How to build confidence
Confidence, some people are born with it & some are not. I fell into the latter category.
Looking back on my life, my confidence grew slowly over time. One key step came from acknowledging the obstacles & challenges I over came – in my hurry to make progress in my life when I was younger meant I never stopped to take stock and see my progress. I worked on IT projects, the moment one project ends another project started. So my focus switched to the new project. It took my some time to realise that I never stopped to recognise my achievements.
So one simple tip, before starting something that daunts you, remind yourself you have felt this way before. Then like going to a movie, replay in your mind your successes – this helps fuel your inner confidence.
One word of caution, for any readers who are thinking, I don’t have any successes – you do. Trust me, I have been there. In the past, I assumed that a success had to be something huge – like wining an Olympic medal. Now that I am kinder to myself, success is getting of the sofa and going to the gym. So remember to think of your successes like your best friend would – they may be kinder to you than you are to yourself.
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More Mindfulness Exercises
In my previous post, How to be mindful, I described a mindful breathing exercise. Now I want to share with you more mindfulness exercises. 1. Mindful Observation Choose a natural object, plant, flower or cloud in the sky. Simply focus solely on it for a minute or two. Visually explore it and allow yourself to be consumed by its presence. 2. Mindful Listening Listen to a piece of music you have never heard before. You could re-turn your radio to a new station or download a new track to your ipod. The idea is to listen, to become fully entwined within the composition without preconception or judgement of the genre, artist, lyrics or instrumentation. 3. Mindful Appreciation The point of this exercise is to simply give thanks and appreciate the seemingly insignificant things in life; the things that support your existence but rarely get a second thought in our desire for bigger and better things. All you have to do is notice 5 things in your daily life that go unappreciated. Once you have your 5 things, then consider
- the benefit they bring to your life and the lives of others
- what life would be like without these things
