Building self confidence - confidence in yourself
Confidence skills can be learned and building self confidence is something you can achieve. In this fifth part of the building self confidence article, we look at confidence in ourselves.
 In this article we are looking at five elements that contribute to your level of confidence and they are:
How we think and behave in these five areas will have a big impact on our level of self confidence. Confidence in ourselves
Improving confidence in ourselves develops a self-running self improvement cycle. External positive image and body language generates a greater level of self esteem, on a sub-conscious level, which reinforces our external posture. With a healthy level of confidence in ourselves you will be taken more seriously at work, at home and among our friends. You will be the one people will naturally move toward when leadership actions need to be taken. Building Confidence in OurselvesOne last time - there is no magic solution to building self confidence, but there are some things that can be done on a self-help level. Practice these things and you will begin to develop better confidence in yourself. Know what signals you send. How you hold your head, arms, in fact, every part of your body is influenced by the opinion your have of yourself. Believe it or not, the simple act of standing with a straight back and holding your head higher not only projects a greater level of confidence in yourself, it acts on a sub-conscious level and actually makes you feel better about yourself. Try it now. It might take several experiments to get it right so try it when talking on the phone next time or when waiting in a bank queue. Most of all, smile and you will feel much happier! Know when to tone down your signals. Following on from the point above, know when to hold back on the "commanding presence". It is not always appropriate to be forthright and confident. Be aware of the expectations in each situation. For example, when you just need to be part of the team, ease up on the command presence and go with the flow. When circumstances call for a leader, rise to the challenge with confidence. Know your own worth. You deserve to be heard as much as the next person. Believe deep within yourself that what you have to say is extremely valuable. There are always times when silence truly is golden, but when the time is right and you have something valuable to contribute go right ahead. Knowing that you are worthy to be who you are and where you are right now can be a difficult position to attain. Your sense of worth depends on your existing beliefs about yourself. Begin to eliminate your negative beliefs by working on the external signals. See the first point above (Know what signals you send). Observe others. In any gathering of people there will be some who seem to rise up and command an audience. Pick a good spot and relax. Now watch them, their body language, their eye contact, their movements and the air of confidence surrounding them. Observe the unspoken communication that is always going on. Now look around at the people who seem to be invisible and are having little or no influence on the proceedings. Notice the difference. Now practice these extremes over a period of time. It will take time, but you will find that with ongoing observation of other leaders and practicing the elements in this guide, you will begin to master the art of confidence in yourself. Select any of the five elements of self confidence below or return to the start of the building self confidence article. Confidence socially | Confidence with our peers Check out the self help resources page for books, CDs and DVDs that will help with building self confidence. Go to the top of Building Self Confidence - Confidence in Ourselves
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