20 Tips for Increasing Your Self-Confidence

by Teresa Meehan PhD

Who can't benefit from an occasional dose of confidence building tips? The following is a quick list of things you can do today to improve how you feel about yourself. For a more step-by-step approach, sign up for our free newsletter and download your free eCourse today!

Here we go:

1. Think about someone who is confident and act, talk and walk like him or her. Model their mannerisms and behavior. It works for them; it will work for you.

2. Smile a lot more. That doesn’t mean putting a silly grin on your face! But smile when you walk down the street, when you meet people and generally be happier even if you’re not feeling that way.

3. Learn from the past; don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s gone; it’s never coming back. Instead learn from it for next time.

4. Buy yourself some new clothes, get your hair done, treat yourself to something new. It will make you feel better and will give your ego a boost.

5. Are you prepared for situations? Are you prepared enough to meet any challenge that may come up? Are you prepared for that meeting, that presentation, that job interview, when you meet someone for the first time? If not, get to it.

6. Play to your strengths. Know what you are good at and expose yourself to these opportunities at every opportunity – because you’re good at it, you’ll enjoy it and have more confidence.

7. Improve your weaknesses. Know and appreciate what these are and put a plan in place to improve them over time.

8. Learn how to say no to people. Don’t be afraid, you’ve got nothing to be afraid of. Just watch the reaction on their face after you’ve said it the first time and there will be no going back.

9. Be positive. Look on the “can do” side of things rather than the “can’t do”. You’ve accomplished lots in your life and you will accomplish lots more in the future.

10. Be in charge of your thoughts at all times. What is a thought? It’s just a question that you’ve asked yourself and the thought is you’re answer. If you’re thinking negative thoughts, you’re probably asking a negative question. Change the questions to be more positive.

11. Whenever you feel a negative thought coming, STOP, THINK, and say, "Is this really important in the grand scheme of things?" A lot of the time it isn’t.

12. Do you let the words of others affect you? Do you mind what they think of you? Remember that no one can make you feel inferior without your consent. It’s not what they say to you that’s the problem. It’s what you say to yourself after they have stopped talking that’s the problem. Change the way you think.

13. List the words that you use on a consistent basis when you feel let down or annoyed. People use different words to mean the same thing and depending upon the intensity of the word – this will have an effect on your confidence. Instead of saying “I’m enraged about this” say, “I’m a little annoyed”. Make a substitute list for the words that you use. Make sure they are lower in intensity and then use them. You’ll be surprised with the results.

14. At the end of each day, list your achievements and successes. You'll be surprised at how much you accomplished.

15. Be appreciative of what you have to be thankful for in your life right now. Who do you love? Who loves you? Who do you help out?

16. Every morning when you’re in the shower, play over in your head the events of the day as though they have already happened and they were a success. Visualize all of the meetings that you had, the people you talked to, the outcomes you had. Visualize success and confidence, and it will be so!

17. Improve your body language. The way that you move your body has a massive impact on your confidence level. Move your body assertively and walk with your head up, shoulders back and as though you’ve got somewhere very important to go. Feeling low in confidence? Change you body language.

18. Emotion is created by motion. As in tip 17, make sure you move around consistently. This creates energy and gets the blood pumping around your body – it makes you feel better and more confident.

19.
Learn to brag about yourself. Yes, you heard me! Talk about your achievements and successes more than you currently are.

20. And finally – You only live once, so any time that you are down just ask yourself in 10 or 20 years time – will what I am worrying about really matter?

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Article Source: 20 Tips for Increasing Your Self-Confidence

Unleash the Power of Belief

by Dr. Jill Ammon-Wexler

You might sometimes wonder why you just did or said something. Actually there is an immense power deep in your subconscious mind that silently controls your thoughts and actions - your beliefs.

Each of us has our own unique set of beliefs and assumptions for virtually every aspect of our life, including money, success, 
relationships, body image, intelligence, etc. The list goes on and on.

These beliefs actually run our lives. Why? Because of the power of beliefs we are deeply convinced that they are valid. In fact, we automatically assume they are valid without even thinking about it.

The nature of beliefs may seem a mystery, but they are basically simply emotion-packed thoughts you revisit over and over again. Any repeated thought builds strong physical neural networks in your brain. The thought then becomes an automatic subconscious pattern.

Once they become strongly engrained in our brain-based neural networks, we assume they represent reality and are beyond question. Most of us can get very defensive if someone (even our own self) questions our beliefs. So they remain unquestioned, and often just run right over any personal dream or goal that goes against them.

Thoughts Can Override Beliefs.

I discovered the amazing ability of a single thought to override a belief when I first began to use biofeedback in a clinical environment.

The wife of a prominent local surgeon came to me hoping biofeedback could give her relief from crippling back pain. Mrs. Roberts (not her real name) had been in a high speed car crash three years earlier. She had miraculously not broken any bones, but her back pain had never healed.

She hobbled into the clinic leaning heavily on a cane, and revealed a belief she would NEVER heal from the back trauma caused by the accident (she was driving, and her best friend had died in the crash).

I attached sensors to her back, and we both observed the muscle-related EMG spikes as she painfully tried to move her legs. then I hooked up sensors to her arm, and had her tense and relax her muscles. She saw the clear difference between relaxed and tensed muscles on the screen.

Then I suggested that her back pain "might" be muscle bracing that had become a chronic habit. I proposed an experiment during which she would just think about allowing her back to relax.

I placed the EMG sensors on her back and turned the screen away from her as she began to think about allowing her back to relax. Sure enough, the spikes reduced dramatically.

I froze the screen and rotated it so she could see the results. Her jaw dropped. The power of her thoughts HAD actually reduced the chronic muscle spasms in her back.

I asked her how her back felt. She was even more amazed. It had begun to warm as her circulation was partially restored. After only three biofeedback sessions she was able to release her muscle spasms with a single thought.

A few weeks later the cane was gone and she considered herself totally cured from her pain. Actually, what happened is that she cured herself from a crippling belief (I don't think I'll ever heal) with a single powerful THOUGHT of relaxing the muscle spasms in her back.

Old beliefs CAN be replaced with success-affirming positive thoughts.

Put This to Work in YOUR Life.

Here's how to control the power of belief in your life. Most of your self-limiting beliefs had their beginning in your early childhood from negative judgements of your elders. Replacing the resulting limiting beliefs requires dealing with the subconscious ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts) now attached to those beliefs.

If you do have limiting beliefs, your ANTs will constantly reinforce that belief. The only solution is to create new positive beliefs to replace the old negatives.

Here is a major insight to remember: It does not matter if you truly do believe your new positive beliefs at first. Your mind is a creature of habit. The more often you focus on your new positive beliefs, the faster they will be stored on brain-based neural networks. Your neural networks are like paths through a meadow. Left unused, the neural networks holding your limiting beliefs will gradually disappear and be replaced by the new networks you are installing.

About the Author

The author of this article has written several books that can get you started. Go take a look, and download a free audio by the author while you're there =>> CLICK HERE FOR A FREE MP3 and Build Mind Power

Self Growth Techniques for Personal Success

By Katrina D Briggs

What is self growth? It is about shaping yourself to become a better person with solid values, ethics and a well balanced approach to life.  It is the process of working on your areas of improvement and turning them into areas of strength and opportunities. Just how can you do that? Here are five simple techniques for starters:

 

1. Learn from others. Start with your immediate family and closest friends. What are some of their traits that you admire? What have they accomplished that makes you want to be like them? Talk to them and ask them what they did to achieve self growth that led to their professional and personal success. Then check out famous people whose work you admire and read articles on how they got to the top of their profession. Learn as much as you can about their individual techniques and see which ones you can adopt for yourself.

 

2. Observe admirable people. Look at how they conduct themselves, from the way they walk, talk, sit and generally behave in public. Such refinement can only be a product of effective self growth techniques, which include polishing one’s looks, movements and skill sets to complete the overall package of the person. Look at how they treat others and are treated in turn. You can take a page out of their demeanor to propel yourself towards personal success and professional recognition. This isn’t to say you should mimic their every move; just derive the best practices possible from them that you can employ for your own good.

 

3. Assess your own attitude. How have you been behaving by your lonesome? Are you a person of integrity – always doing the right thing even when no one is looking? How are you with other people around? Do you exercise kindness and consideration for others, or are you being fueled by your own selfish needs for personal success? Bear in mind that in order to succeed at self growth, you must possess a mature disposition and a kind heart. Aim to be a caring and morally upright person no matter where you go. The universe has a way of rewarding people who treat others well and punishing those who won’t hesitate to trample on the feelings and rights of others.

 

4. Envision the kind of person you would like to be one day. This is a great self growth exercise that can provide you inspiration on your journey to professional and personal success. Paint a picture of the Ideal You – the kind of individual you wish to become in the future. How do you see yourself in that image? Do you see a nation-building politician, the next Mother Teresa, or the next Steve Jobs? Use your imagination as your mood board to guide you as you work on your greatest ambition.

 

5. Get rid of vices that may be harmful to your self growth. Are you quick to turn to painkillers when you feel the slightest muscle twitch? Do you tend to gorge on sugary snacks and drinks to keep your energy levels up as you slave over a very important project? Remove all self destructive habits from your system and start living clean! You won’t be able to enjoy personal success if your health takes a nosedive and renders you bedridden most of the time. So go have that physical check up and get tips from your physician and nutritionist on how to live a healthier and more wholesome lifestyle.

 

The change starts within you. Find your purpose, work on it and remember to enjoy the journey as well. Good luck and may you serve as an inspiring role model to others.

About the Author:

There are many self growth techniques. It's just a matter of you choosing those that suit your personality and can easily be incorporated into your life. Your journey to a better you starts today!

Articles Source: Self Growth Techniques for Personal Success

It's Persistence, Not Luck, That Leads to Success

By Lisa Ryan

"When I thought I couldn't go on, I forced myself to keep going. My success is based on persistence, not luck." Estee Lauder

Do you know what you want out of your life? Can you see your future clearly in your mind's eye and do you know down to the very core of your being that you're working towards your life's purpose? If so, congratulations! If you're not quite there yet, take a few moments and imagine what your life would be life if you were living on purpose. How wide is the gap between what you want to be doing and what you're currently engaged in?

Sometimes we get "stuck" in a situation that is clearly not where we want to be. Maybe it's because of financial considerations, family expectations, or self-imposed limitations. If you dread going to work every day, it may be time to reconsider the track you're on and look for ways you can progress towards what you want out of life.

It's easy to advance towards your goals when things are going well, when you're "in the flow." You feel great, you're on a "high," and things couldn't be better. Because of your positive momentum, when challenges first happen, you turn on your inner turbo-boosters and plow forward.

However, when it seems nothing is going right, challenges are abounding, and you're not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, you may start questioning your sanity, your motivations, and whether you should be continuing down this crazy path.

Here are some tips to keep you on track so you can reach the pinnacle of your personal and professional pursuits, whatever they are:

1. Acknowledge yourself for each and every little victory. So often we are looking for what is going wrong, what has gone wrong or what could go wrong that we don't see how many things are going well. At the end of each day, write down your list of "wins" and take a moment to celebrate your accomplishments.

2. Learn from your lessons. It's been said that a lesson is repeated until the lesson is learned. When something goes wrong, take a moment and assess exactly what happened. Then try something different, even a slight shift can make a big impact. This may take you out of your comfort zone, but doing things in a different way will lead to different - and probably better - results.

3. Be grateful. Get into the practice of looking for people, events and circumstances for which you can be thankful. You don't have to wait until something really "big" happens. When you wake up in the morning, before you get out of bed, think of three things that you appreciate about your life. Then think of three more things that you can be grateful for in advance of them happening during the day. In this way, you'll set a positive expectancy for your day and chances are that your day will turn out as good, or even better, than you originally imagined.

Think of your challenges as just another part of your story. Every delay, mistake, and denial is part of what it takes to make your victory stronger and more satisfying than if it happened easily and without trials and tribulations. You are on your way, and your efforts will pay off in ways you may not have imagined. Go for it!

PS - Persistence pays. Slow and steady wins the race - it's all just a matter of time.

Lisa Ryan is the Chief Appreciation Strategist with Grategy. She is a keynote speaker, gratitude expert, and author of five books including "The Upside of Down Times: Discovering the Power of Gratitude" and she is featured in two documentaries: "The Keeper of the Keys" with Jack Canfield and "The Gratitude Experiment.".

Learn more about Lisa Ryan at http://www.grategy.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lisa_Ryan
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6 Easy Ways to Re-energize

by Cathryn Harper

You know your body runs on energy, right? Well, just like your exotic racecar, when you're out of fuel, or when you put the wrong fuel in, things don't run so well. And, if you haven't maintained things like you should, there could be a performance drag, or worse, even failure.

So, what are you waiting for? Your body, just like that gorgeous car, needs attention in order to keep going. But, you say, you're tired? You can't take the time to address that fuel problem or those performance issues just now? You might be surprised at how easy some of this kind of maintenance is.
Breathing - Most of us don't get enough oxygen for a big part of the day, barely breathing in and out without taking so much as one deep breath. Every hour or so, get up, reach for the sky, and take about five long, slow, deep breaths through the nose, exhaling through the mouth. Ahhhhh. Feels good, right? What? Did you hear something? That was your body saying thank you.

Limit caffeine - Most of us reach for the caffeine in the morning to jumpstart our systems, but it is a quick fix that, in just a short time, sends our systems crashing, makes us cranky, or worse yet, keeps us from getting enough sleep. Give yourself a week off of the java and see what happens. You might be surprised how much it actually zaps from you.

Choose the right snacks - Hit the wall at work? It might be late afternoon, and you're feeling slow and tired, so you reach for some sugar. Well, guess what? In an hour, that sugar will be metabolized, and you, my friend, will again feel tired and sleepy. If you really need to appease your sweet tooth, choose something with a little fiber attached, like fruit. Added bonus: no weird artificial flavors or colors.

Find the right sleep rhythm - Just no energy all day long? You might not be getting enough sleep. Everyone has dances to their own internal circadian rhythms, but if you're not getting enough sleep, it's probably stealing your thunder by day. Experiment with different doses and note how you feel the next day. Also, the average sleep cycle, going from REM sleep and non REM sleep, lasts for approximately 90 minutes. Waking during the middle of a cycle can sometimes make you tired all day. Try setting your alarm 30 minutes earlier or later to see if you hit on the right timing, hitting just at the end of a sleep cycle, and waking refreshed and energy ready.

Eat a balanced diet - You can shovel in a boatload of fast food calories and still be tired. Yes, your body needs fuel, but filling it up with fat laden calories, full of energy zapping ingredients and little nourishment just doesn't work. Do a little due diligence with regard to diet, and see if you can't find some foods that you like that will give you the vitamins and nutrients you need to make it through the day with energy to spare.

Stay hydrated - Make sure you're drinking enough water throughout the day. That doesn't mean you need to have a water bottle strapped to your hip. Just listen to your body. When it says its thirsty, get up, walk to the water fountain, and take a good, long drink. Soda doesn't count. Actually, it counts against you, so stick to water.

That's the top six, but there are a few other things you might want to tackle if you still feel sapped of energy after making these changes. If you're under a boatload of stress, find a way to mitigate it through activities like meditation, yoga, Pilates, fishing, bike riding, whatever; just get out there and forget your cares for a while. Also, avoid things that bring you down emotionally. Toxic people can rub off on you, too, dragging you down. Try to disengage from those personality types and stay positive! Consider some of these suggestions, and prepare to be energized.

Cathryn is a working mother of three. A self-professed health and fitness nut, Cathryn loves to research and write about health and wellness related topics. Click here "Ways to Re-energize" to read more relted aticles.

Article Source: 6 Easy Ways to Re-energize

What Is in Your Mind Will Determine Your Destiny

Author: Jahiel -yasha- Kamhi

We need to be honest with ourselves!

We are sometimes angry, frustrated, envious or simply unsatisfied with everything in our life because we do not want to accept a reality: Often, our own mindset has kept us away from success and satisfaction.

Our life decisions did not come from nowhere; they came from inside us, from our own way of thinking and understanding how life works. Unfortunately, many times we are simply wrong. We are ready to blame everything and everyone except the main cause:  Ourselves! 

But this is natural! It could be your subconscious mind and thoughts that are against you and you do not know that. Sometimes you cannot understand your own subconscious mind, and I cannot understand my subconscious mind, as well.

That is the way minds work. 

Your conscious and subconscious minds plant the seeds for a successful or unsuccessful life. 

If you cannot see solutions, possibilities or opportunities in your life, your mindset will keep you stuck in a still position, unfortunately sometimes this is forever! Understandably, you may blame life, family, friends or a government. Of course, you do not want to feel responsible for your own life. It is the easiest, but the wrong way, not to feel guilty. 

 If you open your mind and see and understand how your life and mind works, you are on your way to a much better life. If you change your mindset, struggles, envy, resentments and other obstacles will be the past tense for you. 

This is not an easy job to do. It will take time, effort, patience and support from your side. Your determination and desire for change will keep you on the pathway to a better life. 

Your thoughts are energy. Your determination and desire for success and your visualisation of success will create energy, and life itself will take care of the rest! That's how life works.

But, do not forget just one small step: ACTION. 

Dreaming, planning and preparing, without action is fruitless and useless. Theory works on paper, but only action works in reality. Changing your mindset is not a theory; it is an action. 

If you did not achieve your goal, think about what you said to yourself about your goal.

Did you have positive or negative thoughts, too low or too high expectations about your dream? How strong was your focus and determination for achieving your dream? The thoughts you constantly hold in your mind are very powerful tools. They may give you a push to success, or hold you in a rut indefinitely. 

As I said: What is in your mind will determine your destiny. 

Jahiel Yasha Kamhi

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/psychology-articles/what-is-in-your-mind-will-determine-your-destiny-6580557.html

About the Author

Jahiel holds a degree in Medical Biochemistry and a Bachelor's degree in Chemistry. He is passionate about writing, and conveying positive ideas that help people live life with more passion and purpose. His mission is to promote a good mental and physical health. Jahiel's core message is to inspire and encourage people, to give them hope and help them live their everyday life. Being thankful for what is good in life rather than focusing on the negative is his message. With hope, all things are possible. Yasha can be contacted at jasakamhi AT hotmail.com.

Reduce Stress and Be Happy

Anything taken too much is bad for the health. A little stress is actually good, as it could serve to help you function at your best. However, stress that seems a little too much could take a physical, as well as mental, toll to your body. Stress should be managed in order for depression or anxiety to be prevented.

So how should you do it then? The following are tips and advice to help manage stress.

Write it out, schedule it out.

It is best to write down everything that seems to be overwhelming. You will find a things-to-do-list much easier to manage than having errands all crumpled up in your head. Writing down the tasks, and putting a specific schedule and time to do them, helps anyone manage activities one chunk at a time. Crossing out an activity that has already been accomplished is very rewarding and could actually help you feel more relaxed when doing the other tasks at hand.

One at a time works.

Focus and put all your attention specifically on one task at one time.  It does not help to feel panicky about the other undone or to-do tasks. Thinking about them only adds unnecessary stress and could even hamper in doing the task you are attempting to accomplish at present. 

Relax and take it slow.

At least, try not to expend too much energy on activities that are currently not priorities. This is in order for your energy to be not easily expended on the tasks that are not that important, at least for now.

Delegate, delegate, delegate.

You need not do everything all at once, and you need not do everything on your own. Ask for help, get help, or pay for help.  When there is a feeling of being overwhelmed that is cropping up, hire someone to mow the lawn or get a sitter for your children. The feeling of being pressed to finish something on time will somehow be eliminated if tasks are delegated. It takes a load off unnecessary worry and anxiety. Moreover, it is easier checking up on how things are, than worrying yourself sick doing everything on your own, all at once.

Give yourself a reward.

You deserve it. Acknowledging your accomplishments, no matter how big or small, is an effort that is necessary before getting on to the next tasks and activities. It reduces stress and could even make you happier in doing the next task. 

Give yourself a break.

You need it to be more productive. A ten to fifteen minute break during your work is necessary. Go visit a café nearby, take a quick brisk walk, or do anything to put your mind off work, at least for a while. This is necessary to refresh and recharge. Believe it or not, you can also stay in your work and sit with your eyes closed as you visualize a peaceful landscape or a relaxing scene. This frees the stress from your muscles and your mind.

Relax and be cool. Doing so makes you healthier, happier, and a lot more productive.