How to Have Swag: 22 Confident Ways to Look Cool Doing Anything

Do you need more swag? Want to impress others with your natural confidence? Here are some ways to develop swag! 

You want to learn how to have swag for a number of reasons. Maybe you want to attract the partner of your dreams, mingle with a cooler crowd, or just have the kind of confidence and presence that makes people stop and turn their heads.

Having swag is not just about being cool, or your physical appearance. It certainly is not the same thing as being arrogant, vain or rude. Swag is about having a certain inner confidence, a glow that comes from within. One that seems to say to the world, “I know who I am and I like it.”

[Read: 25 showy ways to act cool in front of your crush and grab their attention]

What does it mean to have swag?

If you’ve got swag, you are self-assured, confident, and attractive. You have full knowledge of who you are *and who you aren’t*, and you are totally happy with your unique, awesome brilliance.

Swag means that you don’t care what other people think because you know who you are. You’re a cool and confident person with a lot going for them, and that’s good enough for you.

How to have swag and feel confident and courageous wherever you are

Knowing how to have swag isn’t just about dressing right or being into certain kinds of music. Having swag doesn’t even mean looking a certain way. Swag is a mindset of confidence and a whole way of life. So, if you want to have more swag, try these tips.

1. Have confidence

The number one tip for having swag? Confidence. Confidence is wildly attractive because a confident person knows who they are. You can’t bullshit them, and they cannot be swayed by others’ opinions. A confident person is rock solid in who they are and what they stand for. 

Some people try to portray confidence by acting arrogant, being loud and obnoxious, and putting others down. All of these techniques ultimately backfire, because a confident person doesn’t need to advertise their confidence to prove themselves. 

Confidence needs to come from within, and it’s one of those things you have to fake to feel. Just know you have style, you have value, and you won’t let anyone get you down. If you truly believe it, others will too. [Read: How to build self-confidence and realize you’re worth it]

2. Walk tall 

Make sure you stand proud and walk tall, both literally and figuratively. If you hold your head up high wherever you go, people automatically think of you as confident and people will notice you more.

This is another thing that can be faked until you feel it. Walk with your head high and your shoulders back, and soon you will begin to feel more confident. 

3. Know what you’re talking about 

No one likes a blowhard. If you want to have swag, you need to know what you are talking about, especially if you are dominating the conversation. 

If you want to talk politics or whatever you choose to bring up a conversation about—make sure you did your research. People can sniff out a bluffer pretty quickly, especially if you stumble across someone who actually does know what they are talking about.

If you’re going to bring up topics, especially inflammatory ones, make sure you know what you’re talking about. Otherwise, you are going to come across like a real dummy. No swag there. [Read: 20 reasons why people don’t like you]

4. Make eye contact 

If you want to learn how to have swag, making eye contact is a great start. Lots of people struggle with making eye contact, especially those of us that spend more time around screens than other people. But eye contact is important to conversation, it lets people know that you are interested and listening to them. 

Make eye contact with people when you talk to them. When you walk into a room or party, or even just when you stroll down the street, look people in the eyes. 

You don’t need to stare at people like a weirdo to get your point across. Just a quick glance and a smile is usually enough, and it sends a strong message. [Read: How to keep a conversation going with a guy – 20 ways to connect 24/7]

5. Feel comfortable in your own skin

To learn how to have swag, you need to give the impression that you feel comfortable in your own skin. 

You need to accept the way you are, even if you don’t love it right away. If you always try to change yourself or constantly complain about the way you look, you’ll never have swag. 

You should know who you are, accept it, and be happy with your lot. Remember, confidence and swag go hand in hand. [Read: 20 ways to be comfortable in your own skin and love being you]

6. Dress with originality

Having swag is not about following the masses. It’s about being unique, original, and having your own take on things, no matter what. 

You don’t have to buy expensive designer brands to have swag. Learning how to have swag is to dress the way you want to, whatever that is. You don’t have to be original for the sake of it, but a little flair here and there that’s uniquely yours really makes you stand out from the crowd.

7. Don’t be afraid to share your opinions 

People with swag don’t blindly agree with what everyone else says. Don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself and develop opinions that go against the crowd. 

Diversity and great debates are what life is all about. But remember, do your research too– opinions are great, but they’re not much if you can’t back them up with facts. [Read: Intellectual questions – 43 cues to spark smart talk with anyone]

8. Learn to read body language

Swag is confidence in your social skills, and reading body language is a way to do that. Make sure you know your body language. Just simple things like standing with your body open towards someone, not getting too close, and respecting personal boundaries. 

Over time, you can learn more subtle body language too, like when someone is interested in what you are saying or if you are boring them. [Read: Male body language – 48 signs to instantly read a man’s thoughts]

Listening and nodding and smiling while others talk is helpful too. Learning and responding to body language makes you come across as a confident and charming person. [Read: Body language of a girl – 37 signs to instantly tell if a girl is into you]

9. Don’t fuss with your clothes, hair, or makeup

Everybody likes to look good. There is no shame in putting effort into your appearance, and it can be helpful to feel confident in the way you look. However, to have swag, you need to be both cool and confident. 

If you are always fiddling with your clothes, touching your hair, or putting on more makeup, you will come across as fidgety and insecure. You won’t look like you are very comfortable with the way you look. So after you get ready, don’t fuss too much—just know you look great, and leave it at that.

10. Never get out of control

There is nothing swag about embarrassing yourself by getting out of control. People with swag are usually pretty in control of their emotions, and are calm, cool and collected. They aren’t the ones that get really drunk and make a scene. 

People who have swag don’t exhibit signs of obvious attention-seeking and insecurity, such as getting too loud, aggressive, or starting drama. [Read: How to play it cool with a girl and impress her by keeping your calm]

11. Be happy

We are all entitled to bad days, but no one wants to be around a perpetual downer. After all, life is hard on everyone, and there is only so much people want to listen to others complain. 

To have swag, you need to be happy. People tend to be drawn to those who look like they are having a good time. Plaster a smile on your face and get out there! [Read: How to make happiness your default state]

12. Talk to everyone

Swag isn’t elitist. If you want to have swag, you aren’t the kind of person that refuses to talk to others because they think they are beneath them– that’s called arrogance. 

Swag is knowing that everyone is created equal. People with swag are nice to everyone because they are confident and know that kindness is cool.

13. Don’t be too loud or obnoxious 

If you have swag, you don’t need to tell anyone. They will know it just by looking at you and talking to you. The kind of person who needs to be loud and obnoxious about their swag doesn’t actually have any. 

Some dumb people think that being loud and grating is the same thing as having swag. There is a massive difference between confidence and arrogance. Make sure you know what it is!

14. Love your body

You don’t have to have a “perfect” body to be confident. Everyone deserves to feel good about themselves and love the skin they are in.

Everyone has body hang-ups from time to time. People with swag learn to accept their shape, work with it, and embrace it!

15. Have a style

People with swag have a style uniquely theirs. You need to be true to yourself about what you like to wear, and how you want to do it. 

You might need to experiment a little before you find yours, but once you do, you’ll know it.

16. Don’t be fake

Confidence can be a “fake it until you make it” kind of situation. But that doesn’t mean you should adopt an entirely artificial persona to try to have swag. Having swag is all about being genuine and true to who you are. 

No one likes someone who is fake, and people suss you out soon enough. [Read: 36 shallow traits of a superficial person]

17. Be positive

Negativity is lazy and unattractive. Anyone can point out how difficult and exhausting modern life can be. But a positive person is attractive, and a positive mental attitude is major swag.

Positive people have swag because they are able to see the good in every situation. Or at least crack a funny joke about it. 

18. Educate yourself

In order to be interesting, you have to be interested. A person with swag is intelligent and can have good conversations about lots of different things. 

To have swag is to have a range of interests. If you don’t know about something, ask informed questions to learn more. People will be attracted to your genuine interest, and that goes a long way to help you feel confident in any situation. [Read: How to become an intellectual and learn to fake it till you make it]

19. Don’t put others down

If the only way you feel good about yourself is by putting other people down, you don’t have swag. 

Bullies are insecure people who take their pain out on others, and there is nothing swag about that. Laughing at others’ expense is not cool, and you’ll soon make more enemies than friends.

20. Develop a good sense of humor

Humor is seriously attractive. If you make people laugh, that’s half the battle. 

The real way to get swag is to be able to crack an appropriately timed joke. You don’t have to go out there and deliver a one-man comedy routine, but keeping a few jokes up your sleeve and being witty works wonders. [Read: 35 tips to charm absolutely anyone]

21. Retain an air of mystery

Don’t be the person that gives absolutely everything away. A person with swag is friendly and open. They don’t share their deepest, darkest, most embarrassing secrets with people they just met. Keep some things back, and you’ll always be someone people want to know more about.

22. Ask people questions about themselves

It is human nature to love to talk about yourself. To up your conversationalist swag, learn to ask thoughtful questions.

If you ask people questions about themselves, they will usually be more than happy to reply. Just remember to keep the conversation neutral, and don’t ask anything invasive or inappropriate.

[Read: How to gain confidence and turn your life around for the better]

These tips will ensure you know how to have swag that others crave. You’ll be thought of as cool, calm, and collected, funny and interesting, with that something about you that others wish they had!

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