Boosting your confidence as a man is very important for any man who wants to succeed in any area of life. Confidence is the number #1 attribute required to succeed in various aspects of life. Before I talk about some reasons why self-confidence is very important, it is important to point out that not very many men have the right amount of confidence required of them.
A considerable proportion of men have low confidence in themselves and their abilities. While there is a paucity of knowledge on the exact statistics of men with low confidence, around 12% of Americans say they lack confidence in themselves most of the time, and 2% say they don’t have confidence in themselves at all.
The majority of the reasons for lack of self-confidence in both men and women are related to body image (body weight and looks), age, achievements, and so on.
It is estimated that between 30-40% of men are anxious about their weight, and up to 85% are dissatisfied with their muscularity. Even though these figures are less than the statistics of body dissatisfaction in women of the same age(s)[1]Demographic predictors of body image satisfaction: The U.S. Body Project I – ScienceDirect, the problem of lack of confidence as a man is always going to be significant in everyday life and endeavors.
This brings us to the general effects of a lack of confidence as a man.
Why Self-Confidence is Extremely Important as a man
Before we see the common reasons for low confidence in men and tips to boost your confidence as a man, let me quickly point out that it is extremely important to make conscious efforts to boost your confidence as a man due to the following reasons:
- Confidence enhances your sense of well-being.
- It boosts your productivity.
- It enhances your ability to harness opportunities without feeling intimidated.
- Confidence enhances your leadership ability as a man.
- It helps you get the trust and respect of your wife or partner.
- It gives you a better outlook on life in general, thus increasing your chances of attaining success.
In contrast, lack of confidence takes your creativity, stunts your growth, impedes your ability to make productive decisions, slows your progress in life, and can make you make wrong decisions.
Even though these benefits of being confident are quite clear and straightforward to most men, several factors stand in their way of becoming truly confident. As mentioned in the introduction, the perception of body image is one such factor.
In the next section, we will see some other common factors affecting confidence in men globally based on several statistics as well.
Common Factors Affecting Confidence in Men
Among the topmost factors affecting personal confidence in men, here are five of the topmost factors.
- Body image (looks and masculinity).
- Financial status.
- Educational and occupational attainment.
- Good social relationship with women.
- Sexual performance.
Many men desire a lean and muscular physique–which is often associated with masculinity. This is why around 30-40% of men get anxious about their weight and up to 85% are dissatisfied with their body’s muscularity. Hence, body image is a very common cause of low confidence in adult men.
In a study of data from 162 countries from 2005 to 2016, researchers found consistent evidence that individuals (men) with higher income experienced more positive “self-regard emotions”, like pride, determination, and self-confidence. The converse was also true for men with lower incomes.
Beaming the spotlight on these factors as well as the others including educational and occupational accomplishments, good interpersonal relationships, and sexual performance, it becomes clearer how to boost your confidence as a man, as you will see next.
Great Tips To Boost Your Confidence As a Man
If you are looking to boost your confidence as a man, here are some great tips you can adopt. These tips aim to address some of the factors that affect men’s confidence as discussed above.
1. Keep fit and exercise more
Having seen that body image and male muscularity is one of the contributory factors to confidence in men, it is only reasonable to say that keeping fit can boost your confidence as a man. Regular exercises keep you fit and active. It helps you burn off excess body fats and bring your muscles popping, thus enhancing your masculinity.
Also as part of keeping fit, you should be deliberate about your dietary and lifestyle choices. If you are someone who likes eating junk food and snacking a lot, you may want to start cutting down on these as soon as possible.
2. Read books to acquire more knowledge
While confidence is not solely dependent on knowledge, it has been shown that knowledge can contribute to confidence in many ways. Other things like level of experience, skill, self-belief, and mindset also contribute to confidence substantially.
That being said, acquiring knowledge may help boost your confidence as a man, particularly when you want to showcase stronger opinions and ideas in the intellectual setting. The more knowledge you have, the more you can convincingly project your points to people around you.
3. Make money
Making money as a man should be the first on this list for obvious reasons. The self-esteem of most men is hinged on their perception of their financial worth. Also, people tend to listen more to financially buoyant men, and this can boost the man’s confidence when he is talking or doing something.
There are several ways you can make extra money as a man, including side hustles, online jobs, and learning a new paying skill. Again, confidence is not directly dependent on a man’s financial worth or wealth but this is an important factor for most men today.
4. Learn to speak audibly
Speaking audibly is generally linked with confidence. People believe that the loudest person is the most confident person. But that may not be exactly accurate, learning to speak audibly when need be can help boost a man’s confidence, or at least make him appear more confident.
5. Treat erectile dysfunction
This might sound unrelated to most people but erectile dysfunction can affect a man’s self-esteem and level of confidence. It has been shown that men who have erectile dysfunction (ED) often have low self-esteem, low confidence, and reduced sexual satisfaction in their relationships.[2]Self-Esteem, Confidence, and Relationships in Men Treated with Sildenafil Citrate for Erectile Dysfunction – PMC (nih.gov)
If you have problems with erection or sexual performance, this could be linked to your low confidence lately. Effective treatments exist for erectile dysfunction. You should consider seeing your doctor for treatment and advice that will help cure erectile dysfunction and boost your confidence as a man.
Mindsets To Maintain Your Self-Worth/Esteem
While many of the above factors can contribute to low confidence in men, confidence is not solely dependent on any or all of them. Confidence is an inherent trait that comes from your perception of your self-worth. Hence, a mindset shift or psychosocial rehabilitation may be necessary to boost your self-confidence as a man.
Improving the state of your mind is not as straightforward as one would imagine it. However, by reorienting your mind in a certain way, you can begin to grow and maintain your confidence as a man independent of the other factors discussed above.
Below are some mindsets that can help you sustain your confidence irrespective of what your body stature or financial status is.
1. Believe in yourself
No matter where you stand today, you must not allow it to interfere with your self-confidence. Continually believe in yourself and your capabilities. Push yourself to improve daily, and work hard to achieve your goals. If you don’t stop believing in yourself, nothing can make you lose your confidence in any case.
2. Believe that tomorrow will be better
An understanding that none of the current challenges will last forever can change your mindset and how you think about your self-worth. Despite the challenges you face today, be it any of the issues discussed above, they will be over someday. By focusing on where you will be tomorrow, you can prevent the problems of today weigh down your confidence.
3. Think about your successes in the future
Financial status is one of the primary reasons why some men lose their confidence. Some men suddenly begin to feel inferior when they are broke.
Other times, it’s about failure in other aspects of their lives, maybe business, education, career, or profession. You must learn to look beyond the present trouble and look to your successes in the future.
4. Avoid comparing with others
Comparing yourself with others is a major trait that can steal your confidence as a man. All fingers are not equal but you don’t have to make anyone else a standard for measuring your life. You are your own standard.
Instead of mounting unnecessary pressure on yourself by comparing yourself with other people, look at ways to improve yourself and achieve your goals in your life. This can help you maintain your self-worth and self-confidence while you gradually attain where you desire to be.
5. Redefine your self-worth
If you are losing confidence in yourself as a man, it might be time to redefine your self-worth. Do you consider material worth, money, sexual performance, or other things you are not so good at, the definitions of your self-worth? If yes, then you might need to refrain from doing so and turn your eyes to those things that truly matter.
One way to define your self-worth is by focusing on your positive traits and capabilities and looking at their inherent potential. Your strengths, positive characteristics, and capabilities have the potential to be developed into some of your greatest assets ever.
Other Avenues That Can Help Boost Your Confidence
If you are finding it hard to understand or adopt the above tips and mindsets to boost your confidence as a man, here are other avenues that can help you achieve that.
- See a therapist: If you think the loss of your confidence as a man is related to some psychological experiences you have had lately, a therapist could help you find ways to go through it and come back even better.
- See your doctor: To handle loss of confidence related to erectile dysfunction or other organic and mental health conditions, you might have to see a doctor who will do a thorough evaluation and prescribe you some management options.
- Find someone who sees/believes in your capability: Sometimes all you need is some reassurance. Finding and working with someone who believes in you will go a long way to boosting your confidence and helping you achieve your goals. Do all you can to avoid toxic people who pull you down instead of lifting your spirit.
- Discuss with someone who is exhibiting confidence in what they do: Sometimes, the big lessons can be simply explained to you by someone close by. Ask specific questions and listen attentively to what they would say. From my experience, some simple statements require you to think well on them to find out the life truths in them.
