Building Confidence When You Have No Money

As a college student or new graduate you don’t exactly have the salary to buy the nicest pair of jeans or a Hugo Boss dress shirt for when you go out on the weekends. However, after communicating with a few readers I wanted to write about how to build confidence when you’re short on funds.

College Life 101 was originally intended for the first Friday of every month but since it’s summer time I’ve been receiving many emails from the college students that read Studenomics about “college life” issues. I believe in giving the people what they want, so I have put together an article with some valuable tips with how you can build confidence before a big weekend or big date when you have no money:

Get some sun during the day. If you wear a little bit of sun screen to ensure you don’t get burned then after a few hours in the sun you could end up with a decent looking tan.

Get in some physical exercise. You feel much better after a 30-45 minute workout because your body releases endorphins. A quick jog followed by 100 push ups will definitely get you feeling good before a big date or night out.

Get a hair cut. I can’t put my finger on it but I feel really good sometimes after a hair cut. I use my student status at a local barber shop where I get my hair cut for $10. If you’re a young guy paying more than $15 for a hair cut then it’s time you found a new barber

Have a light snack. Don’t stuff your face because then you’ll be bloated all night walking around feeling like a slob. If you get some food in your system before you head out you will have energy to last you the whole night.

Think positive & avoid thoughts about failure. Who cares if the date doesn’t go exactly as planned? As long as you have a fun time and have no regrets then don’t dwell over how the conversation went or how the food tasted.

Never view yourself as inferior to others. You may not have the most expensive wardrobe but that doesn’t mean that you’re not an amazing person. If people try to put you down they’re only doing it to feel better about themselves.

Fake it until you make it. You have definitely heard this saying before. If you’re lacking self confidence then simply lie to yourself and convince yourself that you are confident. This is easier said than done so I will leave it at this- practice, practice, and then practice some more.

Have a few drinks. Liquid confidence my friends. If you’re driving then obviously don’t drink and drive. Also try not to overdo the booze because you want to build a little bit of confidence- you don’t want to go out and make a fool out of yourself because you drank too much before you got to the bar.

photo: ChrisGambat