What follows are three quick techniques you can utilize to improve your confidence level in any area of your life-starting immediately. Whether it involves work, school, athletic participation, or relationships, application of these principles will allow you to reap quick dividends.

1. Always begin your self-assessment with an inventory of your strengths. Building on those things which we are good at is a much easier starting point when compared to attempting to increase our abilities in areas of weakness. In other words, don’t try to be something you’re not. Just try to be better at what you are already good at.

2. Keep perspective. Many tasks or skills which you now excel at were once foreign and awkward when first undertaken. Bike riding, learning a foreign language, dancing in public-the list goes on and on. Over time, and with effective practice (not practice, but effective practice, as there is an immense difference in the two!), your balance improved, you learned to speak French well enough to sound like an informed tourist, and you realized that relaxation is the key ingredient to looking good on the dance floor.

3. Build your foundation on small victories. No matter how small, any victory can serve as a foundation for increased confidence. Reward each such victory at every turn and their frequency will increase. The methods by which you can reward yourself are endless, but make sure to do so.