Confidence. It never goes out of fashion. Confident people have a strong sense of security, a vision, they understand their unique purpose, and most of all, they trust and love themselves.
Confidence affects every aspect of your life- your "wellness wheel", as I like to say. Therefore, have confidence greatly affects your physical, emotional, social, intellectual, vocational, even your spiritual well-being. That is why confidence is so important. If your "wellness wheel" is out of balance, you will over-compensate in some areas while not giving your all to others.
Today, let's explore why CONFIDENCE is so important and what you can do to become more confident!
CONFIDENCE makes you HEALTHY. Think of it like this...Happiness, Optimism and Positivity is opposite of depression, anxiety and negativity, right? When you are feeling happy, optimistic, and positive, you are more open to movement and exercise, which creates those endorphins (chemicals made during exercise that interact with receptors in the brain the trigger the "feel good positive feeling" in our body!) And how can we boost our happiness and optimism? I am a huge advocate for Gratitude Journaling. Our clients with The Sisterhood Coaching go through 12 weeks of learning how to change their mind-set by using specific writing prompts for journaling and daily intentional time set aside for cultivating happiness! Research has shown that by using a gratitude journal, confidence is increased, and most people find an energy they haven't felt for a long while.
CONFIDENCE helps you create your STRONG SENSE OF SELF. You become confident in YOU. You advocate for your self and learn that you have a VOICE. A lot of that comes from learning to silence the negative self-talk, and instead, change the voice inside of yourself first. Talk to yourself in the mirror. Look yourself in the eyes and give yourself some affirmations. It takes practice...I know it can feel silly at first. But speaking your words out loud to yourself in a mirror helps create the habit to say positive things to yourself through out the day and MEAN IT, because you know you have already looked yourself in the eyes and said it. The more you can speak lovingly and positively to yourself, the more your words will become confident to others.
CONFIDENCE allows you to have pride in your VALUE. Often, confidence and self-esteem are linked. And many times, I have found many of the women (and men, too!) that I have spoken with or worked with, lack self-worth because they feel they have no value. They have not yet become confident in what wonderful creation in God they are, and what purpose they are here to fill. Once that confidence begins to grow, the value in themselves grow. (Guess what? They were incredibly valuable the entire time!) Your value is not built on how pretty your face is, what kind of car your drive, how expensive your clothes are...your value is recognized by your character and your belief that you are worth more than silver or gold!
CONFIDENCE help you COMMUNICATE. Yes, confidence is seen in your body language- from the way your carry yourself, stand tall, or sit without a slouch- to your words- from speaking calmly, being assertive, and taking a moment to think before you speak, - to eye contact- looking others in the eye, having a strong handshake, and moving with purpose with a smile on your face- your confidence is always speaking for you! Additionally, CONFIDENCE allows your to be a better listener, as well. And that is the first step, really, to being a great communicator!
CONFIDENCE helps you SET and REACH GOALS. Goals you did not even think you could, would, or should be capable of. It is interesting, there have been clients in the past who initially worked with me (prior to The Sisterhood Coaching...way back when I was just me doing it on my own, and if you never read the story of how my sister changed my heart, read the first blog here!) who started with a particular goal, but it was evident they were holding back. When we finally got to what they REALLY wanted in life, they felt they were either not good enough, didn't have the money for it, they were too old, among many other reasons...and do you know what we did? We set those goals anyway. And once the confidence was built, would you like to take a guess as to what happened? They not only reached those goals, but they completely made amazing life-changing differences in so many areas of not only their own lives, but the lives of many around them. They GREW their confidence, thus growing who the were as a person and what they were capable of.
and with this...CONFIDENCE helps KICK FEAR TO THE CURB! Fear is the ultimate liar. Only confidence (okay, and God!) can tell fear to take a hike!
CONFIDENCE improves your RELATIONSHIPS. When you communicate better and feel more positive about yourself, you are more present. As you become more confident, you no longer compare yourself to others. I believe, at some point, we have all done that in some way, whether it is comparing our looks, our job, our intelligence, our kids!!!! (yes, I've been in those situations where mommy's felt they were horrible parents because they were comparing children's progresses)... and here's the thing- we are not immune from having doubt or feeling jealous sometimes. Even the most confident person may feel that for a moment. But it's important to remember that by taking that deep, cleansing breath, and remembering the many reasons why you are standing tall, knowing your self worth, and communicating in that positive way! Relationships, all relationships, require that deep, cleansing breath sometimes! But as a confident person, you will be able to handle anything that comes your way!
Which leads me to the final one- with CONFIDENCE, you are RESILIENT. Confidence is so important because it allows you to face life's many adventures! And if at first you don't succeed, your mind set is "YAY! I get to try that again! This time I will try..." Resiliency, and the art of bouncing back, takes strength, courage, and confidence!
God created us all for a special purpose, and I know that I am made in God's image, doing His work. For me, I always feel that I am exactly who I am supposed to be because He continues to help mold me, and that, well, that is what makes me feel so confident.
If you would like more information on changing your life to be better today than it was yesterday, creating a more CONFIDENT you, please give The Sisterhood Coaching 12-week Confidence Coaching package a whirl. You can email us directly at thesisterhoodcoaching@gmail.com or of course, sign up to follow us!