A man who doubts himself is like a man who enlists in the ranks of the enemy and
bears arms against himself. He makes his failure certain by being the first to be con-
vinced of it.’
CONFIDENCE IS CRUCIAL TO A HAPPY AND FULFILLING LIFE.
It influences
your success at work, your family life, relationships and leisure activities.
It affects your performance in everything you do.
A belief in oneself is
without doubt the greatest asset of all. Even great wealth and fame can’t compen-
sate for a poor self-image.
People who lack confidence and self-belief always underachieve. They’re less
adventurous and less likely to get the most out of life. They’re more prone to a
variety of stress-related problems, including anxiety, eating disorders and mental
health problems.
Low self-esteem is the fundamental cause of most family break-
ups, poor parenting and relationship problems. In addition, much crime is
associated with drug abuse, unemployment, poverty and aimlessness, all of which
are related to low self-esteem.
Time and energy devoted to building your confidence and self-esteem are nothing
less than investments in your whole life. The exciting thing is, no matter what
your history, background or current state of confidence, you – we all – can learn
to be confident, because it’s never too late.
First, develop self-awareness: know yourself, acknowledge that there are aspects
of yourself that you wish to change, and understand what has stopped you feeling
confident so far.
Your self-image – the way you see yourself – is made up of three core feelings
and beliefs:
■ Self-worth: the value you place on yourself – how comfortable you are being
you and the extent to which you feel worthy of happiness and success.
■ Competence: your beliefs about your capacity to achieve, solve problems and
think for yourself. This is what I mean by confidence.
■ Belonging: whether you feel accepted and respected by others.
Your assessment of your self-worth and feelings of belonging make up your
self-esteem.
Only one person can build your confidence – guess who? That’s right, you. If you
don’t do it, who will?
It will only happen if you make a firm commitment, set goals, plan a strategy and
take action. All of this means accepting full responsibility for yourself – deciding to
be confident and refusing to allow anyone to deflect you from your chosen
course.
Accepting responsibility adds up to never, never blaming other people for:
■ Your lack of confidence
■ How others treat you
■ Your thoughts, words and actions
■ Failures, misfortunes and setbacks
■ Or anything else.
Assume that everything that happens from now on is your own doing. Think and
behave accordingly. You’ll find it’s one of the most liberating things you can do.
You have the power....
You have the power to become confident, if you want to, and if you go about it the
right way.
Everyone has this power and it doesn’t matter how lacking in confidence
you are now.
You can change your way of thinking. You can use your imagination differently. You
can alter your way of speaking.
You can let go of destructive habits and change
your behaviour. You can do all this now, from this moment on. Then over time your
confidence will grow and you’ll feel better and better about yourself with each
passing day.
bears arms against himself. He makes his failure certain by being the first to be con-
vinced of it.’
CONFIDENCE IS CRUCIAL TO A HAPPY AND FULFILLING LIFE.
It influences
your success at work, your family life, relationships and leisure activities.
It affects your performance in everything you do.
A belief in oneself is
without doubt the greatest asset of all. Even great wealth and fame can’t compen-
sate for a poor self-image.
People who lack confidence and self-belief always underachieve. They’re less
adventurous and less likely to get the most out of life. They’re more prone to a
variety of stress-related problems, including anxiety, eating disorders and mental
health problems.
Low self-esteem is the fundamental cause of most family break-
ups, poor parenting and relationship problems. In addition, much crime is
associated with drug abuse, unemployment, poverty and aimlessness, all of which
are related to low self-esteem.
Time and energy devoted to building your confidence and self-esteem are nothing
less than investments in your whole life. The exciting thing is, no matter what
your history, background or current state of confidence, you – we all – can learn
to be confident, because it’s never too late.
First, develop self-awareness: know yourself, acknowledge that there are aspects
of yourself that you wish to change, and understand what has stopped you feeling
confident so far.
Your self-image – the way you see yourself – is made up of three core feelings
and beliefs:
■ Self-worth: the value you place on yourself – how comfortable you are being
you and the extent to which you feel worthy of happiness and success.
■ Competence: your beliefs about your capacity to achieve, solve problems and
think for yourself. This is what I mean by confidence.
■ Belonging: whether you feel accepted and respected by others.
Your assessment of your self-worth and feelings of belonging make up your
self-esteem.
Only one person can build your confidence – guess who? That’s right, you. If you
don’t do it, who will?
It will only happen if you make a firm commitment, set goals, plan a strategy and
take action. All of this means accepting full responsibility for yourself – deciding to
be confident and refusing to allow anyone to deflect you from your chosen
course.
Accepting responsibility adds up to never, never blaming other people for:
■ Your lack of confidence
■ How others treat you
■ Your thoughts, words and actions
■ Failures, misfortunes and setbacks
■ Or anything else.
Assume that everything that happens from now on is your own doing. Think and
behave accordingly. You’ll find it’s one of the most liberating things you can do.
You have the power....
You have the power to become confident, if you want to, and if you go about it the
right way.
Everyone has this power and it doesn’t matter how lacking in confidence
you are now.
You can change your way of thinking. You can use your imagination differently. You
can alter your way of speaking.
You can let go of destructive habits and change
your behaviour. You can do all this now, from this moment on. Then over time your
confidence will grow and you’ll feel better and better about yourself with each
passing day.