Build Your Confidence!!

a person can talk the talk, but can a person walk the walk? many can say a lot of things but can action be done? we should be confident and don't be afraid to let loose and dare to dream something big BUT never ever be OVERLY confident or else you'll get very depressed when it plummet. 

it can't be taught but it can be practice and learn with experience. so here are a few tips for confidence.

1. focus solely on things that you do well. clear your mind over negative thoughts. for example; you learned that you're not a good cook but you try your very best to cook something for your friends or family or boyfriend and expect them to appreciate it. then you realize someone else cooked better than you or either packed foods make them feel better which in return makes you lighter and release you to do what you're best at. Hence, the more time you spend on things you're good at, the more confident you'll feel. 
2. energize your talk. modulate your voice and smile when you speak, even on the phone. this forces your tongue up behind your teeth so that you enunciate more clearly hence undulating your voice with more enthusiasm and excitement resulting others to respond to you positively. 
3. plan for more "me time" . spend on something that you'll like to do instead of doing out of duty. we all have obligations but there is negotiation to such matter. if you plan to go gym every Saturday morning and has become a regimen which there is no fun to it. so give yourself a break on one of the Saturdays to pamper yourself or doing any other things that you can't do on most Saturdays. 
4. be assertive. be firm about your feelings and emotions without alienating others. plus be subtle and pleasant so to not hurt others. and also hear others point of view before attacking. those who feel considered are more likely to be considerate too. 
5. envision success. close your eyes and imagine good things around you through the day and seeing yourself being confident and coping, while ending the day with a recount to family and friends where you hear yourself using positive phrases like "that went well" or "is going to be a good day". do it everyday in the morning or night for a few months. eventually you will start living in it!
6. relaxation. relaxation is vital for creative thinking and and imagination or innovation. it helps to solve problems too. by relaxing, slow down your breathing by counting to five while breathing in and again while breathing out. if it's more than 12 minutes means you're breathing too shallowly and fast. so just CHILLAX!!
7. all i do is win! wining comes in every shape and forms and think yourself as a winner. if you mix with people who do well, that's your win too. if you're doing something and you're enjoying it, well that's your win too.
8. mix with friends. surround yourself with caring and considerate people, not those who denigrate or ignore you. make sure they make you feel good about yourself. although confrontation is all very well but there will always be someone better than you, so why beat yourself to prove to be better? 
9. deal with disappointment. there will be times when somethings don't go the way you like them to. you can feel upset about it. label the seriousness of the failure and you'll bounce back faster while avoiding those erratic cycles of highs and lows which can be quite exhausting. 
10. be inside out.  a person who is outside-in craves for attention and only care for themselves. while becoming an inside-out person focuses on others. so just sit back and look at your surrounding in the school, restaurant, at the park etc. you'll become more confident as others respond to your openness and interest in them. 

hope it helps :)

credits to CLEO magazine sept 2010 issue.