This might sound strange, but the one person you’ll always have in your life is you. In order to have a life that’s peaceful yet exciting and fulfilling, it’s important to believe in yourself.

When you believe in yourself, you know that you have the ability to handle anything that life throws your way. You recognize that¸ although things may be tough, you’ll get through it.

Reading that, does that voice deep inside you ask, “But what if I’m not sure that I can handle something?” If so, you could probably benefit from boosting your self-confidence and recognizing more of your abilities.

Here are some strategies that can bolster your belief:

1. Know yourself.

Who are you? How would you describe yourself to someone who doesn’t know you? Write down a description of you. “[Your name] is a person who_____________.” Keep writing what you know about yourself. When you’re finished, read it. Does it give the reader a clear idea of who you are?

2. Develop a real understanding for how you react in certain situations.

For example, if someone tells you he’s angry about something you did, how do you respond? When people ask for help, what do you do? Noticing the behaviors you perform whenever challenging situations occur will help you see your capabilities.

3. Be comfortable with your own feelings.

Recognize what you’re feeling and label it—is it sadness you feel when you see your little girls growing up? Or is it pride? It’s okay to shed a tear over a poignant commercial or a sad or touching movie (I do!).

4. Recognize your strong points.

Although most of us can identify our weak areas right off the bat, it’s sometimes a challenge to see our strong points. Recognizing the areas of life in which you do really well is a great confidence-booster.

5. Remind yourself you’ve made it through some challenging episodes in life.

When you see what you’ve risen above, it helps you to realize that you can get through the tough times. You can probably easily recount all the difficult phases you’ve gone through in life. Yet here you are, surviving and maybe even thriving.

• Be inspired by the initiative, personal strength, and courage you’ve shown so far in life. Say to yourself, “If I did that, then I can achieve even more.”
• For example, maybe you made your way through college or even graduate school while working full-time (I did this one) and taking care of a family. That’s quite a feat. It must have been a challenging time for you. Yet somehow, you did it. That’s pretty incredible. Acknowledge it.

6. Get comfortable with admitting you made a mistake.

This suggestion just might be the most important one on the list. If you can’t admit to yourself and others on a regular basis that you’ve made a mistake, the fact is that you’ll have difficulty believing in yourself. Why? Because in order to believe in yourself, you must be real with yourself and others.

• Otherwise, you’ll see that you’re not even honest with yourself and your confidence will lag. It’s okay to be wrong. Let’s face it—most of us are wrong at least once a day. The easiest way to solve an issue or figure out a conundrum is to acknowledge, “I did something wrong.”
• If you recognize and acknowledge your errors, you’re very wise because you obviously know you can’t correct a mistake unless you see the mistake in the first place. If you’re not already doing it, start openly and honestly acknowledging errors. That way, you can fix them.
• These actions will also help you believe in your ability to handle anything.

If you believe in yourself, your life will be so much easier. Believing in yourself brings a certain quiet confidence. Thoughtfully consider the above points and strengthen your resolve to believe in the one person you’ll always have: you.