MF


A healthy level of self confidence and self image is not only necessary, it is essential for any kind of success we seek achieve. Only when you’re comfortable with who you are and confident in what you can do, will other people believe in you and your abilities. This applies both to your personal as well as your professional life.

For those who experience the day-to-day effects of low self confidence it is a very real and troubling issue. The fact is that it dramatically reduces your chances for success in life due to its far reaching consequences. No matter how badly you may want something, a lack of self confidence will always work against you and undermine your efforts.

Low self confidence manifests itself in thought patterns and behaviors that continue to make you feel under-valued and unappreciated. It is a far more common issue than most people would like to admit.

Recent research findings reveal the clear cognitive and behavioral differences between people with a healthy level of self confidence and those with lower levels. The following a just a few examples:

People with healthy levels of self confidence tend to

- feel good about who they are and their value to society

- don’t let their actions be dependent on other people’s opinion or approval

- think they deserve to be treated with respect

- feel they’re in charge of their own destiny

- believe in their future and have positive expectations

- seek and enjoy the company of others

People with lower levels of self confidence tend to

- feel unappreciated or not respected by others

- criticize themselves or others

- question or not trust their own judgments and decisions

- feel inadequate, different or disconnected from others

- take actions to earn the love or approval from others

- be reluctant to change / taking on new challenges

While the reasons for people to develop low self confidence vary, its effects can be traced back to our thought patterns, i.e. the way we think of and view ourselves relative to our social environment.

Therefore, it is important that we not only become aware of the way we think of ourselves but also that we consciously and actively take steps to change the beliefs that cause low self confidence. These are predominantly beliefs that in some way or other make us think that we’re “not good enough”. Ask yourself the following questions:

- What are the areas where you think you’re not “good enough”?

- Is it really necessary to be “good enough” in these areas?

- Are you trying to be “good enough” for yourself or someone else?

- What would “good enough” look like?

Once you’ve identified what the ideal state looks like, write it down in the in the first person presence tense. Here are a few examples:

- I see myself as a radiant being, filled with energy, creativity and purpose

- I choose to surround myself with people who are kind, supportive and appreciate me for the great person I am

- Other people’s thoughts about me or my abilities do not affect me.

- I see myself being comfortable with who I am without the need to earn the love or approval from other people.

While changing cognitive and behavioral patterns requires a more targeted effort with adults than with children, it is possible.

There are several techniques that can help you change your thought patterns. Some of the ones you may want to consider include positive affirmations, self talk, autosuggestion, visualization and self hypnosis.

“As is our confidence, so is our capacity”, William Hazlitt

Published with permission - ©2009 Inspirized ®, http://www.inspirized.com



Edgar

Ronnie Nijmeh


Do you have problems with self-confidence? Many of us suffer from self-doubt from time to time. That’s completely normal! But you can become an all around confident person.

This is a bold statement, but anyone that wants to lead a more self-confident life simply needs to incorporate confidence-building affirmations into their life. To some this may sound a bit odd, but it really can work for you regardless of how low your self-confidence may currently be. Start using confidence-building affirmations to change your life today, what do you have to lose?

What are Confidence Building Positive Affirmations?

Not sure what confidence building affirmations are? Free positive affirmations are simply little statements that you can repeat to yourself when you are having one of those moments of self doubt. If you suffer from a lack of confidence all the time you can use these in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night and encourage yourself to take action on the words.

For example, you might repeat to yourself: “I am fully capable of accomplishing great things. I have the confidence, desire, and passion!”

Many clients have said that their confidence building affirmations become personal mantras. These simple statements allow them to see past the challenges and push through any self-doubt that creeps into their life.

Confidence building affirmations can be something that you create for yourself, or you can find free positive affirmations that apply to your life. This is all about believing in the power of affirmations and taking the necessary actions to improve your life.

How Do Confidence Affirmations Help?

When you say or think these confidence affirmations you are putting your positive thoughts on the table and it will come back to you through sub-conscious actions. So what’s the result? You’ll feel more confident, and fast too!

You can learn to be self-confident and it doesn’t need to entail hours on end in therapy or study. You simply need to use confidence-building affirmations consistently. You need to determine how you will incorporate these free positive affirmations into your life, but when you sit down and think about it, you will find that it is really easy to start saying and believing these affirmations.

If you could learn to be self-confidence by simply repeating strong, positive, statements to yourself during those tough moments, why wouldn’t you do it? This is all you need to do to make confidence-building affirmations work for you.

You may have heard from people who say that free positive affirmations do not work, because saying something is different than doing it. Of course that’s true! However, most of the time, it’s challenging to get out of a rut and convince yourself that everything will, indeed, work out for the best. But once you have that little bit of momentum - that glimmer of hope - implementation becomes easier. After all, it’s a whole lot easier to keep going than to get started!

You need to believe that the confidence building affirmations can work for you and then actively use them in those moments of self-doubt, instead of simply giving into the doubt. When you do this you take the power away from the fear and, instead, feed your confidence with positive thoughts and actions. When you incorporate free positive affirmations into your life in this way, there is no stopping you and the confidence that you will have in yourself.



Tina

Ken Snow


Self-confidence is the innate quality of trusting your own abilities and instincts. Self-confident people often successful, attentive, and flexible, and can deal with most any life situation. A self-confident person realizes what his or her potential is and works to realize it. Those that are around a self-confident person are aware of his or her character by his or her actions. People that are self-confident demonstrate it by their actions, and not through their words alone. However, if you are always trying to impress your friends, family, or coworkers by overtly asserting your self-confidence, then you are likely arrogant. There is a big difference between the two characteristics, but the line between them is not clearly defined. Often, people who are usually highly self-confident cross the line into arrogance and don’t even know it.

If your family, friends, or coworkers find you arrogant, they will not enjoy being around you. It is more important to impress individuals through actions than through words. The maxim “actions speak louder than words” is very true. We are all more likely to trust someone who gets the job done rather than someone who simply boasts about doing it. An arrogant person is not seen as trustworthy. How do the people in your life see you?

If you think that you are arrogant instead self-confident, it is time to rethink approach. Instead of bragging about your own personal triumphs, try to bring attention to someone else’s achievement. Take part in group and team projects and work with others, not against them. Think before you speak, and do not overwhelm people with negative comments or critiques or speak highly of yourself.

That is where you start transforming your arrogance into self-confidence. Think of self-confidence as having the strength and ability to complete a goal and arrogance as boasting to everyone how well you will complete it. Make a change by taking on tasks that you have not successfully completed before. This will help to unleash your self-confidence, and develop it further. Your self-confidence will help you to start and finish this project without any self-doubt. It is important to spend more time working on your goals than boasting about your imagined achievements.

Living with self-confidence rather than arrogance provides you with the opportunity to live your life in a new way. It is a time to make amends with those you might have insulted or offended, and start brand new relationships. Having and using you self-confidence, and not arrogance, will let you achieve any goals that you set your mind to.



Cathy

Michael Lee


When you learn how to gain self-confidence, the overall result would only be advantageous to you. Professionally, a self-confident person easily gets hired and promoted. In terms of relationships, a self-confident person attracts more people. In transactions and negotiations, a self-confident person can hold his or her own by being assertive. How to gain self-confidence is a matter you must look into closely, because as you can see, this would have far-reaching effects in your life.

People get confidence in a number of ways. Some take it from achievement, others from being loved, others by being productive for the sake of contributing something to the world.

To know how you could go about boosting your self-confidence, you should first know yourself. Everything starts here. When you know who you are, what your strengths are, what your limits are, you can then conquer your fears, you can steel yourself to do the things you have to do.

Knowing your strengths alone will already do more than half the work of boosting your self-confidence. When you know you can do things, when you know you can achieve what you aim for, your esteem of yourself (the way you value yourself) is boosted.

Knowing your limits, on the other hand, is equally crucial in knowing how to gain self-confidence. Because you know that you cannot do certain things, you will not thrust yourself into tasks that you are reasonably assured to fail.

It is failure that pushes people into depression and insecurities. When you avoid instances that would encourage this, you are saving yourself from the risk and the pain of failure, and you are doing yourself a favor by collecting victories and avoiding instances of defeat.

However, you will never know what true confidence-boosting success really means until you fail and learn from your mistakes.

In knowing how to gain self-confidence, you are holding a full house in your hands. Play your cards well, deal with life with a rosy outlook through a robust self-esteem, and you will be collecting feathers in you cap in no time.



Shannon

G.Lefebvre


They are 7 signs that can indicate you are suffering of low self esteem.  Most people suffering of low self esteem may not even know they are suffering because they think that is how it should be.  They think that don’t deserve better.  No one should try to fight Low Self Esteem alone.  You need someone to help you as it is not easy to fight this decease.  Here are the 7 signs you are suffering or someone you know is suffering of low self esteem.

Guilt   Fear Ashamed Unrealistic expectation Lack of trust Perceived limitation Worth Less

 

These are very good signs that someone is suffering of low self esteem.  If you are or know someone who has 1 or more of these signs, make sure to get help immediately.  It is important to know that someone who suffers of low self esteem does not need to have all the signs from above.  Only 1 can be enough.  Just imagine that you think you are worth nothing, what do you think you are going to amount to?  Nothing, obviously and you certainly would not want that for you, a member of your family or a friend.

They several steps you can take to overcome low self esteem. It is very plausible that if you are suffering of low self esteem, you may be suffering of Anxiety Attacks or also Depression. The main area for you to improve is your self confidence. The next few steps should help you do that.

Jump in both feet. Exercise, may be join a gym or exercise on your own but the important item here is remember that any exercise will make you feel better about yourself. Eating fast food or eating too much will make you feel tired and leave you without any energy.

The following are ways to help build your self esteem. Remember, it is always harder to build something than destroy it so you will have to work at it religiously.

Give yourself compliments when you do something well Learn a new trade and I don’t necessarily mean get a new job but it could be Spend time with good friends, positive friends, stay away from people that are always negative Help others, help a friend in need, volunteer with an association that helps people in needs Don’t feel the need to be in control of everything

Low self esteem affects millions of people each year.   If you would like to learn more about how to learn the simple steps to overcome low self esteem, visit http://www.squidoo.com/overcoming-low-self-esteem-tips



Pam