Today’s the day! National Self-Confidence Day is here!

How are you today? Are you feeling confident? Don’t worry: there’s no rule that says you have to be confident on National Self-Confidence Day.

If you are confident, great! If you’re not confident, that’s OK! For lots of us, it’s not easy. It takes time. The opinions we hold about ourselves are so deeply ingrained that they’re difficult to change. But you should know that the point of today is not to pretend to be confident. The point of today is to plant the seeds of real confidence.

Let’s begin by making a personal inventory of all the reasons you should be confident. Maybe you just aced an exam. Maybe you just started working out at the gym. Maybe you’re a world champion boomerang thrower. Maybe you have a close-knit group of friends. Maybe you’re a world champion knitter. Maybe you know how to make a sandwich nobody else knows how to make. Or maybe you’re nice to people. All of these things are worth celebrating–if they’re you.

Look for simple confidence-boosting tips and tricks you can do. These will help nurture the seed. We wrote down some ideas in our recent blog, Five Easy Tips for Self-Confidence, but the important part is figuring out which strategies work for YOU.

And for everyone who woke up feeling confident today, that’s awesome! It’s a great feeling, no? Don’t you want to help others experience it? It can be as simple as passing along a confidence-inspiring message to a friend or loved one. Let them know you believe in them. A simple comment takes barely any effort, and it can have a huge impact on them.

You may also consider taking it a step further and talking about confidence with someone on a deeper level. If you know someone who struggles with confidence, one comment probably won’t be enough to change their perspective, but you can make a difference by sitting down and having a conversation. Letting them know what a big difference confidence can make in their life, and how it’s possible to make the change, could be their impetus to start seeking confidence-inspiring strategies of their own.

The most important thing to remember about National Self-Confidence Day is that the point is not to feel confident today and forget all about it tomorrow. The point is to inspire long-term, lasting change for as many people as possible. And we want you to know that you’re awesome, and we appreciate your help.