Fear or not being able to handle my success if it came too quickly was what held me back from chasing my dreams for many years. I listen...
Fear or not being able to handle my success if it came too quickly was what held me back from chasing my dreams for many years. I listened to several tapes on how to boost self-esteem and confidence, just be be able to make that mental leap.
I am no stranger to this, as it is something everyone faces. The million-dollar question is: what must I do to control this fear? By practicing on my self-esteem and confidence, without given a second thought to it for some time, was what aided me to finally pursue my dreams. Those fears are not totally gone, but now I know how to have my way around them. This I have done severally.
A word of caution though, what I have realized is, a lot of people make differences between these words; self-esteem and confidence. In this article, I use them in turn, even if there is a hidden important difference.
Self-esteem is being worthy of respect from others, and having the belief in yourself is what is termed confidence. Finally, both amount to the same thing, and the actions I mention below both boost self-esteem and confidence.
Taking charge of your self-esteem and confidence.
I am a great believer of one’s ability to boost self-esteem. This does not come by birth, neither do you have to draw inspiration from others for it. Do you believe you are incapable, incompetent, not smart or not very attractive? All these can be changed.Forget the doubters, you can attain respect and pursue your dreams by taking charge of your life. Take bold steps that improve your confidence without the help of anyone else. Below, I outline steps which have helped me. You don’t need to do all of them.
Have a look at them, they are in random order.
1. Clean up yourself. This is a clear one, but it is surprising how much bathing and shaving can boost your self-confidence. I have been able to turn my frame of mind from one place to another with this one little thing.2. Dress well. This does not mean wearing expensive clothing. If you dress presentably, you will naturally feel good about yourself. You will feel motivated to take the bull by the horns.
3. Rework your mind. How we perceive ourselves means a lot. Change how you see yourself mentally. Work on your self-image. If it is a bad one, change it. Find out why you perceive yourself that way, and correct it.
4. Do your stuff positively. Besides having the right thoughts, you have to also act positive. Your confidence is best seen when you act the right way. Do on act at time. Actions speak louder than words they say. And you are more of how you act than how you even think. Put vigour in your actions. You will in no time see the huge difference.
5. Do not speak fast. Have you observed most people in authority slowly? That shows confidence. Even if you do not sense confidence of someone who speaks slowly, give that a try a few times.
6. Have a good body posture. Stand tall and straight. Put your shoulders back. You will feel better about this body language. People who often stand tall and confident are more appealing.
7. Just smile. Another overused one. But it works great. You feel better when you grin, and it helps you to assist others better.
