Few things off the top of my head:
-Working out really does do wonders. It releases endorphin into your body, which is a natural stress reliever. Even if working out isn't your thing, I totally suggest trying it out. I used to be chubby and worked out for two months straight. Not only did I lose a lot of weight, but it improved my posture and confidence tenfold. Now people say I have a super confident swag to my walk.
-Agreed with El Nino to look up when you walk. Looking down is perceived as weakness. Looking people in the face means you're confident and not afraid of being judged.
-Think about what ignites your passion, and then focus on it. For me, there's a handful of film moments that make me truly feel alive. I can't help but think about how much I want to bring that to other people in my own films, and it's part of what drives me to succeed.
-Look at people you know are confident and emulate them. When I was younger, both Sonic and Shadow inspired me a lot. I used to never know what to do with my arms when I was just standing around, so I started crossing them like Shadow does. I always admired his confident stance. (I must admit I don't cross my arms nearly as much as I used to because a karate sensei I interviewed once told me I was crossing the gateway to my heart, so I'm careful to leave my arms open in heartfelt moments.) Crossing your arms makes your shoulders puff out, which makes you look more confident.
-If people point out your eccentricities, that's a good thing. You're getting noticed because you're not like the "cliquey crowd" in high school. You can either literally or figuratively tell them to go **** themselves. I used to be really uncomfortable with my standing in school until I evacuated my hometown for a month due to Hurricane Katrina. That month taught me how precious life is--I almost had a large chunk of my life just whisked away from me. Life's far too short to worry what some punks in high school think of you. BELIEVE me, high school's a very, very small bump in the road.
-After Hurricane Katrina, a lot of people told me I had changed, and I totally had. I got my first girlfriend less than a month after I came back, and I won first place in the state in two speech competitions. My biggest priority, and one that's still a huge priority to me to this day, was to say "hi" to everyone I even remotely knew at school. And I always either called them by name or a nickname I gave them. People love being around someone who calls them by name out of the blue. I made a lot of school acquaintances suddenly want to hang out a lot more with me just by giving them a high five or a handshake in the hallway.
-I enjoy starting my day with music to get me in the mood. I pick/find a good song via my iPhone's Shuffle mode and loop it while I'm taking a shower. It jolts me awake and gets me ready to go conquer the day. My most listened song is "It's Me *******." Gets me crazy hyped.
-KNOW that you're the best. It's totally an ego thing. No one on the face of the planet can be you like you can, and you know it. When I go to tournaments, I'm the best Bowser. End of story. When I sit down to play you, I want you to feel my confidence and be genuinely terrified to play me. But when someone asks if I'm the best, I NEVER say I am. I'll throw out other notable Bowsers and say it's hard to judge who's the best, but some say I am. Simple fact. Be confident, but not arrogant. Then whether it's in Smash or life, if someone ever takes note of your swag, always remember it. I've had someone's hands shake uncontrollably after we MMed in Brawl. And on the real life side, I once went horseback riding in a large group, and one of the girls couldn't control her horse. It made my horse break into a run, and he stopped right before the edge of the cliff. But I remained perfectly calm. Afterwards she said "Holy crap, are you afraid of ANYTHING?" Don't be afraid of anything. You're the best.
Ever watched the show "Entourage" before? If not, I totally recommend it, especially if you're having troubles with your confidence. It's about an actor who moves out to Hollywood with his entourage, and the show's many seasons follow their ups and downs.
The show's really known for the agent, Ari Gold, played by Jeremy Piven. Guy's got the biggest balls you'll ever see. His confidence has no roof. After getting into the show last summer (and now it's my favorite EVER), I'm always channeling my inner Ari Gold when I know my confidence has to be on full swag. Here's some links to his best scenes (There's cursing in here, FYI!):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKNV5foRiL4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMdmWjtDRPE
Those are my two favorites. There's tons more on Youtube.
In short, disregard your fears of how you think you'll be perceived. Don't care what high school losers think of you.
Stuff like this always pisses me off. I'm a proud Eagle Scout, and in my latter Scouting days, the younger Scouts would often tell me about bullies at school. My top priority was always to fill them with confidence and hope that one day they would rise above their surroundings. I know it's hard to be in the spot you're in right now. But I promise it gets better from here. I promise it does.
One more note: Confidence is a tricky beast. Contrary to popular belief, no one's completely confident 100% of the time. You're gonna have days when you doubt yourself, and it's okay. Pick yourself up and exude confidence anyway. Once a friend told me I'm confident in everything I do, even if I have no idea what I'm doing. It's one of the biggest compliments I've ever been given.
This may have been a bit scatterbrained, haha. I tried typing this as fast as I could since my arms have been a bit on the sore side lately (I've been getting back into Smash a bit too early).
If you ever need help, advice, or just someone to listen to, my door's always open.
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