19 Dec Confidence is Contagious
“Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.” – Vince Lombardi
The Virus: Lack of Confidence:
Lack of self-confidence can be a virus which infects our lives. We begin to focus our minds and energy on everything we haven’t accomplished and we compare ourselves to others. Next we try to impress others and we begin to act the way they want us too. Then we lose our authentic selves in the process. There are no antibiotics for viruses, so we need to infuse healthy practices to overcome this virus. Therefore, we will infect our lives with the contagion of self-confidence.
The Antidote: Redirect Our Energy
Redirect our energy towards the strengths we bring to the table to build our confidence. A few easy steps to take, first carve out a block of time to sit in a quite space (or a space where you find peace). Think back to a good day. What did it feel like? What made it feel this way? Think about what was happening in life during this time. Think about the people who helped make this a good day. What was it about these people who helped make it a good day? What did we contribute to making this day good? Many of these questions help us become wiser about what and who motivates us to be happy. Redirecting our energy towards the positive strengths helps us build our confidence.
The Experts: Seek Assistance
At times, we need help from a mentor or network member because we are so infected by the lack-of confidence virus we can’t see straight. There are people in our networks who are willing to help. In a recent blog article 5 Steps to Finding the Perfect Mentor the first step is to identify what we need/want from a mentor or network member. The second step is to think about who we know who has the talent/skill needed. Next, ask for their help. Be specific about what is needed and for how long. The last two steps are to set up regular meetings and to drive the meetings to meet the original need. The mentoring relationship is meant to be a win win. The mentor gets satisfaction of helping someone and the mentee gets the help they need to build their confidence in a specific area.
The Evolution: Celebrate the Uniqueness
Self discovery is defining our evolutionary journey and celebrating our uniqueness. It is the journey, not the destination which keeps us vibrant and authentic. Each of us bring unique talents, experiences and treasures to others. The key is to recognize our authentic self and celebrate with others. We need to accept our weaknesses as opportunities to partner with someone where this is a strength, and look at our past failures as a learning opportunities. Embrace being known for who we are and love ourselves for our unique contributions. Focus on our positive attributes and celebrate our individual strengths and bring diversity, our individual differences, into the fabric of our collective world. As part of our self discovery journey, we need to revel in the exciting and new experiences to learn new things from others and celebrate our uniqueness.
The Realization: Give Permission
To realize the power of self-confidence we need to give ourselves permission to be known and loved for the unique and diverse individual we are! We are amazing and we have many talents to share with others! Our journeys have led us down many different pathways and we have learned many lessons along the way. Our experiences, shared with others, can make a difference and help us build our self-confidence. By giving ourselves permission, we open doors to travel different paths and investigate new or different possibilities. We become excited about the journey again, because we feel the fear and do it any. To truly realize the power of self-confidence we must believe before anyone else can. The only person responsible for our happiness is ourselves. Now it’s your turn to believe!
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