Wouldn’t you like to be able to be yourself in those tight situations that make you feel uncomfortable challenging your self confidence?
Perhaps you come completely unraveled when you are forced to get up and speak in front of a group of people. It could be anxiety over dealing with superiors or it could be meeting someone from the opposite sex for the first time that brings out your lack of self confidence.
It’s like the spotlight is one us in those situations isn’t it? You appear nervous, unsure and knowing about makes the entire experience even worse as your self confidence gets worse each time you come upon those situations.
Whatever the situation, we all have at least a few situations where we come unglued and turn into a babbling idiot later walking away kicking ourself for being so awkward – areas we are painfully aware of and avoid as much as we can…but sometimes they interfere with achievement, advancement or even just our happiness.
So, here are 10 ways you can improve your self confidence freeing yourself from these limitations:
1. Forget the past. Because your self confidence has taken hit after hit over many years, you need to recognize that the past does not equal the present, approach the situation with a clear slate
2. You see it more than they do…realize that most of your low self confidence comes from within YOU rather than visible to outsiders. You create an image of yourself exadurated over what is visible to those outside of you
3. Your self confidence impacts others. People will avoid you if you have low self-esteem – sometimes not even consciously, but they sense the negative energy. It’s not your unease or the fact you are not perfect in the situation that turns people off but rather the negative energy that surrounds you as a person with low confidence
4. Everyone feels unsure…every single person – even seasoned experts, deal with situations frequently where they are uncertain or uneasy, so stop thinking that it is just you
5. Negative self-image…how many times have you said to yourself "I’m not good at that" or "I’m a bad person" or even "I will never get better at this?" You have programmed yourself to live a lifetime of self-doubt – change your mindset to "I am good at this". "I add value in this situation"
6. Don’t give people around you too much credit. I have fallen into this trap where I assume those around me are 100% confident, that they never get nervous, have a much better handle on things…but over and over again I have found quite the opposite. That we all struggle and many struggle even more than I do, so get on with it and do your best.
7. Positive self-programming. You can experience dramatic improvements in your self confidence by visualizing yourself in these problematic situations and changing the script of the movie to one in your favor. Imagine yourself getting up in front of a group and feeling comfortable, natural, energetic – completely ON your game.
8. Avoid negative influences. If you have people around you that are negative then that thinking and energy will rub off on you – you need to politely back out of these relationships as much as possible, often you will notice an immediate improvement of your self-confidence becoming part of a more positive group
9. Face your fears. At the root of all low self confidence is an underlying fear. Become more aware of your fears – write them down understanding that if you can face these fears they will have less control over your life
10. Practice. Identify the situations that are most uncomfortable for you and role play, practice acting in these situations. Actors, celebrities, politicians and great leaders have overcome major challenges to their self-confidence by repeatedly practicing in these situations until they can improve their confidence
Low self confidence is one of the five key factors in our lives as outlined in "Beyond Greatness" that can quickly be improved unleashing an amazing energy, personal power and sequence of achievement in our life…on our path to personal greatness.
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