If I could grant one wish to everyone I would gift an infinite supply of pure unadulterated confidence. Confident people appear to sail effortlessly through their lives attracting fabulous friendships, interesting hobbies and a satisfying career. Numerous studies prove that confident people are happier, healthier and achieve higher levels of success compared to their less confident peers. Yet is confidence something you are born with or can it be developed?
Having been a painfully shy child and teenager I have devoted the last two decades to researching the quickest and most effective ways to develop confidence, self-esteem and charisma. Here are my favourite suggestions that can turbo-charge your own confidence in just seven days:
1. Ask 5 people you like to identify 3 qualities they admire about you most. Write each quality onto a separate piece of paper and store these inside a box. Decorate this box with beautiful photographs of flowers. Every morning, within a hour of waking take a few moments to read each of your ‘quality cards’ and you’ll instantly feel a warm glow as your self-esteem receives a powerful boost.
2. Look in the mirror and say, “I am confident” to yourself ten times. Simultaneously thump you chest lightly – this integrates the words into your neurology enabling your confidence to increase both consciously and unconsciously.
3. Think of a time, a specific time when you felt really confident. Notice whereabouts in your body you feel this confidence and flow this feeling into ever increasing circles until you begin to laugh out loud. Whenever you want an instant surge of confidence simply recall how you created confidence before within your body and repeat the circular movement.
4. You become what you think about so pay attention to your thoughts and inner dialogue. Notice how many times you have a negative thought and how many times you have a positive thought. When your positive thoughts outnumber your negative thoughts your confidence increases.
Above all, be yourself because when you are authentic and genuine you naturally increase your energy and confidence. You are creating it all and accepting responsibility for what you are creating in your life will empower and ignite your potential.