There are very many methods for achieving improvement to our personal confidence and self esteem, far too many to investigate in depth in a short information file. So on this page, we will have a look at the most popular and, for most people, the most effective.
Self Acceptance
Motivation & Goal Setting
Self hypnosis
Coaching/therapy
Self Acceptance
Self acceptance is one of the most important aspects of personal confidence and also for self esteem. The trick is to work out what you can change and set about doing so - and this page has a good few hints how you can go about that - and accept that which you cannot change.
We all have aspects of our personality and 'way of being' that we feel uncomfortable about; maybe we see ourselves as selfish, dim on occasions, over-emotional, under-responsive, or any one of a whole variety of pretty standard human behaviour patterns. The trouble is that when anybody mentions any of those things, our personal confidence is dented and self esteem sags. Yet accept those things as just part of what goes to make the whole of you and that overall, you are no worse and no better than the next human being and you can start to enjoy being you and all that being you means.
For example...
A child's school reports consistently commented on his talkativeness:"Billy is very intelligent," the teacher would say, "But he's a chatterbox - he never stops talking.". His parents laughed and showed others who also laughed. The child didn't understand why talking was such a bad thing though nonetheless tried to do less of it... but all that happened was that his fascination and enthusiasm for some new discovery would suddenly burst out of him in a torrent of excited chatter. One day, when he was a young adult, somebody said: "My God, do you never stop talking?" That hit hard at the sore spot that had been created over the years and he suddenly started to stutter.
Then people laughed even more. Social gatherings, parties, dinners, holidays, even family get-togethers all quickly became no-go areas. He became introverted and timid and eventually found himself with a therapist, recounting those early experiences of people laughing because he was a 'chatterbox'.
"Tell me again about that teacher," the therapist said.
"She said I never stopped talking," Billy replied.
"That's funny," the therapist said. "I though you told me she said you were intelligent."
"I don't think I noticed that bit..." Billy said wonderingly.
The Ugly Duckling
From that moment on, it was like the Ugly Duckling story all over again. There was an almost instant acceptance that he was a natural talker, a communicator of ideas and concepts. Time passed. Billy talked A LOT and if anybody said anything at all about it, he would simply smile and agree with them. "I've always been talkative," he would say, "Thank goodness. I love to share all my ideas." No comments could hit any target now and there was no longer a sore spot; he knew that his talkativeness was a measure of his intelligence and his entire joy of living.
Acceptance is a wonderful thing. Accept the way you are and embrace it - warts and all - and you will become instantly more comfortable with yourself and others. When you accept those facets of self which you thought were negative, no matter what they are, nobody can push your buttons any more because you won't be trying to hide them. More importantly, perhaps, you will discover that many others actually like those facets of self that you tried so hard to conceal!
Motivation
One of the prime necessities to achieve good motivation in life or career is to have a clear goal - if you don't have, then it's extremely unlikely that you will achieve much. Yet set a goal and set it well, know exactly why you want it and how your life will improve when you get it and you're almost home and dry!
When setting your goals, it is important that you recognise the four rules that apply to any goal, if you are to have any chance of getting what you want:
- The goal must be plausible, possible and realistic
- It must be suitable for your personality type
- You must have a clear idea of what you are seeking
- Positive orientation
Plausible and Realistic
Anything that can be done, you can do. Anything that could never be done, you will not achieve, either. We are not conducting magic but simply using natural resources to achieve natural goals. If you are 65 years old, for instance, you will not become an Olympic standard athlete. It simply is not realistic. If you have only one leg, you cannot attempt to climb Mount Everest for exactly the same reason.
Suitable for Your Personality
For a goal to have a chance of success it should reflect your natural personality; always select a goal that you feel would not surprise others - although they may well be surprised at how easily you achieve it!
A Clear Idea
You have to know EXACTLY what it is that you want. It sounds obvious but an awful lot of people simply have never worked it out! Somebody might say: "I want to make something of myself." Well, good? but make what exactly? The subconscious - and that is the part of you which will achieve success or otherwise - only works with uncomplicated and positive statements with no ambiguity or implication. After all, if you made a failure of yourself, that would comply with the above goal, wouldn't it? 'Make a success' is not much better, either. One person's success simply doesn't 'work' for another. "I want to have my own business selling music CDs on the internet," is a clear goal. So is: "I want to make xxxxxxxx money a year from my music website," as long as you state a figure that you know can be achieved. Make your goal specific and you have a far higher chance of success.
Self hypnosis
There are very many methods of improving self worth and confidence. The most important thing to recognise, probably, is that precisely nothing will happen if you don't put some input into the plan. You can read the best self help books in the world and nothing will happen unless you have an action plan. You can listen to self help and personal development CDs until you know them off by heart, but the result will be a big fat nothing if that is all you do.
If you want to get anywhere, you have to accept that it is YOU who must make the change - nobody, absolutely nobody, can do it for you. Nothing changes if nothing changes...
Self hypnosis can be remarkably effective for the reduction of stress and improvement in life generally. It is a specific skill and one which can easily be learned via one of the many books on the subject or via one of the many free self hypnosis courses available on the internet.
Though some people are wary of hypnosis and self hypnosis until they discover more about it, it's used on a daily basis by sportsmen and musicians, business people and artists, housewives, policemen, engineers, shop assistants... in fact it's used by millions of people from all walks of life all over the globe!
Let's dispel a few of the anxieties that some visitors might have... the following 'rules' are applicable to all types of hypnosis:
- You cannot 'get stuck' - this is quite impossible
- You do not become unconscious or go to sleep
- You know what's happening at all times
- You can exit the state whenever you wish to
- You cannot 'lose your mind'
- It is not connected in any shape or form with the occult
- There is no such thing as a 'hypnotised feeling'
- It is actually a totally natural state which we all go into several times a day
- It is very similar to meditation or relaxation techniques
- IT IS COMPLETELY SAFE!
Getting into a state of self-hypnosis is a specific skill and as with all skills, some people are better at it than others. It is fair to say, though, that almost everybody can benefit from learning how to use it. Among other things, you can help yourself to:
- Combat Stress - use it with the routines above for a real power session!
- Lose weight
- Quit smoking
- Improve sporting and other performance
- Increase concentration and recall
- Improve confidence and self-confidence
- Work effectively with motivation issues
As mentioned earlier, there are very many books on the subject of self hypnosis as well as free courses - but do be sure to get one that is written by a professional in the field.
Motivational therapy, and personal confidence
Finally, an excellent way of developing your life in the way you want it is to visit a motivational coach, hypnotherapist or NLP practitioner. Huge numbers of sporting personalities, stars of stage and screen, wildly successful business leaders and 'executive climbers', amongst others, have achieved their success via this route. Hypnotherapy and/or NLP can provide somewhat faster and more long-lasting results than coaching and often with fewer sessions.
If you decide to investigate this route, your local Yellow Pages is a good starting point; initial consultations are often at no charge, though you should make clear exactly why you are consulting.
Terence Watts is a successful therapist, lecturer and author of hypnotherapy and self-help books. He runs his own school in the UK and has conducted more than 24,000 sessions of hypnosis and hypnotherapy since 1989. http://www.eccellenti.com has a complete range of self help books and CDs, as well as several free information files. There is also a free self hypnosis course written by Terence.
best cleaning company Highland Park ..How are you? That's a loaded question, and I'll tell... Read More
Do you realize how good you have it? Yes, everyone... Read More
The universe is vast, it's dimensions inconceivable, it's potentialities unimaginable,... Read More
Do you ever feel sorry for yourself? Do you ever... Read More
The easiest, most exciting adventure in consciousness follows the lamplit... Read More
I don't want to say people are basically negative but?..if... Read More
You are the only one that can give confidence to... Read More
So, is this really where you thought you'd be? You're... Read More
If we are the products of our attitudes then it... Read More
Bosses can't control many things at work. In fact, they... Read More
Need a way to make your life a better place... Read More
Improving this single attitude makes your days fly by. You... Read More
There is a wonderful story about the famous escape artist,... Read More
The late Norman Vincent Peale was a controversial preacher who... Read More
Woe is me... life has dealt me a bad hand...... Read More
Why do we help others? There is a whole lot... Read More
Do you realize that what we believe about ourselves, affects... Read More
Every time something doesn't go quite right (rather frequently for... Read More
Have you ever dreaded an upcoming presentation, meeting or function... Read More
"Most overnight successes are just plain lucky. Just ask any... Read More
I Hear Voices?This is not a statement of paranormal; it... Read More
Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Is the glass... Read More
I'm getting calls from folks who say, "I hear you... Read More
Sometimes we are in a position to look into the... Read More
As I walked my dogs recently on what "should" have... Read More
high-end home cleaning Winnetka .."The other night I ate at a real family restaurant.... Read More
When I was little I was very busy--as I imagine... Read More
Are you aware of your inner dialogue? If not, you... Read More
Quote of the week:"Of all the attitudes we can acquire,... Read More
Facing a change and want to make it work for... Read More
Keep focusing on the fullness of your life: Keep remembering... Read More
During a Messenger chat session the other day, I asked... Read More
Have you heard of the FABS? The FABS are quadruplets;... Read More
Positive thinking in this day and age is a tool... Read More
Not Amen, just so we're clear on that.AND.The little connector... Read More
No one becomes successful by accident. Motivational speaker Les Brown... Read More
Humans tend to categorize things by large or small, bright... Read More
Are you a person who loves challenges, or hates them?... Read More
With the probable exception of some basic instincts ? or... Read More
Few people are aware of the thoughts that pass through... Read More
Human nature is created so that you can choose your... Read More
This week I happened to catch a few minutes of... Read More
Are you the kind of person who dwells on your... Read More
If your life is difficult--if it's challenging, exasperating, and vexatious--... Read More
This may sound quite aberrant to most of the younger... Read More
The one thing that is absolutely vital to overcoming shyness... Read More
So...you might just believe I hide behind computers creating and... Read More
We are all involved in this game called life and... Read More
I went online -- and what do I see? A... Read More
The most happy and successful people on earth have a... Read More
Positive Attitude Tips |