As the Athletic Director and head coach of the Varsity Soccer team at Ryerson University, Dr. Joseph is often asked what skills he is searching for as a recruiter: is it speed? Strength? Agility? In Dr. Joseph's TEDx Talk, he explores self confidence and how it is not just the most important skill in athletics, but in our lives.
Tuesday, April 7, 2015
5 Ways To Boost Your Self Esteem
While for many, self-esteem issues are a transitional part
of growing into an adult and finding a place in the world, scientific research
studies show that people with continued low self-esteem are also more likely to
suffer from depression, anxiety, poor physical health, and even a lower income
later on in life.
Those with long lasting issues of low self-esteem know only
too well that it is not something you grow out of, but something that sits in
the subconscious mind and continues to affect every part of life for years. How
then can we enhance self esteem.
Here are five ways that you can do just that.
1. Model Confident People
Noticing what confident people do, how they speak, the ways
they behave, can provide vital clues to finding self-esteem inside yourself.
Who is the most confident person you can think of? When you have them firmly in
your mind, ask yourself these questions: how do they hold their shoulders? How
do they stand? How do they walk? What clothes do they wear? How do they behave
when with other people? What sort of things do you imagine they say about
themselves? And if they were in your situation, what would they do?
This questioning goes far beyond "fake it till you make
it" - it links us into the answers already inside us. Once you have a list
of what that confident person would do, go ahead and model this behaviour. Try
it on for a few hours, a day, even a few days. Notice how everything you do,
and the events around you, begin to change on their own.
2. Advertise Yourself
When you have to convince someone else about your strengths,
it can have a fantastic effect on your self-esteem. Sitting down and really
thinking about all your skills, gifts and talents is a wonderful reminder of
all the good things about being you. Try writing an advertisement selling
yourself as the perfect partner, house mate, friend, etc, with a full
description of why anyone would be lucky to have you around. Don't be afraid to
blow your own trumpet. This isn't an exercise in modesty, but in self-esteem.
3. Work On Your Resume
Resumes are all about convincing someone to hire your time
and your expertise. Giving your resume a regular update can also give your
self-esteem a great boost. Alternatively, update your Facebook profile. Strange
as it sounds, there is now research from Cornell University in New York to prove
that people who view their Facebook profiles more regularly have better
self-esteem. You get to go back and view your clever status updates, your
significant dates and events, and photos of good times.
4. Say Positive Things About Yourself
Saying positive things about yourself, to yourself or
others, is important. What we say about ourselves reveals a lot about our level
of self-esteem. When we rehearse only what we do wrong, or don't like about
ourselves, our brain builds neural pathways for these conversations, till
eventually negative self-talk is practically automatic.
If you are not used to talking about yourself in a positive
way, you will simply have to learn how. Keep practicing, choose a few nice
things to say or think about yourself and use them as a mantra every day. It
can be something you are proud of about yourself, or positive things you
remember others saying about you in the past.
The more you repeat this, the easier the behaviour will
become as your nervous system will build more neural connections to this
positive self-talk, and less to the negative self-talk.
5. Is It You, Or Is It Them?
The people who surround us, at home, at school, at work, or
in social settings, can have a huge impact on our self-esteem. Either they will
support us, making us feel better about ourselves, or their negativity will
bring us down emotionally. This may not be intentional. Some people just seem
to notice what's wrong more than on what's right.
If you find there are people in your life who make you feel
bad about yourself, you need to make a decision. Can you counteract the effect
they are having with you? Or do you need to do some prunning?
Do you really need to be around people who make you feel bad
about yourself? Choose to associate with positive people that make you feel
alive, happy, and optimistic about life.
Deciding to spend less time with people isn't about making
anyone else 'wrong' or 'bad' -- it has to do with making clear decisions about
how you want to feel, and asserting your right to feel good instead of bad.
Use these strategies on a regular basis and you really will
boost your self-esteem -- and increase your self-confidence.
Power Affirmations – Ignite Your Personal Power!
These positive affirmations are specifically designed to awaken the vast storehouse of profound inner potential, positive thinking and enable you to manifest your highest intentions in every area of your life.
Positive Affirmations Are Used In Many Situations But Do They Really Work?
Positive affirmations are a technique used in several
different religious, cultural and psychological situations. They have been used
for several centuries and only recently (the last 25 to 30 years) come
extremely popular in pop-culture. Individuals talk about positive affirmations
to help you lose weight, increase your income, get that great job or even
attract your perfect mate.
And while positive affirmations really do work for specific
individuals who use them in specific ways, they can also create more negative
results in a person's life than positive. Let me explain.
Most people who use positive affirmations create a statement
that is vague and abstract such as "I am a thin and beautiful person"
or "I am the next CEO". The statement about being thin and beautiful
indicates that you are getting thinner in a specific way but does not tell you
if you are losing weight, you are thin or you are getting beautiful.
Another problem with positive affirmations which are
structured by telling yourself that you are what you want to be in the future
is that your brain knows that you have not yet achieved that goal. You are
fooling only yourself and will not achieve any positive benefit from these
statements. Your subconscious mind will not be fooled into believing that you
are thin today when the scales said you are 50 pounds overweight.
Another problem with positive affirmations is that they are
often not action oriented. Every time an individual achieves success they
achieve it by doing something. This means they are performing an action and not
sitting around waiting for something to happen to them. Each time you tell
yourself that you are the current CEO of your company, another part of your
brain says "yeah, right". You defeat yourself each time you repeat
these positive affirmations.
There are times when an individual has such focus and
mindset that they are able to repeat these positive affirmations daily and
create this reality for themselves without editing the affirmations or negating
them. However, these individuals are far and few between and based on the
amount of focus and concentration it takes to use this type of affirmation
without becoming discouraged, this individual would have succeeded with or
without the affirmation.
Instead, individuals should attempt to create a positive
story that includes action and evokes both a visual and emotional response. By
pulling auditory, visual and emotional factors into a global story, an
individual has a greater chance of incorporating his positive statement into
his current state of mind.
So, instead of using "I am thin and beautiful" an
individual may express "today I choose to eat fruits and vegetables and be
excited about the flavors".
The current thoughts in psychology and our culture is that
we are what we believe we are and we become what dominates most of our
thoughts. This is indeed true and will never be overcome by a simple one line
positive affirmation stated over and over again all day long. Instead, the goal
of an individual is to create a reality in which they are moving toward their
goal in a positive and successful manner.
Believe it or not we already have affirmations that we
repeat to ourselves on a daily basis without even thinking about it. For
instance, when looking at a particular product we wish to buy the first thing
that comes into our heads may be "I'm not made of money" or
"Money doesn't grow on trees" or "I can't afford that".
Each of these are negative affirmations about money and how an individual
perceives their ability to spend money.
We each have these affirmations about the way we look in the
mirror, the type of person we can attract, the number of friends we have, the
type of job we have and the amount of money we are or are not capable of
making. All of these affirmations or statements are important in the way that
we'd perceive our own reality and the results that we can achieve.
The most effective affirmations will be the ones that you
write yourself, that have a personal meaning in your life and that evoke strong
emotions. You may choose to write your affirmations down on paper and carry
them with you so that you might glance at them and repeat them several times a
day. Be sure to remember the emotion that it brings up inside and hold onto
that emotion because that's what makes the affirmation powerful.
Remember that just staring in the mirror and telling
yourself that your acne has gone, you are 50 pounds lighter or that your ears
are smaller will not make it so. In fact, by doing that your subconscious mind
will sabotage your efforts and make it even that much more difficult to achieve
your goals and count yourself among the successful people in your life.
http://EzineArticles.com/8985431
How To Feel Happy - Scientifically Proven Ways of Creating Lasting Happiness
How To Feel Happy - Learn how to get lasting fulfillment and happiness in life without succumbing to common pitfalls that only lead to disappointment.
3 Ways To Get Instantly Happier
Now happiness is a universal value that everyone looks for
in their lives. No matter where you live, or what you do, chances are you're
doing the things in your life because you think it will bring you happiness.
So why are so many people unhappy? If we know what happiness
is and we know we want it, why aren't more of us there? How do we get to there?
Well, here's the first thing to be happy about, happiness
has already been figured out!
Thousands of studies that have been done by scientists all
around the world have shown that there are patterns that keep popping up. These
scientists have found the consistent way to achieve happiness and it's really
not that complicated.
You don't need a fancy degree or big brain or lots of money
to get to your happiness. You just need to do three basic things.
And as I go through each thing, I want you to take stock of
your life. I want you to ask yourself (be honest!) if you're doing these things
and, if not, how you can start today.
1) Be Grateful
The first thing we'll look at is gratitude.
Simple, right? Just be grateful. Actually, this is harder
than it looks.
Because life isn't perfect and our lives aren't perfect.
There are plenty of things that we wish we had more of, or less of. Hey,
there's always room for improvement. But starting with gratitude, being
grateful for what you have, is a key first step.
How can you be grateful? Start with awareness. Be aware of
what is around you, no matter how basic.
Be aware of standing on your two feet (not everyone does this),
being above ground (many people are no longer with us), eating three meals a
day (a luxury for many people around the world), and having a roof over your
head (you get the picture).
Be grateful for what you have, because you probably have a
lot compared to many people!
And keep that awareness, that gratitude, as you move through
your day. When you encounter things or people that don't go your way, be
grateful that you encountered them. Because those experiences have a lot to
teach you.
Think of a negative experience that you've had with a
co-worker. You're probably not grateful that you had that negative experience.
But think of all the things that encounter has taught you. You now know what
kind of person that co-worker is. You know how to handle that co-worker in
similar circumstances. And you know how to master your feelings the next time
you work with them. Those are three gifts that you didn't have before that
negative experience. Be grateful for that!
Life is going to throw you curveballs. But if you focus on
how you can't hit a curveball, as any baseball player will tell you, it's going
to get worse. So stay grateful and learn what you can within that gratitude.
2) Remain Engaged
The second important value to look at is engagement. How
engaged are you with the world and the tasks in your life?
I look at my two-year old son and I marvel at how engaged he
is with the world around him. He's discovering all these things around him.
When I watch him color or build with his blocks, you see the concentration in
his eyes. You can see the spark as he engages directly in what he's doing. He's
excited about the thing, anything, whatever it is.
And that's what you need to do. Stay engaged.
It's not easy. Actually it's sometimes downright boring. Our
minds wander or we prioritize something else. But resist that temptation to let
your mind wander to somewhere you think you'll be happier and stay engaged.
Stay engaged at work. Stay engaged in your conversations
with friends and co-workers. Stay engaged no matter what you're doing.
If you're disengaged, that sinking apathetic feeling will
consume you. You'll be missing that spark of life that you need to drive you
forward. Be a kid playing with the new world you've just discovered.
Be engaged.
3) Remain Optimistic
You know, optimism sometimes gets a bum rap. We think of
optimism as being chipper, or bubbly, or worse, completely unrealistic. But you
know what optimism truly is? It's just an anticipation of the future. A belief
in yourself that you can master what lies ahead.
You don't want to be the person that's already beaten before
they've begun. You know the kind. "Aw man," these people say, "I
have to work tomorrow... bleh."
We all know people like that. They're no fun to be around.
Don't be like them.
Take my buddy, Wayne. I've known him for 18 years. He is a
happy person. One look at him and you just know that he's a happy person. He's
always grateful. He's so present. And when he talks to you, even if there are a
million people around you, he makes you feel like you're the only person in the
room. He's directly engaged with you all the time. And he's always positive
about the future. He's happy.
Think about the people in your life. Especially the happy
ones. Are they grateful? Are they engaged? Are they anticipating the future?
Remaining optimistic about the future is no easy task. You
live in the present. And the past has already happened. But how you feel can
take you into the future on a cloud of confidence or slow you down like a
rainstorm.
The promise of the future and all that it holds should be
the thing to fuel you in your present. Optimism is the final piece of your
happiness that begins with being grateful and remaining engaged.
Remembering those three things (gratefulness, engagement,
and optimism) will be helpful to you on your path to happiness. But you must
practice these things regularly. You must actively decide to do these things or
they simply won't work.
Each piece supports the other. To be grateful, you must be
engaged. To be engaged, you must be optimistic. And to be optimistic, you must
be grateful for what you have and what you will have soon.
These things aren't easy to do, and you may not do them all
the time, but being aware of the importance of these three steps is a great way
to get to your happiness.
These are important steps to practice at work, at home, and
with every interaction that you have. Before long, it will become second nature
to you. And you'll have people coming up to you asking, "How do you stay
so... happy?
Friday, November 21, 2014
David Kelley: How to build your creative confidence
How to build your creative confidence...
"Creativity is the last remaining competitive advantage for businesses today" - Todd Sampson
"Creativity is the last remaining competitive advantage for businesses today" - Todd Sampson
7 Easy Ways to Stimulate and Get That Creative Juice Flowing
Creativity - if only it were a pill we can take every time
we are in dire need of it. But it isn't and it can be frustrating when our
brains are as blank as the white sheet in front of us after an hour of waiting
for an idea to pop up.
There are a number of things that stifle creative juices
from flowing and doing things to stimulate creativity is just as important as
avoiding things that stifle it. However, be assured of one thing, you can be
creative if you will set your mind free to innovate, be it solutions,
inventions, or artistic creations. The key is not to force your mind but to
liberate it.
So here are 7 ways you can try to stimulate creativity by
liberating yourself to think freely.
#1 Break the Routine
Routines are good because they help us do things faster in
an organised fashion, but routines can stifle creativity. Like when you go to
the same restaurant everyday, don't bother to look at the menu, and order the
same thing. If you want to get your mental juices flowing, break out of your
routine once in a while. There are a trillion ways to do this.
Go out of your office and bring your laptop to the park.
Take a different route to work. Put on your clothes on with a different
sequence. Wear a color you don't like. Eat something you've never tasted. Or go
on vacation to a place you've never been.
Think of something out of the box or out of your comfort
zone. The point is to allow yourself to see things in a different way, to
realise possibilities, and to discover something refreshing.
What routines can you break this week? Have fun and creative
in breaking them.
#2 Chill Out and Relax Your Brain
Do you keep a small notebook in your pocket? One comes handy
when bright ideas pop up during the weirdest times of the day. Don't you just
love how they come when you least expect them? When your mind is at ease and
your subconscious is free to fly, you are most receptive to creative ideas.
Doing things that relax our brain helps our imagination fly.
Feeling stuck up? Listen to good music. Music stimulates the
part of our brain in charge of our emotions and creativity. Feeling choked
inside your office, take a walk along a river or somewhere where there's water.
The view and sound of water is known to having a soothing and relaxing effect.
#3 Exercise and Recreate
Feeling pressured? Play an enjoyable game or go on a
20-minute high intensity workout. Physical activity loosens up our body and our
minds as well. There's actually a study that shows a positive correlation
between regular exercise and creative performance.
Another great creativity booster is laughter. It is not only
the best medicine for sickness, it is also a great prescription for creativity
block because it helps get rid of stress, which in turn stifles creativity.
#4 Change Your Perspective
Much creativity and insights can be gained not only from
others' creative ideas but also from simple people we meet every day. By
looking through other people's eyes, we gain new perspective on things.
When was the last time you had a meaningful chat with a
child or an elderly person? Was your attention called to something you would
never have noticed in a thousand years? Getting to know people from different
walks of life is a treasure chest for inspiration. Have a meaningful
conversation with one person per day. Or simply listen to the people you meet
along the way, and try to find something you can takeaway from your
conversations.
Then there's also social media and the Internet where you
can test an idea... get a conversation running... just by posting a
mind-boggling question or even a survey as your status, tweet, or blog entry.
Or go ask a select few through a closed Facebook group.
And as you go along, try to challenge old ways of thinking.
Always keep yourself open to other people's perspective.
#5 Try a Fun Mental Exercise
Imagine you were tasked to lead a sales team to market
air-cooling units in Alaska, how will you sell them? Think of something
impossible to do and brainstorm how to make that thing possible. Think of as
many uses as you can for human hair, or a pencil, a water tumbler, etc. Mental
exercises like these train our brains to think out of the box. It is also a great
team building activity.
#6 Surround Yourself with Inspiration
Some have a creativity room while others have an inspiration
wall. The idea is to collect items and photos of things that inspire you and
help stir up your imagination. If you are more auditory than visual, perhaps
you can have a creativity playlist that gets your creative juices flowing.
Best of all, surround yourself with people who inspire you.
There is something about hanging out with people who are on fire and driven
with a passion for life. This is why choosing a mentor (or mentors) is
important. Do you listen to tutorial CDs and read books by people who are
successful in the field you have chosen? People with similar passions have the
power to inspire and get your stirred up, and the wealth of experience this
mentor or coach shares can trigger a wealth of ideas and strategies applicable
to your journey.
Remember there are countless webinars available for free,
and so are "mastery" groups you can join. Find one and get
encouragement, inspiration, and lessons from determined people like you who are
also serious about pursuing their dreams.
#7 Let It Flow
After you're done preparing for your brainstorming session
or whatever it is you need creativity for, the next step is to be candid with
your ideas and list them all down. If you think creative geniuses always get it
the first time, or the fifth time, you're badly mistaken. The most potent
creative sparks come from a long list of ideas that are either too boring or
too silly. If you are writing something, start writing freestyle. Don't think
of grammar, syntax, artistry, or what have you. Just write anything that flows
out of your hand. The secret to finding an explosive idea is a willingness to
explore and keep exploring.
Images are courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
How To Build Self Confidence - Robert Greene The Missing Key To Building Self Confidence
Have you ever wondered why some people are self-confident and some people aren't? Becoming self-reliant is the key to boosting self-confidence. Improving this characteristic is the difference between earning minimum wage and sitting on a yacht. Having self-confidence is everything when it comes to creating big success. Robert Greene and 50 Cent teamed to write the 50th Law which is all about conquering fear and becoming self-confident. This book is a must read for anyone that wants to increase their self-esteem or interested in learning how to build self confidence.
Key to Confidence Made Easy in 15 Simple Steps
Behind every success there is certainly a considerable
amount of confidence. It is a belief. Belief in own capabilities that leads one
to conquer the world. Highly successful people in the world have one thing in
common. Confidence in their capability to achieve success. And if you don't
have confidence in yourself, even nobody else will. So here are 15 easy steps
which will help you gain confidence and find your key to success.
Believe in the present and believe in your abilities. The
world is at your feet. If there is a task ahead, don't wait for the environment
to make it compelling for you. Lead by example and act without hesitation.
There is no better time than right now.
Learn from your failures to rise and shine. Success is often
preceded by failure, so don't let a minor setback affect you. Instead, learn
from your mistakes, gain confidence and make a comeback with a whopping
comeback with the corrections in place. If you quit because of facing defeat
you will never taste that sweetness of success. Remember failures have a strong
lesson.
Defeat the fear. Break the ice, defeat the fear and tackle
the uncomfortable zone to achieve success and gain confidence.
Broaden your horizon and work out the best plan. Don't
satisfy yourself with your present potential. Success does not have a single
approach. Work towards exploiting all your available resources and design Plan
A, B, C, etc trying out various strategies to find the best solution. This will
help you broaden your horizon and gain confidence to tackle issues differently.
Break your comfort zone. Realizing and following dreams is
not a walk in the park. You will have to break the rosy picture, face
challenges, prove your worth to achieve credentials.
Positive way of life. Keeping a positive outlook takes one
far in life. You don't need reassurance from others in your testing times. Your
self confidence will help you accept the tough times and help you move on with
a positive approach and confidence of a better tomorrow.
Compete with yourself and no one else. Make positive efforts
of bettering your own capabilities rather than making futile attempts and
drawing negative energy in making comparison with others. Remember, it is your
own self growth you are looking at so even the comparison should be with
yourself rather than others.
Focus on what you have, rather than what you dont have.
Don't waste and emotions on thinking what you do not have. Instead know your
strengths and resources and work out the best plan rearranging the same
yourself. This will help you immensely ingaining confidence in yourself.
Focus on your strengths and opinion of well wishers. There
are different types of people around you. While there are true friends and well
wishers giving you genuine feedback, at the same time there are others who have
the sole aim to criticize and pull you down. But a faith in yourself is what is
required to pull you out of such situations in life.
Don't fall into the vicious circle of criticism. Key to gain
confidence and success lies in focusing on your abilities rather than digging
out and judging people around you. Create a positive aura rather developing
negative vibrations.
Don't take the fake path of people-pleasing. It is a path
which might lift your present status, but without any meat for the actual
success. This will make you dependent on others to get a task done and not help
in honing your own skills. Remember a true leader and successful man will derive
profits only when he himself has the potential to convert that task.
Act today. Believe in the power of today rather than waiting
for a better tomorrow.
Face the problems in order to find a solution. Success
doesn't come in an easy package. Life poses new threat new issues every day,
but we have to learn to face them instead of avoiding them. Digging in the root
cause will not only help tackle resolve the problem at base level, but also
stop it from taking a bigger shape. It might look a dirty job confronting the
issue, getting into uncomfortable conversations today, but it is better than
getting into a deeper trouble in future.
Own up and act rather than making excuses. You have a name
value. Don't lose it by making excuses for your shortcomings. Rather own it up
and take corrective measures to avoid it in future.
Analyse before accepting something as a gospel truth. You
will come across many suggested roadmaps to success, but asses it before
following it blindly. Check it applicability in your life and draw a relative
conclusion.
http://EzineArticles.com/8770283
3 HOURS of Relaxing music | Beautiful Piano | - Positive music - Stress relief - Sound Therapy
Piano music is so relaxing and meditative.
5 Proven Relaxation Techniques for Stress Management
We all have our own way of reducing stress and anxiety in
our own life, however, these are some popular ways of reducing stress that you
can try using to improve your well-being.
Yoga
Practicing yoga is one great way of reducing stress. It is
so special to give yourself an hour or an hour and a half window to escape your
day, roll out your yoga mat and enjoy some time out. Yoga ties together the
breathe, the mind and the body, helping you to remain present and focused.
Walking
Another great way to reduce stress and anxiety is walking.
The Sunshine Coast has so many beautiful walking trails to discover, beachside
or in the hinterland. Getting out into nature is so relaxing and recharges your
energy levels. Take some deep breathes and enjoy the environment. When you are
in nature you can shift your attention from voluntary (where your mind is
focusing on one particular thing) to involuntary (where you can witness what's
going on around you without having to zero in on one particular thing).
Sunshine Coast beach tracks to try are the Currimundi Foreshore Reserve, Noosa
National Park and the Sunshine Coast Coastal Pathway (Point Cartwright to
Kawana; Warana to Currimundi; Currimundi to Caloundra; and Caloundra to Golden
Beach). Sunshine Coast forest tracks to try are Buderim Forest Park,
Kondalillia Falls (Montville) and Mary Cairncross Scenic Reserve (Maleny).
Truly spoilt for choice!
Meditation
Meditation is another excellent way to reduce stress. When
we meditate our body acts in the exact opposite way to when we are stressed.
Our heart rate decreases, we start to take nice deep breathes, we become calm
and peaceful and are able to clear our mind.
Listen to Relaxing Music
Another easy way to reduce stress and anxiety is to listen
to relaxing music. The next time you get home, choose a piece of music that is
relaxing to you. Sit back and relax. This is particularly useful if you have
children. Watch how the mood of your household changes by the type of music you
play.
Massage
Finally, a really pleasurable way to reduce stress is
massage. Massage decreases levels of stress hormones in the body, relaxes
muscles fibres and stimulates the lymphatic system, which is your body's first
line of defence against disease. Massage also calms the nervous system by
inducing the brain to release chemicals called endorphins - natural painkillers
and mood enhancers. No wonder you feel so good after a massage!
Image is courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
http://EzineArticles.com/8756645
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Develop a Millionaire Mindset - Affirmations in Theta Isochronic Tones
The affirmations will begin at the 6 minute mark when the isochronic tones reach 6.5Hz
10 Ultimate Tips to Power Your Mindset and Gain More Self Confidence
Self confidence plays such an important role in our life on a daily basis. Most of the time we just go on with your day without ever thinking about how confident we feel about ourselves - that is, until we're faced with a huge decision or we need to perform a certain task and expect to do it well.
So creating a solid mindset to feel completely confident anytime and anywhere becomes a very important quality that we can apply to most situations before they ever occur, thus making those challenging moments so much easier to contend with and to help us feel better about them.
For most of us, trying just one method to gain confidence and maintain a confident mindset doesn't always prove to be the best solution, but using a combination of several techniques may provide exactly the key outcome to successfully achieve our ultimate goal.
Here are 10 strategies to the solutions that can be used alone, or in a combination to create or change your mindset to gain the self confidence you deserve. (not necessarily in order of importance).
1. One of the first and most important concepts to the creation of a strong and sound mindset is to begin with a clear slate. In other words, to erase those obstacles from your past that continue to form negative beliefs which keep you from feeling confident. It's pretty difficult to move forward if you are constantly haunted by negative experiences from your past.
You can start the healing process by writing down all those past influences that continue to make you feel inadequate, indecisive, and insecure. I like to refer to this as clearing your mindset closet. Once you've discharged these destructive experiences, you can begin to create new positive associations that will propel you to new horizons.
2. Another destructive behavior is to focus on negative situations and outcomes. If you tell yourself that bad things always happen to you, then your subconscious mind will continue to find ways to reinforce that and constantly remind your thought process that "this is just the way it has been and there is nothing you can do about it".
So this destructive thought pattern becomes the norm and you'll have a very difficult time getting away from this type of behavior (in my book, The 51st State, I refer to this as 'stinkin-thinkin'). Of course, not everything is going to produce a positive result for you, but you can DECIDE that negative outcomes are merely lessons to which you should view as a sign to try a new approach.
Don't let your mind say to you; "see, I told you only bad things happen" - keep thinking that way and most likely, they will.
3. So, with a clear head and a positive attitude, you can begin to create your positive belief programming by some very powerful and influential techniques to disrupt a negative situation that occurs anytime, anywhere.
Be prepared to change your environment, or enhance the mood, or by documenting the cause so you can avoid a similar outcome in the future. You can put on some loud and fun music, you can go for a walk or run to exert some energy, you can listen to inspiring messages (i.e. my audio session) to help empower mindset and deal with a situation better, or take a hot bath to relax you physically.
Decide for yourself, what works for you to quickly change the immediate circumstances and you will open new channels to overcome these challenges.
4. Create a vision (dream) board that you can look at constantly. This is a great way to form positive beliefs and give you a physical "goal getter" to refer to first thing in the morning, last thing in the evening, and anytime in between.
You can use a bulletin board, white board, electronic graphic on your computer, or a simple cardboard poster that you can attach pictures, quotes, and goals as a constant reminder of what you want, who you want to be, and how you want to feel. Just remember to use this inspiration as often as possible.
Look at it, read it, study it, dream it, and believe in it. You can gain some huge confidence in yourself when you create some visual goals.
5. Surround yourself with positive energy. As obvious as this sounds, I'm amazed how many people continue to let destructive influences into their life from others. Join a group of like-minded people that you can relate to and share with and that empower you, or start one.
Stop hanging around those individuals that suck your energy from you and bring you down. Start associating with those you lift you up and energize you and you will probably find yourself with more confidence.
There is so much great opportunity to build confidence when you truly relate to others who recognize your strengths and talents instead of those who want to steal your dreams. Think back on those pivotal moments when someone you met made a huge impact on your life (in a positive way of course) and realize that this can, and probably will happen again.
Set your own boundaries and limits about who you will let become part of your circle of influence and you can feel the incredible power of confidence.
6. Getting busy with physical exercise (only with doctor's permission) is probably one the most empowering methods to build self confidence. I have heard from so many people that this is the one thing that really makes them feel incredibly confident physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Sure, you may seek to build muscle, lose a few pounds, look fit, but it's the mental aspect that has a huge impact on building confidence. Just knowing that it takes motivation and perseverance to get out and exercise is very satisfying by itself. Stick with it for awhile, and you should realize some really great physical results from your efforts. It's also a great stress reliever and tension reducer.
There are many ways to get active, from going to the gym, to walking around the block, to working out at home with simple weights or a cardio dvd. You don't have to set huge milestones to shoot for and accomplish at first. Start out with small, achievable goals in the beginning and continue to increase your workout program until you reach your ultimate results. Find something that you can do physically on a regular basis and you can gain the confidence you desire from this terrific form of activity.
7. Accomplish something, no matter how insignificant it seems, that gives you some satisfaction that you are moving in the right direction. Confidence comes from results - usually positive results.
Don't just sit around and wait for things to come your way. Get up and call someone, or open a business account, write a blog post, clean the closet, even plant a garden, something that is necessary to help you move forward.
There certainly are no guarantees that is will provide instant success for you, but it keeps the motivation factor progressing and hopefully will lead you to the next task to accomplish to reach your goals (you better have some goals).
8. Develop some mind-healthy habits of positive reinforcement. Most of us have read motivational quotes to some degree. They can be found all over our busy world, from television commercials, to inspirational wall hangings, to fortune cookie messages, to seminars and programs you can listen to anywhere you go. That's terrific.
There is such a vast amount of really great messages to keep us inspired all the time. Now, we just have to channel them into our subconscious mind so we create (or change) our belief system. Just reading a great quote or hearing a positive message usually isn't enough to really embed that positive idea firmly in our mind so that we can call on it when we need to.
Try affirmations, mantras, and meditation, that can have a lasting result and provide a positive memory bank that we can tap into at will. A more consistent approach is usually required to create this part of NLP (neuro-linguistic programming). Put these words of confidence anywhere you spend a lot of time at or on a regular basis.
By reading these powerful messages constantly, you can begin to create your own beliefs that will flush away negative thoughts and replace them with empowering and confident ones.
9. Be grateful, thankful, and appreciative of the gifts you already possess. You may be asking; how is this going to give me more confidence? The solution is that we can take a step back and realize who we already are, what we've already accomplished, and what we already have in our lives.
We all have certain gifts that we should be so thankful for. Sometimes it's hard to think about them when we are struggling with life's challenges. This is a great time to make a list of our wonderful traits and characteristics and pin them up on our dream board so that we can refer to them when life becomes difficult.
Confidence in our ability to appreciate the things we have instead of constantly striving for more can have a profound effect on our mindset. That also leads to rethinking what we really want and who we really want to be. Take some time to write down your gifts and be confident with them.
10. Never, ever give up. That means never give up on your dreams, your beliefs, or your talents. There is a time when you may be smart to let go of something that is draining you mentally, physically, emotionally, and financially so you can move on to more progressive tasks that will propel you forward in seeking your ultimate success.
You can usually decide when this time is appropriate when it just feels right to part from something that stops you in your tracks or takes too much away from you. It may be a relationship, a j.o.b., a business venture or a destructive circle of influences.
You should be focused on that which gets you closer to success by helping you accomplish your tasks and reach your goals. Sure there will be unexpected challenges along the way, but don't let them bring you down and away from your dreams. You can just expect that challenges will happen, but you can also prepare for some of them by thinking ahead to what is presented in front of you.
Prioritize your tasks, contact those you need help from, and always take some action to get you closer to individual goals.
Try applying as many of these methods to increase your confidence and you may experience a higher power never felt before. Your mindset is so important to your confidence levels, which in turn helps you make decisions, take action, and venture out of your comfort zone, that can lead to the road to realize your ultimate success.
Focus on making things happen that move you forward and stop wasting time on things that are nonproductive. Confidence crushers are found too easily and in so many aspects of life so weeding through them can prove to turn confidence levels positive by eliminating those things that are destructive.
Take charge of your mindset and cherish the gifts you have been given. You are important - Have SELF CONFIDENCE AND BE CONFIDENT!
Picture is courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Three Ways to Use Success and Motivation Quotes
Lots of people write down great quotes that they find while reading, or while surfing the Internet, and they collect these quotes in a notebook or in a computer file. If you haven't been collecting your favorite quotes, start doing so now. This article presents three ideas on how you can use your success and motivation quotes once your collection is ready.
Put Them Somewhere Visible
Pick your favorite success and motivation quotes from your list and write them down on index cards. You can pin the index cards up on your bulletin board, hang them up on your refrigerator, or tape them to your bathroom mirror. The idea is to be constantly exposed to these quotes and the ideas that they present.
Share Them
Do you have a friend or family member who's going through a tough time? Share your list of success and motivation quotes with them to help inspire them. One way to enhance the list of quotes that you're going to share with your friend or loved one is by looking for images online and adding them to the document. That way, they'll have something inspiring to look through when they're feeling down.
You might even want to share your quotes on social ms.netedia, such as Twitter or Facebook. A lot of people enjoy reading the quotes that others find inspirational. It's very likely that your list of quotes will help you gain new followers on your favorite social media sites.
Add Them to Your Email Signature
By adding your favorite quotes to your email signature you'll be helping to inspire everyone you send an email to. In addition, what you choose to include in your email signature says a lot about you, and a quote on determination, hard work, and pursuing your dreams sends a positive message about you to others. People might even respond by sending you their favorite quotes.
Conclusion
Dust off your notebook filled with success and motivation quotes, or start creating a list of these quotes if you don't already have one, and use them in the three ways described above. Of course, one additional way to use your success and motivation quotes is when preparing a report or a presentation. In fact, I'm sure you can come up with lots of other ways to use these quotes.
Picture is courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net
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