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4 ways to expand your confidence
You must confront your own fears, whatever they may be.
Personal fortitude and self-esteem are characteristics you must choose to sharpen. Rather than allowing the fear of the unknown to lessen your personal power, draw on your strengths and trust your instincts. You will then start to propel your life to amazing heights. Acknowledge self-doubt each and every time it appears. What if's" shake your self-belief. Rather than being in the comfortable pattern of beating yourself up for feeling doubtful, acknowledge it and let it pass. The intention is not to rid yourself of negative feelings and thoughts, rather the intention is to empower yourself to take action when you feel inadequate in any way.
Break out of your comfort zone and do something completely new. Decision making and follow-through expand your self-confidence. By doing something new on a regular basis, you lessen your fears and learn that you are able to manage and recover from any consequence or situation.
Educate yourself with real-world experiences. Familiarity builds confidence and limits feelings of self-doubt. Spend time with and talk to people who are successful in your areas of interest. Ask them to share with you their experiences and stories of what they had to overcome and what roadblocks got in their way. This face to face connection is important. Knowledge is power. Know that there will always be people who disagree with your ideas. Know that people who are themselves struggling and feeling insecure will want to cut you down with their sword of words. Stay true to your heart as you are the only one who knows what really matters to you. Connect with those that share your passion.
When you get stuck, develop a question of the day. You can overcome barriers in your life by gathering the right information. When you become stuck, know that someone else has been in the exact same position as you before. Form your obstacle into a question and ask those you trust what is needed for you to overcome this situation. Even when a person may not know the answer, they may have some insight that leads to an answer. Keep asking the same question over and over again even after you get one answer. There is usually more than one way to create a workable solution and this will add to your life knowledge base for the future.
Get out of your own way. Be comfortable with who you are and know that you are a very capable and confident person and do not need to live your life in fear. When you respect yourself, you will be amazed at the opportunities the world presents to you.
Dore Frances, Ph.D., is an educational consultant, child's rights advocate, parent coach, specializing in working with troubled teens and their families in the United States, Canda, and abroad. See her site at: www.guidingteens.com or contact her by phone at:(541) 312-4422, or email at:Dore@DoreFrances.com.
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