1. Stand tall: strong posture is the key to radiating confidence. Standing up straight helps create a better postural alignment, uplifting feelings and ability to access your inner confidence resources. It also optimises your breathing and thus oxygenation of the brain and body. This, in turn, contributes to greater calm, clarity and confidence. Think of somebody who is an example of confidence and model your posture on theirs. Practice in front of a mirror and notice the difference.
2. Smiling and laughing are the quickest ways to disperse any worries or hang ups. Plus, it floods your body and mind with endorphins; the happy hormones which make you feel great. Release the laughing Buddha within by remembering happy moments and watching funny videos.
3. Focus on the parts of your body that you do like. This will help you appreciate your assets and what you do have rather than what you don’t! When we zoom in on what we’re really lacking we can easily get disheartened. Similarly, when we focus on what we do have we instantly feel better. Remember all the genuine compliments and pick your top five features, for example gorgeous eyes, beautiful smile/teeth, pretty toes, great arms, booty-licious butt. Look at yourself through the eyes of love instead of criticism.
4. Don’t use food as a reward; instead of reaching for a cheese-laden pizza or a calorific ice cream, treat yourself to a new swimsuit or pop the money you would have spent on sweet treats into your dream vacation pot. Eat and drink yourself beautiful! Have a green goddess juice for a radiant complexion, enjoy a grilled chicken salad for lunch and fish with vegetables for dinner to eat yourself svelte. Still craving something sweet? Grab a delicious frozen yoghurt topped with berries for a cooling treat.
5. Be kind to yourself and learn the power of empowering selftalk. Our internal voice is powerful and can significantly influence our feelings of confidence. When the inner chatter is positive and encouraging, we feel better about ourselves and are more likely to go after our dreams. Conversely, when it’s negative and critical, we tend to feel unsure of ourselves and talk ourselves out of opportunities before we have even tried.
Therefore, the quality of our self-talk has a profound effect on the quality of results we get in life. Luckily, we can control this voice instead of being at its mercy. Here is a quick tip: Take a note of the negative habitual suggestions from your “inner critic” and then write down positive opposites to empower you. Repeat the new mantra to yourself daily, in a new, confident tone.
6. See yourself looking and behaving in a confident manner. Sporting champions use visualisation to imagine winning repetitively in order to “hard-wire” their brain and body for successful results. Whatever the mind can see, the body can do. The more positive the movie we are running in our mind, the greater our feelings and behaviour of confidence.
7. Now that you have cultivated your true inner confidence with the above strategies, reward yourself with a trip to a beauty salon or a shopping trip for some new fit kit. The right hairstyle, make-over and styling can really enhance your best assets and make you look and feel a million dollars! Enjoy it, you’re worth it.
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