What's Holding you back?

Self-confidence, easier said than done. No one could ever say that they don’t have a pinch of doubt in themselves. No one can deny that while they’re taking a risk, they don’t feel their hearts skipping a beat or two. We all have those moments when our palms get sweaty, our pulse starts racing, heart beating so fast that you can feel that it jumped and landed in your mouth.

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I don’t know how your self-doubting moments look like. I only have mine. But I think some of you can relate to this. I am quite a confident person but even then when I talk to someone who I feel intimidated, I stutter a few words while talking to them. Sometimes when I’m trying to explain something to a crowd, I feel my pulse racing. When I cross the road, I get agitated and make carefully calculated steps. I fail at tasks, I shut down for a while or take a moment to regain composure.

NO, I don't think so. All these signs only telling me that I'm strong and confident. I'm not a superhero but a human. Maybe being human is my superpower. Give yourself this same pep talk when you self-doubting. Your self-worth is much more than that. I have used a lot of words with "self". Let's ignore that for now. Even superheroes have their moment of doubt and failure. Do you remember that scene from The Dark Knight Rises where after failing a few times Batman finally made the jump out of that hole? Well, he failed a few times, didn't he? Did he decide to rot in that hole? Nope Sir, he did not. The reason I brought it up because I wanted you to project yourself being trapped like that and trying to get out of the hole of self-doubt.

You see, we have many self-confident people around us. And even though they won't use a lot of motivational speeches, just a regular chat with them will make you feel refreshed and full of life. The confident people have the kind of an aura that affects everything around them, it inspires others.

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Well, it's not easy at the beginning. You have to start working on how to project a positive image of yourself to others. When you start reflecting on a positive side of yourself, then people will start giving you positive feedback which in turn will fill you little by little with confidence.

So first things first, you need to start working on your Body Language. A person with low self-esteem often walks with a slight slouch. So if you see that in yourself, then correct your posture and try to walk and sit straight and maintain that posture. Don't lower your head, keep it on the level, not too high, not low at all.

Face-to-face Communication is also important when it comes to building up your confidence. You'll feel that you're stuttering a little or trying to put words into sentences often while engaged in this type of communication. It happens, do not be bother about it. So, when you're talking to a stranger for the first time, greet him/her with a smile and start with small talk, while you do that, maintain eye contact. Pay attention to how they're reacting towards you. You can also try practicing speeches in front of a mirror, that way you'll not only have practice but also it will help you when you stutter due to loss of words.

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