You have to believe in yourself, that's the secret. Even when I was
in the orphanage, when I was roaming the street trying to find enough to
eat, even then I thought of myself as the greatest actor in the world. I
had to feel the exuberance that comes from utter confidence in
yourself. Without it, you go down to defeat.
Every time I read this quote I am reminded of the importance of
confidence in everything we do. Right or wrong, people treat you in a
manner that you allow, so, if you walk in fear you are leaving yourself
wide open to a myriad of experiences you can easy avoid with confidence.
But, how do you gain confidence? A task seemingly impossible to some
and, for others its as easy as getting up in the morning ready for a
bright new day. So, how can this human attribute be so easy for some to
acquire and for others it just seems downright impossible?
I am in full belief that confidence is not born in man, but it is
created by man. In the interest of creating confidence you must believe
you are the master of your own thoughts and beliefs. You must realize
that controlling these beliefs is the path to creating the life you
desire.
Having confidence begins with having a mind full of confident thoughts. A
mind that is controlled by you, therefore believing only the things
that will bring to you all the things you desire--and deserve.
Anyone can have confidence. And, it is entirely easier than you may have
once believed. And, I believe it is a matter of following these 10-easy
steps:
1. Stand like you have confidence. Sit like you have confidence. Walk
like you have confidence. Ignore your mind for a while and simply
concentrate on the physical attributes of confidence. If you maintain a
confident stance long enough, your mind will certainly become convinced.
2. Listen to people. Actually smile at them, look them in the eyes and
listen intently to determine what you can learn from them. If you truly
listen you will soon find that there can be something learned from
everyone. Learning from people and knowing people allows you to emulate
the confident attributes of others.
3. Forget everything you see on television and in magazines with regard
to the perfect body image. Ranking yourself against the buff laden
magazine images can lead to a poor body image which is the perfect
partner to a low self-esteem. People are much more likely to become
friends with you if you are friendly, smiling and approachable in your
manner than they are someone who simply fits the mold of a perfect body.
You are a unique creation of God and perfect just as you are. Know your
best attributes and play them off well. Once you begin to believe you
are an attractive person and allow your personality to let it show
you'll realize that the body images you've been fed by the media is a
bunch of hooey--and you'll find you're not the only one who believes it.
By all means it is healthy to have a good diet and exercise and once
you are the healthiest you, you'll realize you are the best you that you
can be.
4. Put your family and friends expectations of you out of your mind and
follow your heart. People are all to quick to tell you how you should
live your life when really its just an expression of their own
shortcomings. Don't allow the shortcomings of others to affect your life
negatively. No one but you knows your interests and aspirations. Work
in the direction of your true loves and ignore everything that enters
your consciousness going against your own desires.
5. Set goals. It's a great idea to keep a "Goals Book" and every time
something enters your mind that you'd like to achieve, list it in the
book. Soon you'll begin to see a pattern among all your goals. When you
make conclusions about your goals you begin to see simple changes you
can make in your life to make your goals a reality. There is no greater
joy in life than to realize a goal and nothing builds confidence faster.
Remember, no goal is too small to write in your book. In many
instances, realizing small goals are as beneficial to your confidence as
realizing the big ones.
6. Challenge your beliefs. Examine all of your beliefs closely and
determine if they are in line with the life you desire. If they are not,
toss them out. You may find it difficult to get rid of some of the deep
seeded long standing beliefs, but, with true desire you can abandon
negative beliefs about your self and as you do you will realize immense
benefit in growing terrific self confidence and self-esteem.
7. Be your own hero. Perform the short exercise of writing down all the
attributes that you admire in others. Be it benevolence, honesty, humor,
integrity, whatever the case write it down. Go ahead, make it a long
list. The more you note the attributes in others you'll begin to see the
type of person that you truly want to be. Begin emulating these
attributes into your own life one-by-one until you get through the
entire list. Be prepared to enjoy the immense benefits of being your own
hero--it feels great.
8. Get into the flow. Keep track of what motivates you and stay near
those things. Whether it be reading a motivational book, listening to a
lively sermon, or speaking to a loved one find the things that truly
motivate you and fill your life with these things. Total immersion in
motivation is a quick path to achieving goals, keeping positive
thoughts, maintaining healthy relationships and having all the things
you desire. Keep that motivational level up and see the miracles happen
almost as if by magic.
9. Believe in a power greater than yourself. Determining what percentage
of society actually believes in god is fraught with all sorts of room
for error. After all, do they really believe? But, I believe it is safe
to say that the greater majority of society, in some way, believes in a
power greater than themselves. This is a wonderful aspect of human
existence, to know there is a power that is governing, and that knows
our good. Also, prayer and mediation is among the healthiest practices
you can perform as a daily routine to help to get to the root of
problems and sort out all of life's little questions. Knowing a power
greater than yourself allows you the feeling that you are not alone and
that you can truly believe in the power of miracles. Who couldn't use a
miracle every now and then.
10. Get started. Don't expect changes right away and have patience in
knowing that it takes time be the person you wish to be. There is truth
in the old saying that the "joy is in the journey". The wonderful thing
about coming a more self-confident person is that little benefits start
taking shape almost immediately and, they keep coming one after the
other as long as you continue to keep a positive outlook and display
your confidence for everyone to see.
As you achieve confidence, and find little moments of confidence coming
closer and closer; you will reach a point very soon where there is an
exponential growth in self-confidence that will bring great joy into
your life and all the things you desire will come to you easier than you
ever imagined.