WEEKLY BLOG:  Boost: A Quick Burst of Inspiration When You Need It, Nov, 20, 2018

“You are very powerful, provided you know how powerful you are.” -Yogi Bhajan

Confidence is as essential to thriving as water is to hydrating our bodies – we need it to function adequately in every area of our lives. Imagine what your life would look like without it… What kind of people would you attract in it? What kind of efforts would you make? How would you walk or what would your posture look like without it?

However, there are different types of confidence, and it can be helpful to differentiate the two when you run into problems with it.

Overall confidence is like an umbrella, where it permeates many areas of our lives. Some of us are doing fine with our confidence in the general sense – we’re productive, content, achieve the goals we set out for ourselves and so on.

On the other hand, some people shine in specific areas, like community involvement or social networks, specific skills or talents etc.

The reason it’s important to see these two sides of your confidence is because this is where you can draw strength from when it takes a hit.

For instance, if you’re not feeling great about yourself overall, remembering some of the specific areas where you shine can help give you an emotional boost. And vice versa – if you’re not feeling good in a specific area, look at your overall picture of your life and how well you’ve done generally. Keep this in the forefront of your mind when you’re not feeling at your best and need it.

The following are other tips for a quick boost of confidence. It may be handy to jot them down on a little card or in your phone for an easily accessible quick fix.

• Make a commitment to spending 10 minutes a day doing something that inspires you, as a great way to start your day or as a way to recharge.
• Rev up your habits to ones that promote feeling good about yourself (i.e. create an inspiring morning ritual).
• Have a positive ‘go to’ mantra that really hits home regarding how you feel about yourself during moments of angst or self-doubt, and hold steadfast to it.
• Use pictures of yourself in social media or in other ways that seems to convey feeling great and self-assured. Seeing yourself this way can be a great inspiration regarding how you want to feel at other times.
• Learn. There’s an old saying, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you always got” (Author Unknown). The more we learn, the more we grow into the person we aspire to be.
• Find a mentor. Who inspires you? Follow them on social media or read their material or make them a part of your life in some way, so you can continue to grow and feel good on a regular basis.
• Pay attention to your thinking. Positive in equals positive out, or as James Allen candidly puts it in his book As A Man Thinketh, “Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. This is but saying that nothing can come from corn but corn, nothing can come from nettles but nettles,” (p. 9, 1902).
• Make the decision to be the person you aspire to be and stick with it. Take yourself seriously, be your own advocate and make self-confidence a goal and an essential part of your life – just as important as healthy eating, getting good quality sleep and so on. You’re worth it.