When you’ve decided to take your life in a new direction, it can be challenging and a little unsettling. Whether it’s starting a new job, pursuing your side passion, or even getting back into dating — you’ll need confidence in yourself. Although taking on something new can be scary, it’s also a great opportunity to do some soul-searching and build yourself up from the inside-out. Here are some tips on how to gain more self-confidence to pursue something new!

1. Change Your Happiness Metric

Oftentimes, we get down on ourselves when trying something new because we don’t feel like we’re capable enough to succeed. We believe everyone’s better at it than we are, or people will judge us for doing it. When we start to feel this way, we should reevaluate what metric we’re using to determine our happiness within ourselves. If your happiness relies on what other people are doing or what they think, you may be wondering why you never feel truly happy with yourself. We can’t control what others are doing, we can only control ourselves and our thoughts. Change your metric of happiness. Did you try something new that day? Feel inspired? Or maybe inch closer to one of your goals? Confidence starts with inner peace.

2. Journal

Writing down our thoughts on a daily basis can help clear our minds and lets us look at the bigger picture, rather than the trivial concerns. Set aside time each day to write down your goals, thoughts, and feelings. Pay close attention to how you’re feeling, as well as how you react to certain situations. Being mindful of your emotions will also help you work through what’s holding you back about yourself and create a plan on how to get to your happiest and most confident self. Keeping a daily journal could actually end up changing your life.

3. Acknowledge Yourself

The fact that you are making a positive change in your life is a huge deal and should be celebrated. Instead of putting yourself down for not being where you’d like to be yet, trust the process and acknowledge that taking these steps to make this change is important. Each day you’ll grow a little bit more, and when you look back a year from now you’ll be in a much different and better place. It’s okay to give yourself a pat on the back, even for small accomplishments!

4. Be Picky with Your Inner Circle

Have you ever noticed yourself changing based on who you’re around? Some people have a way of draining us and putting out our fire. Be sure to be selective with who you associate with, and allow to be close to you. If you have friends who constantly belittle your dreams, or act jealous, rather than excited about your personal accomplishments, then they’re not the people for you. Surround yourself with positive people who help ignite that mojo in you.

5. Be Your Best Self

When you look your best, you’ll feel your best too. Start by focusing on what you want rather than what you lack. Look through your wardrobe to see what clothes you actually love and which ones you could do without. Start building your wardrobe with items that make you feel good. If you have skin concerns like acne, try finding a treatment that helps clear your skin. Or if you have thigh chafing, try products like our thigh bands to help make you more comfortable throughout the day. The more confidence you have in your look, the more confident you’ll start to feel from within.

6. Accept Failure

To be truly confident, it’s important to understand that failure is inevitable. Although that may sound cynical, accepting that failure is a possibility in life is actually freeing. It allows you to resist holding yourself to unrealistic standards, while also keeping you from being too hard on yourself. If you know failure is a possibility, there will be less pressure on you, and your successes will be that much more rewarding.

7. Switch Up Your Routine

A lot of your routine is likely to change when taking on something new in life, but embracing the switch will help you feel more comfortable with yourself. Switch up the route you take home, try a new item at your usual food spot, or whatever else changes up your daily norm — even just a little. The more you get comfortable with change, the more you’ll grow and learn about yourself.