Self-Confidence!
by Michael McGrath
You can achieve very little in life without a good measure of self-confidence. This state is a mixture of high self-esteem, belief in yourself, self-respect and a good self-image.
How you feel about yourself is a key issue in achieving anything in life. By developing your self-confidence you will be enabled to take more of the opportunities that come your way and also have the strength and inner reserves necessary to overcome all obstacles. Each time you put your confidence to the test you will strengthen it and move forward faster in your own personal development. Your belief in yourself will grow and you will begin to see challenges not only through the eyes of a person who believes they can be overcome but as someone who
knows they can be overcome and has the confidence in his/her abilities to find a way to do it!
Here are some points to follow that will help you increase your self-confidence.
As best you can, stop berating yourself. There are more than enough people out there who will speak unkindly of you, so why should you be one of them? Be gentle with yourself! Your words have power. They are helping you to formulate ideas and beliefs which in turn have a major impact on the way you live your life. So choose words that uplift you and go easy on yourself when you make a mistake - you are only human!
Seek the company of self-confident people and positive environments. Your environment and the people around you can and does affect your levels of confidence. Seek the company of people who build you up and are honest with you. They can help you work on your faults while praising each step you move forward. Negative people only pull you down and should be avoided. If someone tells you often enough that you can't do something then you will begin to believe them!
Be true to your word. Take action when you say you will. Follow through on your plans even if it looks like you will fail. Remember there is no such thing as failure only giving-up! If you keep trying you will eventually succeed and more importantly your confidence in yourelf and knowledge of what not to do will grow until success is assured!
Feel the fear and do it anyway! If you face the thing that you are most afraid off and do it often the fear disappears. You will prove to yourself that talking to that person didn't make you stop breathing or giving a lecture didn't make you die etc.!
Keep a note of your achievements. Many times in life we feel like we are making no progress simply because 'we can't see the forest for the trees'. Have you ever met a friend you haven't seen in years and noticed how much they had changed, yet to their family and close friends the change would have been almost imperceptible?
Take time out to write down how far you have come. Write down the fears you faced and obstacles you overcame. This will help keep you motivated and show you just how far you have come.
Finally when you retire at night think of all the achievements you had during the day - no matter how small and give yourself credit for them. When you wake in the morning visualize yourself beaming with joy and confidence as the day unfolds and you will literally set yourself up for success!
