5 Tips For Building Inner Confidence (By Helen Leathers)

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation, and go to the grave with the song still in them."

Henry David Thoreau

This quote makes me sad. Mostly because I think it is probably true. The mass of men - and women - go to their grave with the song still in them. I want to inspire people to stand up and sing their song!

Why don't most people sing their song? Why do they lead lives of quiet desperation?

Is It Because They Lack Confidence To Do It?

There are loads of ways you can pretend to have confidence - to fake it 'til you make it! There are workarounds that might give you a bit of a boost - wearing those heels, or a particular outfit perhaps. But what if you could develop complete inner confidence so that you could shine regardless of where you were, what you wore, or who you were with?

How do you develop confidence like that? Well, here are my 5 tips that have worked for me

5 Tips For Developing Awesome Confidence

1. Know Your 'Why'. What is your vision, your mission or your purpose? If you have ever had an absolute mission you will know how focussed and unstoppable you can be. If you have never experienced this, think about the vision that Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson, Angeline Jolie, even Madonna (I love her, but some people don't) have. They know exactly what they want from life, what their mission is, what song they must sing - And they damn well sing it, don't they? Finding your purpose is massive. Having a vision for how you want your future to look, why you are doing what you are doing, who you would like to help or inspire are all reasons 'Why'. What is yours?

2. Follow Your Intuition. I know, I talk about this a lot, and there are many reasons why that is. When you trust in your intuition, you just know that the right people, places and things will appear, as if by magic. Ladies, when we work with our intuition we stand in our power - we engage with one of our feminine superpowers! And it is amazing. We can feel guided, lucky, safe, on track, and ultimately confident.

3. Breathe! Take a breath before you walk into a room. Breathe deeply before you have to stand up and speak. Breathe from your belly - that means not holding your stomach in by the way - allowing your lungs to fill properly. Breathing is especially important if you have to present, or even just do a 60 second pitch at a business event. If you know how to breathe correctly - allowing your stomach muscles to relax on the in breathe, and then using them to help actively expel the air as you speak and exhale, you will also sound more confident and be able to project your voice further. Your voice will sound more full and rounded rather than wispy or quiet.

4. Energy. You need enough energy to keep yourself full of life and vigour, this is really practical and also a bit more esoteric. This is a vast subject but think about enough sleep, good exercise and fresh air (get those happy hormones flooding your bloodstream), great nutrition, quiet time, and what ever else you need to ensure you are at your optimum. But also understand how to ground your energy to help with confidence in the moment. It can be as simple as planting your feet firmly and evenly distributing your weight rather than standing (wobbling) on one leg - especially if you're in heels ladies! Bend your knees slightly and just imagine roots coming out of the soles of your feet. This sinks your energy in to your lower body and helps you to be present in the room. Excellent just before speaking or, if you feel a little overwhelmed go in to the toilets and do it before going back to the event!

5. Posture. Posture can have two different meanings here. The way you stand physically, and your approach or attitude. When you believe in what you are doing (see point no. 1) and you have the right energy, and trust your intuition, you will have a positive approach and attitude, and people can sense that. In terms of physical posture, stand tall, ground your energy (see above), shoulders back, engage your core (that's your stomach muscles if you're not sure) and lift your head (as though someone is pulling a strand of your hair from the top of your scalp so that you extend your neck, keeping your chin level with the floor). When you stand tall and confident, it is almost impossible to feel un-confident. And if you start to slip into that feeling I can almost guarantee that your posture has slipped. Think of old TV clips of soldiers on parade

Each of these will give you a confidence boost, but used consistently over time, and combined together you will find such inner strength that you will feel confident in almost every situation.

Please don't lead your life in quiet desperation, please discover what song you are supposed to be singing and start to share it with the world. Even if it is just with those closest to you. Don't go to your grave with your song still inside.

http://ezinearticles.com/?5-Tips-For-Building-Inner-Confidence&id=9456988

Plant Now, Harvest Later

Nowadays, it seems that everyone wants to be treated with respect and kindness, but tend to forget how to treat others in an appropriate way. We should remember that the things we do to our fellow should be the most important things of all. Anyone can perform good deeds for publicity sake. However, if we do it wholeheartedly, there is no need to have witnesses of our actions.

People should never forget to do good deeds, because a good deed is a nice opportunity to show the real beauty inside us It would be easier to live if we do good things to other people. For example, by trying to inspire people around us with optimism and teach them how to move on with life, without realizing it; we can also get sympathy and encouragement from other people when we are down.

When we do a good deed, we are helping someone. Besides helping someone, doing a good deed lighten our burdens and makes us feel good about ourselves. Helping others gives us a new perspective because we are focusing on someone other than ourselves. We are reminded that we are not the only one in the world who have problems. There are some people whose problems are worse than ours. We have to help without expecting any return at all.

When we perform a good deed, there is a possibility that someone may have seen us, or may have been told about our good deed. By doing so, we are able to develop a good morale that could sometimes wiped out some of our other flaws. Just like anybody else, each of us have imperfections.

When we share what we have, we may find that the rewards are so great because of the feeling of a sense of self-satisfaction and self-gratification. We are able to help people in their times of need. It's incomparable. We may not have all the material wealth but our moral support can also be of great help.

In addition, our good deeds may influence our children and other people in our community to follow suit. Without having to convince others, just by simply by doing, we influence and lead others by our example.By building a reputation as an honorable person, we feel powerful and able to stand taller, and present ourselves as someone who is worth loving, caring, even hiring and promoting. When we are generous with our fellow, they will, in turn, be generous with us.

Instead of wasting time and energy in complaining about other people's misbehavior, we can start assessing ourselves and then be a role model to our friends and family. By leading a good example to help, the world will become a better place to live in. By encouraging others to move on, we can truly feel some comfort in knowing that when we ever need help, there is a good chance that there will be someone out there to help us in our time of need.

In doing good deeds, we are attracting other people to do the same. If we plant it now, we will harvest its fruits later when we encounter the same predicament.

If we invest good deeds today; we will surely harvest the return of our investment in the future.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Plant-Now,-Harvest-Later&id=9299871

John Addison: Going Through a life Change? Why You Have to Follow Your Heart

When I took my first job after college, my goals and ambitions were pretty small. Words like executive, and CEO weren’t even in my wheelhouse. I just wanted to make enough money to be able to cover my part of the rent on the small apartment I shared with a couple of buddies and have enough left over for the weekend. A company called Life of Georgia had a position that met those needs. It was a job I hated and wasn’t very good at. Why they kept me on and moved me into a management trainee program is beyond me, but I’m grateful they did because it started a chain of events that changed the course of my life forever.

I worked at Life of Georgia for two years before I decided it was time to make a change. It was partly because I’d already made one huge change—I’d married the bright, talented young woman they hired to replace me when I moved into the management trainee program. I’d also decided to pursue my MBA and needed to have a job closer to mine and Loveanne’s apartment to make getting to Georgia State University after work easier. So I answered an ad for a business analyst at an insurance company called A.L. Williams that was about 10 minutes from our apartment. I was hired and the rest, as they say, was history. That company was later renamed Primerica, the place I spent the rest of my career.

But my story could’ve ended much differently. When I gave my notice at Life of Georgia, I was called into the office of my former boss, who was also a senior vice president of the company. His name was Gerald Padgett and he was not too impressed with my decision to go to work at A.L. Williams. Actually, his exact words were, “John, you’re a bright young man, but you’re making a dumb mistake.” I had a bright future with Life of Georgia, but, according to him, I was throwing it all away with a fly-by-night company that would probably barely last longer than the inspection sticker on my car. Here was this man who was much older than me with a lot more experience essentially telling me I was headed down a path to ruin. That is a lot for a 20-something-year-old newlywed to take in. If I’d called my new employer and told them I’d changed my mind and stayed on with the company I knew would be there for the long haul and would provide me with the income to support my wife and our future babies, no one would’ve blamed me.

Of course, I would’ve never been co-CEO of a major company. I would’ve never helped create one of the most successful IPOs in the history of the financial industry. And I would’ve never had a platform to motivate and inspire people all around the world. Basically, I wouldn’t have become the man I am today and I sure wouldn’t have been happy.

Change is an inevitable part of life. It’s part of growing and (ideally) getting better. And it’s almost never easy—even the really good changes, like marrying the love of your life or moving on to a better job. It’s human nature to wonder if you’re doing the right thing and to second guess yourself to a degree, especially when other people aren’t exactly supportive. If you aren’t equipped with the right tools to handle the situation, this stuff can derail your plans and cause you to miss out on great, life changing opportunities. 

There isn’t a single thing in this whole life that is 100 percent certain other than death and taxes. Neither of those is too pleasant—nor is stagnating in place because you let fear, what-ifs and the negativity of others hold you back. You never know how making a big life change will turn out, but you’ll never find out if you don’t go for it. If you want to be successful and thrive, keep moving forward—even when you feel like you’re moving forward alone. It’s not going to be easy and it’ll definitely be a little scary. Do you think I left my secure job at Life of Georgia and moved on to A.L Williams without being scared out of my mind? I had no idea what I was getting into and it took me a few years to really grasp what it was all about. But it was absolutely worth it, and had I not made the change, I would’ve spent the rest of my life regretting it.

Make a pact to yourself the very minute you decide to make a life change that you will follow your heart and not the words of others just to please them. You will never be able to please all the people in your life and if you pass up opportunities or adventures trying to, you will live a life of regret. I’m not saying to write anyone off or be hateful to them for expressing their concerns. I’m just saying to let them have their say—and then do what you know is best for you.

Life moves on the smallest of decisions. So does destiny. Every change you make in your life, big or small, is creating your destiny. It’s shaping your story. Let your story be about the hero who was willing to make a change, even when it seemed crazy and he didn’t have much support and not about the guy who let fear stop him and lived a life of regret, wondering what his life could’ve been like.

http://www.success.com/blog/john-addison-going-through-a-life-change-why-you-have-to-follow-your-heart

How to Do What You Love and Get Paid For It – In 4 Simple Steps

                  

I have a friend who makes most amazing clay mugs in her spare time. She’s a legal advisor, but her dream is to make a living from designing clay mugs.

Her mugs are so beautiful that undoubtedly I would be her cheering customer. Yet, she doesn’t see mug making as a profitable occupation – a “realistic” profession in a legal field sounds safer.

The same goes with many people. It’s saddening to see human beings laboring in occupations they have no heart investment in, and it’s even sadder that they believe they can’t make their hobbies into profitable occupations.

It’s not necessary to spend entire lives slaving in occupations we don’t enjoy – we can easily do what we love, and get paid for it.

Here are the 4 steps that will help you do just that.

1. Transcend the common opinion

It’s harmful to subscribe to society’s standards of how people should be like and what’s considered “success”. As a result of this conditioning there are many broken lives. The societal pressure convinces us through fear-based “evidence” to choose profitable occupations at the expense of soul finding and inner fulfilment.

Transcend the common opinion. Free yourself from damaging media suggestions, fear-based parents’ advice and prejudiced friends’ opinions. You are a limitless being free to realize yourself at this moment. You don’t need to seek permission to do your heart’s work from anyone but yourself.

I don’t have qualifications to teach people or to inspire people, but I’m doing it. Nobody gave me permission to become a blogger or even believed I could become one – but I’m blogging for 6 years now, absolutely loving it and prospering from it.

Transcend the common opinion. Do what feels right, what you love. 

2. Believe you can

If you don’t believe in yourself, others will surely not believe in your ability to achieve goals. You’ll give off the vibe of failure, and repel people who would be your perfect customers/partners and other supporters. Money materializes in your life through people paying for your goods and services, so it’s vitally important to leave the first impression that says “success”.

Believe in yourself – you start believing in yourself when you accept yourself fully. Lovingly accept your imperfections knowing that were’ all imperfect. That, of course, shouldn’t discourage you from improving yourself – it’s actually easier to improve yourself when you fully accept your current limitations.

3. Trust the creative process

That’s probably a harder step for most – it surely was for me. It took me a long time to fully trust the creative process, sometimes even now fear tries to grip me with questions such as:

“What if nobody will come to my workshops?”

“What if something goes horribly wrong and I lose all blog’s data and it would not be recovered?”

“What if nobody orders my ebooks or coaching?”

Once I get such thoughts, I externalize them as not mine but coming from societal beliefs. It’s a widespread belief that small businesses can hardly survive these days and that entrepreneurial work is too risky. I thank the fear for sharing humanity’s beliefs and then focus on this affirmation:

“I fully trust the creative process. I know that by trusting this process I’ll always be in the right place at the right time, getting exactly what I need for my personal growth.”

It works every time.

I hope you will come up with an equally empowering affirmation to counteract discouraging moments testing your belief in your Self and your goals. You can use this one if you find it inspiring, of course!

4. Create massive value and charge less for it

When you find the work that you love, believe that you will succeed and fully trust the creative process, it’s time to create massive value and charge less for it.

That’s how people continuously prosper – through giving more than people pay for. The best model is to create so much value for free that people cannot help but pay you in any way they can to say thank you, and to make it easier for them to say thank you by creating products or services to pay for. Blogging provides an ideal prospering model, therefore.

This kind of giving will generate so much talk about you that you’ll prosper through all the referrals alone.

And even if your work isn’t available for free but you charge less for what your wonderful products and services are worth, you will still prosper. It’s not my idea of how to become abundant – great business leaders have exactly the same opinion; Henry Ford comes to mind as someone who always emphasized this law of abundance.

Conclusion

By applying these four straightforward steps…

1. Transcend the common opinion

2. Believe that you can

3. Trust the creative process

4. Create massive value and charge less for it

…you will stop slaving for money without heart and will start creating because you love to do so, whilst getting abundantly rewarded for your heart’s labour.

Doing your heart’s work should be everyone’s top priority, and the more people would do it, the more compassion, happiness and meaning there would be in the world.

http://simonarich.com/do-what-you-love-and-get-paid-for-it