselves of what they have done well and use positive reinforcement to keep themselves on track.
It’s important to love yourself and be your own best friend and supporter instead of being too hard on yourself.
This doesn’t mean you should ignore your flaws.
Instead, try to figure out why you have them and work on fixing them in a healthy way.
Celebrate the small wins along the way, because they will help you feel even better about yourself.
5. Doubting themselves
People who have self-confidence can see their own potential and strengths, which lets them make decisions without second-guessing themselves.
Self-doubt can hurt a person’s sense of self-worth and their chances of being successful.
People who don’t have confidence often get stuck in a cycle of negative thoughts, which can make them afraid to try new things or take risks.
The confident person doesn’t doubt themselves because they know and acknowledge their skills, talents, and successes. Instead, they focus on the good things in their life.
Self-doubt is an enemy of progress because it makes people afraid, which stops them from reaching their goals or even trying anything outside of their comfort zone.
6. Complaining
Complaining is one of the worst things you can do, so confident people try to stay away from it.
People often complain to get their frustrations out or show how unhappy they are, but this can be bad for our mental health and well-being.
Complaining shows that we can’t take responsibility for our problems and instead put the blame on others.
It can lead to a cycle of negativity that isn’t helpful and keeps people from seeing problems and working on solutions.
People who are sure of themselves know that complaining doesn’t solve anything and only makes them feel worse.
Instead of spending all of their time complaining, they look for ways to solve the problems at hand.
This means taking responsibility for hard situations and making positive changes to make things better.
These are two traits that people who are naturally confident tend to have.
People often complain about the problems they face in life.
While this may seem harmless, it is actually a very sneaky habit. It can make you feel helpless, like you can’t do anything to make things better.
Complaining also affects the people around you. It can make everyone feel bad about themselves and lead to bad interactions.
7. Taking criticism personally
No one enjoys hearing criticism and it can be difficult to separate our emotions from the situation when we are faced with feedback.
But people who are sure of themselves know how to use constructive criticism as a way to learn without taking it personally.
They don’t get angry or defensive. Instead, they try to see things from the person who is criticizing them.
They also won’t see criticism as an attack on their character. Instead, they’ll see it for what it is: a comment about their performance or ideas.
Also, confident individuals won’t take criticism to heart or let negative thoughts about themselves stick around.
8. Dwelling on the past
Many of us are guilty of living in the past, especially when things are hard or when we are going through hard times.
It can be hard to fight the urge to think about mistakes and missed chances, but confident people shouldn’t do this.
People who are sure of themselves know that looking back all the time won’t help them move forward.
Instead, they try to learn from their mistakes and use what they’ve learned to make better choices in the future.
People who are naturally sure of themselves don’t waste time thinking about what they could have done differently. Instead, they look forward with hope.
They know that thinking about the past keeps them from moving forward and stops them from reaching their goals and dreams.
9. People that sabotage them
Confident people know that their success is dependent on the actions they take and the relationships they have in their lives.
But even with a positive outlook and good intentions, there are sometimes people around us that can sabotage our efforts to reach our goals.
Three types of people that confident individuals choose to stay away from are those who are jealous, those who don’t believe in them, and those who put them down.
Jealousy is one of the most dangerous emotions and it can be hard for some individuals to control.
Those who are envious of someone else’s successes may try to bring them down or belittle their accomplishments.
Confident individuals recognize this behavior and focus on building relationships with people who celebrate their victories, rather than being threatened by them.
10. Seeking attention and reassurance
Confidence is key to leading a successful and fulfilling life. Without it, we can feel lost and insecure.
But confident people understand that seeking attention from others is not the way to achieve this.
They don’t need a lot of external attention or validation from others.
People who are sure of themselves trust their own judgment and don’t need compliments or approval from friends, family, or strangers to make them feel good about themselves.
They don’t care if they have the latest gadgets or clothes; they are comfortable being unique in what they do and how they look.
Confident individuals focus on bettering themselves rather than trying to prove anything to anyone else.
They have learned to be independent and self-sufficient. They understand that their sense of worthiness comes from within, and they don’t rely on the approval of others.
They make decisions based on what works best for them, not just because it pleases others.
11. Worrying about what others are doing
We all worry at some point or another about what others are doing and how it compares to what we’re doing in our own lives.
But the key to confidence is trusting that you have a solid plan and that you can execute it.
When those things are in place, don’t worry about what others are up to. Instead, focus on yourself and your own progress.
After all, you can only control your own actions—not those of anyone else around you.
Confident people understand this and use it as motivation to reach their own goals, instead of comparing themselves to their peers or feeling insecure about their successes or failures.
12. Believing everything they hear
One of the most important things that people who are sure of themselves don’t do is believe everything they hear.
It’s easy to get caught up in what other people say, but to be confident, you need to be able to tell the difference between the truth and lies.
This can help you make better decisions and figure out what you think about a certain subject or situation.
Before forming an opinion or making a choice, it’s important to do your own research and give yourself time to think about things from different points of view.
Confident people don’t just believe what they hear without questioning it first. Instead, they look at all the options and go with their gut when making decisions.
By doing this, they can form their own opinions instead of relying on what other people say.
13. Allowing a lack of information or certainty to stop them
People who don’t have confidence feel like they need to be sure of everything before they can do anything, which can be frustrating and stop them from doing anything.
On the other hand, confident people don’t get stuck in the details or worry that they need to know everything before they can move forward.
They know that it’s impossible to know everything at once, but they can still make decisions and act based on the information they have.
14. Inability to make decisions
Confident people don’t make rash decisions that could potentially harm them or their relationships, but they also avoid taking too long to make a decision.
They understand the importance of making decisions in a timely manner and the consequences of lingering on an issue for too long.
Making well-informed decisions is essential for success, and confident people know when to step up and make a decision.
They also take responsibility for their own actions, so if something goes wrong they can own up to it instead of blaming someone else.
Confident people recognize that not every decision will be perfect, but they are willing to look at mistakes as learning experiences rather than failures.
Taking calculated risks can lead to great rewards, so confident people are unafraid to take calculated risks when the time is right.
15. Letting fear dictate their actions
Fear can show up in a lot of different ways, like being too scared to try new things or being worried about being judged in social settings.
People with confidence don’t limit themselves by worrying too much about what might happen if they do something. Instead of focusing on what could go wrong and dwelling on it until they are overwhelmed with anxiety, confident people embrace uncertainty and take calculated risks in spite of the unknown.
They don’t freeze up when they fail. Instead, confident people learn from their mistakes and use them as motivation to get better.
16. Relying on luck
Do you believe in luck?
Many people do, but confident people recognize the power of taking action to create their own destiny. Relying on luck is often seen as a sign of insecurity or lack of control.
Confident people understand that while they may encounter good fortune along the way, true success comes from hard work and perseverance.
This means being responsible for your actions and owning up to potential mistakes.
Luck can play a role in life’s outcomes, but confident individuals don’t wait around for it to come knocking at their door.
Instead, they take initiative and put in the effort necessary to make things happen without relying on external influences like fate or chance encounters.
They are not afraid to take risks and trust their instincts when making decisions because they are ready to accept whatever results come from those choices.
17. Living according to someone else’s standards
Living according to someone else’s standards can be a difficult thing to do, especially when you feel like you don’t truly fit in with their way of life.
In many cases, people who lack confidence may feel obligated to follow the same rules and guidelines as those around them because they don’t want to stand out or be judged.
Unfortunately, this kind of behavior often leads to feelings of low self-esteem and dissatisfaction with one’s own life.
Confident people recognize that living up to another person’s expectations isn’t something that will bring long-term happiness or fulfillment.
Instead, confident individuals focus on meeting their own standards and developing a sense of purpose within themselves.
They realize that by setting their own goals and taking control of their lives, they can create a life that is meaningful and satisfying for themselves rather than trying to live up to the expectations laid out by someone else.
18 Avoid conflict
Confident people know how to handle the situation in a way that keeps them away from potential disagreements and fights.
They practice assertiveness. They understand their rights and respect the rights of others without being aggressive or disrespectful.
They know when to stand up for themselves and when compromise is necessary in order to maintain peace.
They don’t hesitate to apologize if something does go wrong.
They understand that sometimes it takes two parties to make a mistake and the quicker you can apologize the less tension there will be between both parties involved.
Lastly, confident people are good listeners who take time to think before speaking or making a decision on any matter at hand.
Conclusion-Things Confident People Avoid Doing
One of the keys to self-confidence is the awareness that it’s crucial to look after one’s mental and emotional health.
They don’t strive to be like anyone else, they don’t lower their standards, they don’t give up their power, and they don’t settle for less than they deserve.
By avoiding these things, people with confidence are able to live a life filled with self-love and acceptance. So take a lesson from them and start living confidently today!