What Did I Do Well This Year?

Give yourself credit.

I guess that like most people you did not achieve all your goals, hit all your targets or keep all your New Year Resolutions in 2012

If you did, well that's fantastic, well done and you are well on course to create the life of your dreams!

But if, like most of the human race you missed some of the goals, did not shed those pounds or kilos you wanted to say goodbye to, and the attendance at the gym petered out after a week or so, or whatever, do not give yourself a hard time but be grateful for the learning.  Now, take a pen and paper and WRITE DOWN, yes actually put on record in your own handwriting, what you did manage to do, whether it was on your original list or not.

For example:

You got up and went to work, more days than not, even if you felt like pulling the covers over your jead, or

You made those job applications, filled out the CV and answeredthe advertisemnts even though at the time you felt disheartened, or

You helped that parent struggling with the pushchair up the steps of the subway, or

You remembered your Mum's birthday, or anyone's special day and send a message or called them to say "hi" or.... you get the idea.

If you did this, actually wrote out some of your positive achievements, no matter how tiny they may seem,  over the past year I guarantee you will be feeling better about yourself and more confident.

If you have NOT done it yet, do so straight away and either way, write a comment below about the effect.

Tomorrow I will share a sure-fire way to continue this process and make 2013 your best year ever!

Much love and happiness form David.

Great Oaks from Little Acorns Grow

At this time of year many people think of New Year Resolutions, while reviewing the past year and setting goals for the year ahead.  How big to make those goals: Massive, grandiose goals which will require faith and determination to succeed, or tiny baby steps which seem almost insignificant in comparison?

Many  "Gurus" and motivational speakers will have you go for the former.  "Make them outrageous, reach for the stars and Think Big" they exhort.  "Get out of your comfort zone and dare to dream. If the goal doesn't scare you it's not big enough!"

I wonder how many people make those big, extravagant goals and end up carrying them forward year after year, saying "This Year I will definitely make it!  This year I will have the faith, the drive, the enthusiasm to write the book, launch the million dollar product, quit the job, start the speaking tour...etc,"  You get the idea

Every goal that is not met not only saps your confidence, but sends a message to you unconscious mind "These goals are not for real, they are just daydreams!"  Every year, every underachieved goal, every failed esolution, the same message of failure.  Surely there must be a better way to set and achieve goals, to set and keep resolutions?

We have already reviewed "The Compound Effect" by Darren Hardy.  To remind you, or in case you have not heard of it, he iterates the principle that Tiny changes, repeated consistently over time, produce massive effects.

You have probably heard the saying that "most people greatly overestimate what they can achieve in a year, but greatly underestimate what they can achieve in five years."

Now of all times it is good to remember this sage advice.  Do yourself a favour.  If you have not read The Compound Effect, do so now, and it is a must read for anybody even thinking about making a New Year Resolution.

Coffee - A Little Story to Start your Day!

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying a word

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

Then she ladled the co ffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, 'Tell me what you see.'

'Carrots, eggs, and coffee,' she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma the daughter then asked, 'What does it mean, mother?'

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coff ee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

'Which are you?' she asked her daughter. 'When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situ ation around you.

When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

May we all be COFFEE?


Thanks to my Dear Friend Olimpia Pop for this story.

3 Simple Tools to Boost Your Confidence

Confidence is something we would all like a little more of from time to time. Even the most confident people can feel out of their depth in some situations. If you are anything like me then you probably find yourself confident in most familiar situations, but perhaps get a little nervous when you are put into a new situation…or at least that is how I used to feel
This article is going to show you 3 simple and quick tools / methods you can use to boost your confidence. All of these things are quick boosts that you can do to help boost your confidence when you need it, and the more you use them the stronger your confidence will get in the long term, too.

The Darkest Hour is Just before The Dawn!

I never used to believe that old saying, but was reminded of it just yesterday.  A week ago the challenges were mounting up and there seemed no way forward. Would I be able to meet my commitments this week, let alone give my family and friends the gifts and good times I had planned for Christmas?  I was so down to my last cent that I delayed ordering my vitamin supplements so I had enough credit to fill up the car.

And yet, I somehow knew I would get through it, I was not sure how, but I had an inner confidence that a way would be found. 

Last weekend I signed up for Winning the Game of Money with John Assaraf's PraxisNow.  I used the installment plan even though I was not sure how I would find the later payments. I have used the program daily, repeating my affirmations each morning and the fog is starting to clear.  Some work I did a few weeks ago brought in nearly £15,000 (over $23,000) and other opportunities I had no idea of a few days ago offer the opportunity to achieve my financial goals months ahead of the planned time. 

The take home message?

Keep faith in yourself, and be grateful for every blessing.  Commit, and take action.

Ask for help, and partner with others.

Happy Christmas, or whatever Holiday you will be celebrating.

Mend Your Brain For 100 Per Cent Confidence!

I just had to share this awesome webinar!

You will know John Assaraf from The Secret, and here he delivers a free Brainathon to enable you to break through your own Glass Ceilings of Success, Happiness, Finances and Giving.

If you want to Be More, Have More and Give More you cannot afford to miss this Free Webinar.

Watch here as Top Internet Marketer Mike Koenigs interviews Jon Assaraf about the program.

This truly is an opportunity you cannot let go.  Your Investment?  Just your time, no cash or credit card needed.

Watch the interview here, less than 15 minutes that will change your life.

Confidence and Gratitude - The Relationship!

Yesterday my confidence was not high.

I had been hit by several major challenges at once, I was tearing around trying to fit everything in, and I was starting to feel overwhelmed. Then, as I sat in the car dealership where I had booked my car in for its pre-winter check I had time to check my emails on my phone while I sipped the complimentary cup of coffee.

As I paged through my emails I came across this message from Bob Proctor which put a smile back on my face.  Here it is: folksy, sentimental and possibly it did not happen exactly like that, but it contains an eternal truth ,one that even if we have already accepted it intellectually we all need to be reminded of, time and time again.  Or is that just me?

This is the story. Tell me what you think in the comments below.

Gratitude Napkins

Confidence: The Power to Take Control and Live the Life You Want - By Dr Rob Young

Another review of this awesome book!

This book is divided into two sections. The first section is about 'developing life-long confidence' and is like a long-term action plan. This half of the book covers topics such as tackling doubts and niggles ('automatic negative thoughts' is what the author calls them) which I found useful. There's a chapter on positive body language too, which contained some gems of instruction on controlling your breathing in order to control how you feel and come across.

The first half of the book explains things in more depth, while the second section of the book is a series of short chapters containing 10 key points on tackling key topics. It'll help you to understand if this book could be useful to you if I list all of the topics covered:
~ Confident public speaking and presentations
~ Confident conversations and socialising
~ Confident dating
~ Confident meetings at work and networking
~ Confident job interviews
~ Confident life change
~ Handling conflict with confidence
~ Health, fitness and body confidence
~ Quick confidence

I found these short, targeted chapters very useful too.

Writing style of the book is clear and encouraging without being patronising. If you like to understand why you should use a particular technique, the author sometimes mentions snippets of resarch to back up his recommendations too. Great book!
Review by   R Freeman

How to Be Confident without Being Arrogant

Confidence is a powerful trait. Confidence can make you successful. Confident people are like magnets…they tend to capture the attention, trust and respect of those around them. They believe they can do it, so they take risks and reap the rewards. It’s reassuring to work with someone who shows confidence in his work and his ability to get the job done and done well. And confidence can be contagious — we all want to surround ourselves with self-assured people who make us feel like we can do it, too.
But there is a thin line between being confident and being arrogant. No one likes a know-it-all, or someone who doesn’t listen because they believe they have nothing to learn. If you display arrogance, you may turn people off, lose potential opportunities and hurt your reputation. Not to mention it can be a lonely way to live. So here are some ways to maximize your confidence without encroaching into arrogance territory.

How to Get Confidence - 4 Awesome Tips

Here's 4 tips on how to get confidence to help you feel a greater sense of self belief.
1. Be prepared to push through the fear of failure
If you currently lack self confidence, then you'll have had disappointments in the past. These failures created your low self belief. You have to be willing to take a chance that this might happen again because building self confidence is a risky game.
2. Go out and do what you lack confidence in

A Special Thanksgiving Message (It Works in Every Country on The Planet!)

Hi There, in 2 days it is Thanksgiving in USA and Canada, and in every country where citizens of those nations find themselves in the fourth Thursday in November. 
I just had to share this special Thanksgiving message from the amazing Marie Forleo so fasten your seat belt and prepare for-The Downside Of Gratitude.  Yes, really!

Enjoy!

Confidence building - no idea where to start?

People with high self esteem behave confidently. Low self esteem stops all your efforts to be confident.  Confidence matters in:

• relationships
• work
• parenting
• life skills - decision making, achieving, improving situations or circumstances you don't like
• expressing yourself - read more about being yourself socially
• taking up new challenges
• being open to change
• self improvement

Where does self-confidence come from?
It comes from several sources:

• from within yourself
• from others
• from your achievements 

Some people appear naturally confident but guess what? They've learnt how to be that way and so can you! 
If you lack self esteem or self-confidence you must look above for the reasons. You may be overly criticizing yourself or telling yourself negative things like "I'm bound to fail" or "I'm not good enough" or even "I don't deserve to succeed". These will make failure likely.

Maybe you believe others comments about your inability to succeed or your faults as they see them. What's stopping you proving them wrong or challenging their view instead of accepting it? Defend yourself. Your self esteem depends on it! If you have a poor opinion of yourself, why should others respect you?  
Focus on what you have done and you can be proud of.

How you can become more confident and successful?

• Look for a model (someone who is confident) and learn from them. What is it they do that makes them confident, how do they act?
• Focus on your achievements and even if you failed try to work out what you did right and how you could succeed next time
• Act as if you were confident!
• Prepare thoroughly for any task so that you can be sure you are ready
• Work on any skills you need to do what you want, you can never be overtrained or over skilled for any challenge in life.
• Learn relaxation skills
• Always smile
• Set reachable goals for yourself 
• Reward yourself when you succeed

Unsure which are the best confidence building tools?

Accepting the Real Face of Self-Confidence

Self-Confidence seems to be all the rage these days in the realm of personal development, but few people have a real idea as to how they can affect real change in the arena of exuding a positive demeanor through their conduct.  Many self-help premises designed to develop self-confidence seem mostly geared towards placing the focus only on the achievements as opposed to the failures, when really, the most progress can be made when holding to the strategy that both are nothing more than experiences from which to learn.
Make no mistake; great strides are possible in building self-confidence by taking stock and basking in the moment of achievement for even the smallest accomplishments along the way.  The majority of the times, the minor successes are overlooked in exchange for a potential failure imposed on the bigger scheme of things to come.  Of important note is that we will not always achieve each and every little goal we originally set out to tackle since our endgame may have to change as we progress.

How to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

There's no room for adventure and excitement in your comfort zone; in fact, over time you might feel overwhelmed and trapped by boredom and fear. Perhaps it's time to stretch those limits a little! Not only will your life become more exciting, but you'll also build confidence and improve your luck
.

1. Make a fool of yourself. One of the biggest things that holds many of us back is our fear of what people think. After all, you don't want people to think you're weird or rude or creepy or obnoxious or annoying, do you? But wait -- think about the most lovable, magnetic people you've come across in your life. Odds are, they weren't the meek, agreeable people who are reliably pleasant to be around.

Confidence: The Power to Take Control and Live the Life You Want

This book will transform your life. With confidence you can make a success of just about anything!
The second edition of this bestselling book combines the best and most effective methods from

•  CBT,
•  NLP,
•  sports psychology
•  positive psychology

 and much much more, into a definitive and indispensable guide to feeling confident, acting confident, being confident and using these positive mindsets to achieve all your goals.

There’s no psychobabble, no confusing jargon and no demanding and unrealistic expectations, just quick and brilliant ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’ that get you right to the heart of confidence.
Written by a top business and life coach, this new edition features new chapters and content on dealing with conflict, holding confident conversations, confident dating and the 10 Top Tips to boost your confidence NOW!

What to Do When You Doubt Everything - Just Wanna Stay in Bed?

Let's face it, we all know people who have days like this, perhaps we used to have them? At times like this I turn to the wonderful Marie Forleo, who writes for Women business owners, but (shhh...) she generously allows blokes to watch as well.

Watch this now, and if you are feeling great today just save the ideas in the video for when you have a day when the sh*t hits the fan! Enjoy! Thank you Marie!

The Secrets of the World Class!

I do not often post twice a day but I just had to share this with you!

Watch this 3 minute video and be...

Inspired! Watch it Now!!!

My thanks to Denise Gosnell and Jynell Berkshire at Business Thrival for this post.

Find Secrets of the World Class at Amazon.co.uk

Do Not Let Limiting Beliefs Sap Your Confidence!

Psychologist and mental health blogger Elisha Goldstein quotes a favorite author of mine, Don Miguel Ruiz, in his post “4 Steps to Getting Free from Limiting Beliefs”: “You see everything is about belief, whatever we believe rules our existence, rules our life.”
I’ve been using Ruiz’s book, “The Four Agreements,” to help me process the beliefs of others, especially toward me (i.e. “people who struggle from depression are lazy”). But Elisha is right when he explains that the beliefs we hold about ourselves are just as disabling and disempowering as the ones other folks hold about us. He writes:

Of course, whatever we believe colors the lenses of how we see the world and our very next interaction. If we believe we can’t give that speech, lose that weight or live without our Blackberries or IPhones every minute it’s going to be a heck of a lot harder if not impossible to do so. The same goes for getting through anxiety, depression, or addiction. We start to integrate fundamental beliefs in this world from the time we’re in the womb. We’re already beginning to sense the environment around us, taking in and processing information. As life progresses we start to integrate this information as truths. Everything is fresh and new, so what we see must be how the world is. If our parents were erratic or abusive, we interpreted the world as unsafe or insecure and that stayed with us as a feeling of fear to this day. Maybe there is the belief that it’s impossible to love or be loved. Or perhaps they didn’t pay attention to us and so we sprout the belief that we are unworthy. However, at the end of the day it’s all just a story, not a truth, not a fact.

We have the ability to change our stories and beliefs, of course. But the process is difficult and doesn’t produce magic overnight (unless you’re smoking weed as you try). Here are four steps that Dr. Goldstein suggests to form new neural connections that will assist toward mental health and develop breaks before we hit panic:

10 Ways to Instantly Build Self Confidence

Self confidence is the difference between feeling unstoppable and feeling scared out of your wits. Your perception of yourself has an enormous impact on how others perceive you. Perception is reality — the more self confidence you have, the more likely it is you’ll succeed.
Although many of the factors affecting self confidence are beyond your control, there are a number of things you can consciously do to build self confidence. By using these 10 strategies you can get the mental edge you need to reach your potential.

Build Self Confidence

This Classic Book Can Change Your Life!

How to Win Friends And Influence People, by Dale Carnegie.
You will have noticed that we do not always recommend the trendiest, latest publications but go for the tried and tested: the books and strategies that have stood the test of time and helped hundreds of thousands of people to achieve One Hundred Per Cent Confidence. 

If you have read the book, you will understand why we are recommending it, and if you have not yet read "How to Win Friends And Influence People" then lose no time in getting your hands on a copy.  Listen to what other readers have said;
"This Book Can Change Hour Life! Have you ever met someone that immediately made you feel at ease? Have you ever met someone who seems so pleasant and makes you genuinely feel good about yourself? Or someone that makes you feel inspired? Or someone who gives you confidence?

365 Affirmations for a Year of Positive Thinking By Katie Piper

We have mentioned Affirmations before, and here is a treasure-house with a fresh affirmation for every day of the year!

Reviewers write "This book is a brilliant edition to any bookshelf! Who wouldn't want a book full of positive thoughts...everyone should own a copy of this book", and "A lovely book full of inspirational thoughts and quotes to brighten your day. A good bit of positive thinking that we all need sometimes! Another wonderful book by Katie :)"

If you find it hard to put your affirmations into words, or to say them with conviction this book could make all the difference to your reaching One Hundred per Cent Confidence!

See and buy it at Amazon.co.uk 

Achieving All Your Goals One Simple Step at a Time!

Book Review: "The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy"

The underlying premise of Darren Hardy's The Compound Effect is that the routine choices we make, when compounded over long periods, form habits which exert outsized control over our lives. In other words, seemingly little decisions such as to eat a cookie or watch TV "add up" over time the same what that savings account interest when compounded over years can add up to a significant sum. Hardy believes that for us to achieve our individual goals we need develop new positive habits to replace the existing ones that are keeping us back. For example, reading a little more each day at the expense of watching television -- even 15 minutes a day of this when applied to a year would add up to several books. Seasoned dieters know this trick and Hardy uses the example of cutting out just 125 calories a day when applied to 31 months would equate to over 33 pounds lost in the typical person.
The most important steps are to first write down the goals you want to achieve, then list the reasons (or habits) that are keeping you from accomplishing them, as well as to accept total responsibility for your situation. Once accomplished you can begin........

Building Self-Confidence - Preparing Yourself for Success!

From the quietly confident doctor whose advice we rely on, to the charismatic confidence of an inspiring speaker, self-confident people have qualities that everyone admires.
Self-confidence is extremely important in almost every aspect of our lives, yet so many people struggle to find it. Sadly, this can be a vicious circle: People who lack self-confidence can find it difficult to become successful.
After all, most people are reluctant to back a project that's being pitched by someone who was nervous, fumbling and overly apologetic.
On the other hand, you might be persuaded by someone who speaks clearly, who holds his or her head high, who answers questions assuredly, and who readily admits when he or she does not know something.
Self-confident people inspire confidence in others: their audience, their peers, their bosses, their customers, and their friends. And gaining the confidence of others is one of the key ways in which a self-confident person finds success.
The good news is that self-confidence really can be learned and built on. And, whether you’re working on your own self-confidence or building the confidence of people around you, it’s well-worth the effort!

Feeling Down? 7 Ways to Pick Yourself Back Up!

From time to time, we all get a little down, maybe even a little depressed. Maybe we are feeling overwhelmed, or feel bad because we’re not doing well with our goals. There are many reasons for feeling down, and I’m not qualified to discuss all of them, their implications, or clinical treatment. What I can talk about are some things that have worked for me.
Feeling a little depressed can interfere with achieving our goals. We know we should be doing something, but we just don’t feel like doing anything. This can last for a long time if you don’t head it off as soon as possible and take action. Here are some of the things that work best for me:

Building Self-Confidence For Dummies

Learn Supreme Confidence HERE

We could all use a little more confidence in our lives. With a push in the right direction, you can discover how to carry yourself confidently at work, at home, and even in relationships. This friendly guide by Kate Burton and Brinley Platts shows you what confidence is and where it comes from, and offers practical tips and techniques to build on your skills, challenge your fears, and channel your energy into a more effective you.

• Discover how to Recognise your strengths 
• See things from a brighter perspective 
• Say ′No′ with confidence
•  Build confidence in others 
• Raise confident children

I can't remember how many copies of this book I have bought to give to people who are struggling to regain lost confidence or people lost within themselves unable to find their natural confidence. Well written, it's a great 'pick up/put down' book which seems to always fall open at the relevant page every time I open it! It's full of good advice and serves as a reminder of things long forgotten when you find yourself in a confidence dilemma. There are things to do and work on, tips and a wonderful collection of case studies which are helpful and useful for identifying with the situations described. I believe this book is a 'must' for anyone looking to regain or boost confidence and consequently get more out of life. This book accompanies me through life and has become a good friend.

By 

Linda Ogley

More Free Tips on Massive Confidence HERE
 
Buy it now from Amazon!

7 Simple Steps to Conquering Self-Doubt

Even the most self-confident among us will experience doubt from time to time. Because we can’t completely avoid it, we need a strategy that allows us to contend with, and conquer self-doubt. So, what is the difference between those who overcome this insidious foe, and those who are controlled by it?
Before we get into that, let’s talk a little about what doubt is, and why it likes to creep into our lives like a party pooper, and throw a wet blanket on our motivation.
Self-doubt is that feeling of uncertainty about your ability to accomplish something. This dark shadow of insecurity can lead to hesitation and indecision. If left unchecked, it can cause us to abandon our course or radically compromise our expectations.

The Breakfast of Champions!

One of my grumpy "friends" just dissed my Blog!

"Pah, nobody is 100% confident all the time.  It's freakin' impossible! Get real!"

But as I thought about it I realised that he was sort of right, because very confident people are quite comfortable in admitting that they don't know stuff.  They don't mind trying new stuff, getting it wrong the first time or three, but getting better each time until they master the new skill, or language, or knowledge.

BUT (and this is the point) they are confident that they can and will master it, and they do not mind getting it wrong a few times on the way.

You know the saying that the most successful sales people get most refusals?  That's because they don't let refusals sap their confidence. They just make more sales calls and get better and better at finding the best prospects and closing more sales.

The most successful business people are those that have made the most "mistakes".  When things do not turn out how they wanted or expected they do not bemoan their "failures".  They LEARN from them and make better decisions the next time.

One Hundred Per Cent Confident People do not know everything or always get things right.  What makes them successful is that they are comfortable not knowing and willing to learn.  They also know that there is no such thing as failure, only feedback!

AFFIRMATIONS - How to Use Affirmations to Manifest Your Desires

Affirmations are simple, positive thoughts, beliefs, words and phrases that affirm our life’s true desires.

Affirmations are positively expressing in words, thoughts and beliefs what we honestly want and who we wish to be in our lives.  Repeating affirmations over and over allows the subconscious mind to accept what we affirm as fact.  Our behaviour will follow accordingly.

Through affirmations we are able to think ourselves more positive, improve personal self-love, become healthier, stronger, more patient, kinder, more compassionate, more wealthier … the list is endless.

The words we use, our attitudes, our thoughts and beliefs send out an energy and vibration to the Universe.  Positive words and declarations send out positive energies.  Declaring positive affirmations help to break negative habits, thought-forms and mind-sets.

There is an often over-looked, but logical reason why affirmations work.  Affirmations are a direct communication with the ‘soul mind’.  The ‘soul mind’ has eternal wisdom and knowledge, and always resonates with our soul’s truths.

Fake It 'Til You Make It!

What do the world's most successful individuals possess that allows them to be so influential? What is it that gives a rock star, a politician, or an athlete the courage to perform in front of thousands, even millions of people, or a business leader the ability to keep churning out product after product that is game-changing but also high risk for his company? For these people to do what they do, they need a strong belief in themselves that allows them to persist in the face of failure and to keep trying, no matter their level of fear. They have an internal drive that tells them that they can succeed, that they have the ability to handle whatever comes their way. Is this characteristic unique to them? Or is it something we all can possess?

I wrote my first blog post on the importance of having a strong social support network, and I shared some research on the subject that made it clear that friends and family are key contributors to health and success. With this post I'm going to cover another tool that also leads to health and success, one that is not external but rather inside of each of us: confidence. Confidence is "a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities," and it plays an important role in building healthy relationships, achieving success in your professional life, and staying motivated. Fortunately, it can be developed easily with practice and perspective.

“Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway” By Susan Jeffers. A review and why everyone should read this book

You would think that a book titled “Feel the Fear and do it anyway” would only be about dealing with your fears, but it is not.  It is about opening yourself. living a fuller more fulfilling life and finding happiness, peace and balance.   Many of these self help style books are not cross culture friendly, meaning that they might not apply to you if you don’t live in the USA or Europe but not this book, it is written for a very wide audience.  You can read this book and benefit from it no matter how old you are or what your gender is.
We all have our fears and things that hold us back.  This book is not about fixing these fears or trying to find out why we have them, it is about overcoming them, accepting that we will always be afraid of things and how to use that fear as a stepping stone to get to where we want to go.

---

Some of my favorite concepts from the book:
Taking responsibility of our lives without blaming anyone else or beating ourselves up. I used to go back and forth to these two extremes and always felt stressed and unhappy. Now I can easily tell myself that other people’s happiness is not my responsibility without feeling guilty. My happiness is my responsibility and no one else’s. It is not fair or healthy to blame other people for what goes on in our lives if we have decided to give up control of our lives.

The Three Components of Shyness

Downlaod your FREE e-book on overcoming shyness HERE  

Can you remember the last time you stepped into a room full of strangers and felt that self-conscious and awkward feeling rush over you? Or that heart thumping moment when you wanted to ask someone on a date, but were too shy to do so? Or wanting to approach someone for business, but was too hesitant to actually do it? That anxiety in the pit of your stomach in social situations? Does it always feel like something is holding you back?

Regardless of whether you are introverted or extraverted, we can all relate to that feeling of shyness at some point in our lives. Socially, we tend to have the misconception that only introverts experience shyness, but that is not true. Shyness has more to do with being uncomfortable with one’s self, especially around other people.
This article is the result of collaboration between Amanda Linehan, an introvert, and Tini S an extravert. Together, we wanted to shed some light on the topic of shyness in a collective perspective from both extremes. We will also share the ways that we used to turn shyness into personal empowerment.

How to be Socially Confident: Power & Self Esteem

Confidence and self esteem are problems we all get to face at one point or another. Does this mean we have to live with it for the rest of our lives? Absolutely not. Learn how to be a much better person when being by yourself, and within a social situation.

Remember that no one is any better than you are. If someone can perform well in a social environment, why can't you? Really, what's the worst thing that could happen? Why do you feel better when talking in front of your family and friends, but not when dealing with new faces? We're all people with the same abilities. Stop wondering what others will think of you. Just get out there and do it.

Stop worrying ahead. When dealing with social situations, for example, people immediately start thinking about the public's reaction. Furthermore, have you noticed it's never a positive one? Do not get ahead of yourself. Do not start thinking "what if"; This will only turn any (negative) possible outcome into reality. Live in the present.

Do you need to develop more confidence and self esteem?  Check out the resources here.

 http://www.ehow.com/how_2080212_socially-confident-power-self-esteem.html