kaihantech@gmail.comIn the Name of the Merciful God
Valuable Article No. 10
Self-Worth, Self-Forgiveness, and Powerful Exercises to Increase Self-Confidence
Dr. Zahra Khezri
Psychologist and Counselor for Personal Development in All Areas of Life
Date: August 20, 2026
Introduction
Self-confidence does not simply mean believing that we are capable. It is also reflected in the way we stand, walk, speak, make eye contact, make decisions, accept compliments, and respond to our past mistakes.
Alongside self-confidence, a sense of worth and deservingness plays an important role in the quality of our lives.
A person who does not feel worthy internally may even doubt their own achievements when they succeed. They may reject compliments, avoid eye contact, speak with a weak voice, or constantly blame themselves for past mistakes.
Therefore, to build a stronger personality, we need to work on three important areas at the same time:
A sense of worth and deservingness, self-forgiveness, and behaviors that strengthen self-confidence.
- Powerful Body Language: From External Behavior to Inner Feelings
Our body is constantly communicating messages.
The way we walk, stand, sit, speak, and make eye contact can influence both how others perceive us and how we feel about ourselves.
For this reason, one simple and practical approach is to consciously improve our body language.
Walk with Confidence
Walk with an upright posture, relaxed shoulders, and confident steps.
You do not need to look artificial or arrogant.
The goal is simply to avoid allowing your body to constantly communicate fear or weakness.
Practice this every day until it gradually becomes a natural part of your behavior.
- Speak Strongly, Not Loudly
Speaking strongly does not mean speaking loudly.
A powerful voice is calm, clear, confident, and easy to hear.
Do not rush when you speak. Pronounce your words clearly and allow your voice to communicate confidence and calmness.
When you speak respectfully but firmly, your communication with others can become more professional and effective.
I have personally practiced this many times, and I have experienced that when I communicate calmly and confidently, many things become easier and people often interact with me with greater respect.
- Give a Firm and Respectful Handshake
A handshake is also part of body language.
When you shake someone’s hand, do not offer your hand without energy.
A brief, firm, and respectful handshake can communicate confidence and presence.
Of course, being firm does not mean squeezing someone’s hand too hard.
The goal is to create a respectful and confident connection.
- Practice Natural Eye Contact
Natural eye contact is an important communication skill.
People with low self-confidence sometimes lower their heads while speaking or avoid looking at the other person.
Practice maintaining natural eye contact during conversations.
You do not need to stare.
Simply allow your eyes to communicate that you are present, engaged, and comfortable in the conversation.
- Learn to Accept Compliments
One possible sign of low self-worth is difficulty accepting even a simple compliment.
For example, you may tell someone:
“You are so beautiful, and you have beautiful skin.”
And they immediately respond:
“No, that’s not true at all. My skin has become very bad.”
This reaction may indicate that the person does not have a positive image of themselves.
Many people have experienced teasing, comparison, or criticism during childhood, and these experiences can influence the way they see themselves.
If someone compliments you, you do not need to immediately reject it.
Simply say:
“Thank you. I really appreciate your kindness.”
Allow others to recognize the positive qualities in you.
More importantly, learn to recognize those positive qualities in yourself.
- Build a Sense of Worthiness
A sense of worthiness means believing:
“I deserve respect, growth, peace, success, and a good-quality life.”
This belief does not mean that we are perfect.
No human being is perfect.
Having a sense of worth means that even when we make mistakes, we do not lose our value as human beings.
A mistake is a behavior.
A mistake is not our identity.
- Stop Punishing Yourself for the Past
One of the most destructive behaviors is repeatedly replaying a mistake in our minds and punishing ourselves for it every day.
Perhaps we made a mistake in our relationship with another person.
Perhaps we made a poor business decision.
Perhaps we made choices about our health, family, career, or life that we no longer consider right.
But the important question is:
Do we want to remain prisoners of the same mistake for the rest of our lives?
Self-forgiveness does not mean denying our mistakes.
Self-forgiveness means:
“I accept my mistake, I take responsibility for it, I learn from it, and I allow myself to continue living my life.”
- My Personal Experience: Turning a Mistake into a Life Lesson
I, too, have experienced situations in my life that were extremely difficult at first.
During one period of my life, I followed an unhealthy eating style for many years and did not make healthy food choices. Eventually, I experienced a severe skin problem that made my daily life extremely difficult.
This experience changed the way I looked at health and lifestyle.
Instead of blaming myself forever, I decided to take responsibility for my past choices, forgive myself, ask God for forgiveness, and change the direction of my life.
This personal experience became the beginning of my studies and activities in the area of healthy lifestyle. Later, I gathered my knowledge and experiences in my book “The Law of Health.”
For me, this experience taught me a very important lesson:
Sometimes the biggest mistake in our life can become one of the greatest lessons of our life.
- My Australian Business Experience and the Great Lesson of Responsibility
Another very important experience in my life was related to a business project involving the migration of workers to Australia.
In that project, I partnered with a woman who had been introduced to me by a dear friend.
Unfortunately, I entered the partnership without conducting enough research.
Later, several people—including specialists, family members, and some of my clients—warned me about the credibility of the claims and documents related to the partnership. However, at that time, I believed that I was on the right path.
The result was extremely difficult.
My money and my clients’ money were taken, and I was left facing significant debt and responsibility.
I experienced a great deal of guilt and emotional pressure.
But eventually, I decided that instead of destroying myself with guilt, I would accept responsibility for my mistake and learn from it.
I sincerely apologized to the people who had been affected and tried to do everything I could to address the situation.
At the same time, I worked on myself, my faith, my sense of worth, and my ability to start again.
This experience taught me:
Taking responsibility is different from blaming yourself.
Taking responsibility means saying:
“I made a mistake, and I need to take responsibility and try to correct it.”
Self-blame means:
“I made a mistake, therefore I am a bad and worthless person.”
These are completely different.
- Create a New Belief for Your Life
I strengthened this belief within myself:
“I am on the path to success, and it is natural to make mistakes along the way. I can learn from my mistakes, become stronger, and move forward again.”
This belief helped me stop living in the past and focus on building my future.
We cannot change the past.
But we can change the meaning we take from our past experiences.
Practical Exercises to Increase Self-Confidence
Starting today, practice these exercises for 30 days:
Exercise 1
Walk every day with an upright posture and confident steps.
Exercise 2
Speak calmly, clearly, and firmly.
Exercise 3
Maintain natural eye contact during conversations.
Exercise 4
When shaking hands, offer a firm but respectful handshake.
Exercise 5
When someone compliments you, do not reject the compliment.
Simply say:
“Thank you. I really appreciate your kindness.”
Exercise 6
Every night, write down three positive qualities about yourself.
Exercise 7
When a past mistake comes to mind, ask yourself:
“What lesson did I learn from this experience?”
Instead of asking:
“Why was I such a bad person?”
Conclusion
Self-confidence is not a fixed quality that cannot change.
Through practice, awareness, and changing our beliefs and behaviors, we can strengthen our sense of worth and self-confidence.
Stand tall.
Speak firmly but respectfully.
Maintain calm and natural eye contact.
Accept compliments.
Recognize your own value.
Take responsibility for your mistakes.
But do not punish yourself forever for the mistakes of your past.
Forgive yourself, learn from your past, and build your future with greater strength.
Remember:
“Your past mistake is not your identity today.”
“You can start again.”
“You deserve growth, respect, love, and progress.”
I consider myself an example of a person who has learned great lessons from major challenges and rebuilt her path.
So, if you are going through a difficult period today, believe that this stage can become the beginning of a new chapter in your life.
Join Us
For more learning about personal development, increasing self-confidence, self-worth, self-awareness, and progress in all areas of life, join us through our valuable website.
Begin your personal growth journey through learning, practice, and consistency, and experience the results of progress in your personality and your life.
We love you and wish you greater success, progress, peace, and happiness in every area of your life.
Be happy, healthy, successful, and wealthy. 🌹
Dr. Zahra Khezri
Psychologist and Counselor for Personal Development in All Areas of Life
Website: drkhezrisuccess.com
Whatsapp: +968 7154 2824