4 ways to increase self confidence

(Edited 21st February 2019 to remove broken video link.)

 1. Draw up a ‘disciplines sheet’.

The idea here is to track the ways that you make and KEEP promises to yourself. As you notice following through on your own commitments to yourself, you gain confidence. – With thanks to Jim Rohn. Search for him on youtube!

You need to pick a title for this piece of paper that means something to you. I LOVE the idea of being a disciplined person, so often i call it a disciplines sheet. Sometimes I call it a HABITS sheet or a STANDARDS (as in personal standards, for my own behaviour / activity.) sheet. Tony Robbins might call it a RITUALS sheet.

This piece of paper is designed to help you build positive, productive habits, and as you complete them and keep your promises to yourself, you gain confidence knowing that you are getting things done and achieving things already. You’re the kind of person that gets stuff done. You keep your promises.

The trick here, to start with, is to pick something that’s both easy TO do, and, easy NOT to do. (Thanks Jim for coining that phrase too…)

Firstly, a question: Do you make your bed in the morning? I hadn’t since I was a kid. If you don’t, that’s the one to go for. It’s easy to do and not to do, it’s clear and obvious if you’ve done it or not, and it takes no time. So if you don’t already do it, that’s number one…

First week, I’d just go with one activity. It seems easy, but success is doing it every single day, no exceptions. Be honest with yourself!

Once you’ve done a week of making your bed (if you already do that see below for other ideas), when you draw up the sheet for week 2, add another habit you want to develop, in its simplest easiest form.

Other ideas could be: Spend 5 mins (remember it’s got be REALLY EASY to do) writing or generating ideas for a blog, play the piano for 5mins, spend 5mins generating song writing ideas, put those trainers on and go for a 5min run. – Make it fit your personal goals and plans.

Notice the 5 min pattern. This is really important! Don’t think ‘well I should at least aim for 15 mins.’

No! 5 mins! 😉

What we’re doing here is conditioning you into the HABIT, building the habit, that’s the only goal at this stage.

Write your habit(s) down the side of piece of paper.

Draw 7 small boxes in a row across from the task.

Pin this piece of paper on your wall near your bed. When you wake up, do your morning routine, but before you get on with anything or look at Facebook, look at this sheet.

Ask yourself, ‘What would I like to do now?’

Every time you do one of the things, put a big tick in the box and write the date in.

This builds confidence in your own ability to keep commitments you make to yourself, and achieve these (admittedly small) goals. Get used to ticking the boxes and getting the stuff done before you pick a bigger task. Give yourself the chance to get used to enjoying succeeding!

This sheet will become a record sheet for your weekly activity victories.

DO IT NOW!

Here’s mine for the week starting the day after i publish this blog…

2. Visualisation and meditation.

There is so much already written about this, but if you’re not already doing it believe me it can give you an incredible boost even in really tough times.

Set aside time to vividly (as in with intensity) imagine your perfect outcomes / goals.

See my other posts on ‘feeling alright’…

Check out:

‘The Power of Your Subconscious Mind’ – Joseph Murphy

‘Mindstore’ – Jack Black (+ his blogs, and consider his courses…)

3. Read empowering stuff.

I’ll be posting a ‘recommended reading list’ in the next week or so, then doing some short review / summaries of those books in the next few months, so keep an eye out.

For now, try anything I’ve linked to in this and previous blogs, but if I had to pick one, I’d go for ’The Magic of Thinking Big’ – Dr. David J Schwartz.

Or ‘Mindstore’ – Jack Black

Or ‘Think and Grow Rich’ – Napoleon Hill

Or, no, I’ll leave it there for now…

4. Build the team.

Few people do anything completely on their own.

If you can get an ally on your team, whether they are there for practical advice or just moral support, you’re going to have a better time.

Maybe you can construct a whole team of people, and move towards a common goal?

Exciting.

… I’ll be talking in a lot more detail about this one in future posts.

Questions or comments? Want to talk through your plans / challenges?

Email me: john@key-idea.co.uk

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