Low self-confidence makes it nearly impossible to reach for your dreams, break free from expectations, and be your true self. But if you suffer from low self-confidence, there are things you can do to build it up.

Self-confidence isn’t genetic, and it doesn’t depend on the opinion of others. If you think you’re unintelligent, incompetent, unattractive, and so on, that can be changed.

Taking specific actions to improve your competence and build up your self-image can increase your self-confidence without anyone else’s help. Below are 15 things to help you do that:

1. Groom yourself. It seems obvious, but it’s surprising how easy it is to take this for granted. A shave and a shower can make a huge difference in how you feel about yourself. Simple self-grooming can completely turn your mood around.
2. Dress nicely. Dressing nicely makes you look successful and appear ready to take on the world. This will help you feel great about yourself. Dressing nicely will mean different things to different people. It doesn’t require wearing an expensive designer outfit. It can be as comfortable and simple as clean, casual clothes that fit and flatter you.
3. Upgrade your self-image. Self-images often mean more to us than we realize. We have mental images of ourselves that help us determine our level of self-confidence. But these images aren’t set in stone. You can change them. Give your mental self-image a glow-up. Changing it will boost your self-confidence.
4. Know thyself. Start paying attention to your thoughts. Journaling about yourself and your concept of yourself will help you analyze why your thoughts are negative. Next, start thinking about good things about you, things you do well, and things you like. Digging deep within yourself will teach you about yourself and build your self-confidence.
5. Think more positively. Notice your self-talk—that constant internal commentary you have inside your head about yourself and the things you do. Be on the lookout for negative self-talk. When you notice it, replace it with more positive words.
6. Act more positively. In addition to thinking more positively, you have to put those thoughts into action to develop self-confidence. It’s one thing to learn to think more positively. But when you act on it, you’ll change yourself. You are what you do. Changing the things you do changes te person you are.
7. Be generous. Being generous with yourself, your time, and what you have is an effective and benevolent way to boost your self-confidence. When you treat others the way you want to be treated, you’ll feel better about yourself and your thoughts will trend in a more positive direction.
8. Be prepared. Thinking you’ll fail at things make it difficult to be confident in yourself. Overcome those thoughts by being prepared. It’s like taking an exam. If you don’t study, you probably won’t score very highly on the exam. This will damage your self-confidence. But if you study hard, you were prepared and will likely achieve a high score. This increases your self-confidence. Think of life as your exam and prepare for it. Your self-confidence will soar!
9. Know your standards. If you don’t know what standards your life is built on, your life will feel directionless and you’ll soon be headed for trouble. You have standards, even if you haven’t considered them much. Look at your life: Do you live by your standards, or do you just think about them without acting on them?
10. Speak more slowly. People with authority radiate confidence by speaking more slowly. People who feel they aren’t worth listening to often speak quickly because they don’t want to keep others waiting, or feel not worthy of being listened to. Even if you don’t yet feel confident enough to speak slowly, practice doing it a few times anyway. As your self-confidence grows, the practice will become more natural.
11. Increase your competence. You will feel more competent when you become more competent. You become more competent by practicing and studying. Take writing as an example. To become a more competent writer, don’t tackle the writing profession at once. Just start writing more often—you could blog, journal, write short stories, or freelance. The more often you write, the better you will become at writing.
12. Set incremental goals. People often aim too high. When they fall short, they get discouraged and give up. Try aiming for your goal one step at a time. When you achieve the first step, you’ll feel better about yourself. Then aim for the next step, and so on. The more steps you reach, the closer you’ll be to your main goal. And you’ll feel better about yourself. You’ll achieve your main goal before you know it!
13. Focus on solutions. Shifting your focus from problems onto solutions is one of the most effective ways to boost your self-confidence. When you think of a problem, ask yourself how you could solve it. When you think something such as, “I’m so unmotivated,” focus instead on how you could become more motivated. If you think, “I have so little energy,” focus instead on ways you could increase your energy.
14. Be grateful. Expressing thanks and being grateful for your life and what other people have given you is humbling. And it’s a rewarding and constructive way to boost your self-confidence.
15. Get smarter. Empowering yourself with knowledge is one of the best ways to build your self-confidence. Increasing your knowledge will naturally make you more confident. To increase your knowledge, study and do research. There are great resources online, but don’t rely on it. Look also to the people around you and people who have done things that you want to do, as well as books and other printed materials.

You are worthy of respect. You can pursue what you want. Take control of your self-confidence, and you’ll reclaim control over your life!