subject: Projecting And Building Your Confidence [print this page] Confidence: that elusive capability to project strength, wisdom, leadership and competence in the face of extraordinary -- or, even ordinary -- circumstances, even as we feel like collapsing on the inside. What this means, is that in every certain situation we exude the desired characteristics that make folks believe we are calm, poised and have the capability to pull through to the other side. In short, we believe in ourselves and we give folks grounds to believe in us, too. This capability to project confidence will stretch a long way in helping us be triumphant in life. This is especially bona fide in the business world, where projecting any sign of weakness is construed as an incapability to get the job completed effectively and efficiently. When you stop to think about how your bearing will viewed by your boss and your colleagues, you can understand why it is vital to be as self-assured in your abilities as possible. Not merely will this get you promoted in the place of work, but folks will seek your know-how and expertise in their own assignments which can moreover help you boost your career to the next level by being acknowledged as a leader in the place of work.
Additionally, having confidence helps us grasp the things out of life that we wish for. For instance, if you intend to ask someone out on a date, they are more likely to say "sure" if you are well spoken, clear and concise versus fumbling over your words and dropping your head so as to dodge eye contact. In fact, eye contact is the single characteristic that folks -- when surveyed -- thought was the biggest aspect in whether or not they had confidence in someone else's abilities. In fact, having good eye contact and maintaining it provides the other person with feelings honesty, confidence, and trust in how they perceive you to be as a person. This will go a long way in helping you portray a confident image, one of strength and the capability to get things completed -- both professionally and personally -- rather than giving someone pause in how they might regard you. Even if you do not feel it on the inside, it is vital to project in your outward appearance and behaviors that you are a person who believes in yourself. This will, in turn, provide others with the confidence they need in order to believe in you as well. Without this capability, you may perhaps discover yourself in a very isolated situation in your place of work and your home life that may well leave you very sorrowful.
So, now the question becomes how to build the confidence levels you need to interrelate in the day to day world so that you can attain the goals you have in life. For many people, this is going to be the hardest part of breaking out of their usual behaviors, but with hard work and practice, it can be done. The first, and best place to start, is by starting up random conversations with folks you come in contact with. Do not start large, though, your means to success is going to be doing what you can manage and building from there. It is best to start with something innocuous like the weather or a major current event. The conversation itself does not have to be more than a few minutes long, and while you are speaking, practice eye contact and speaking with a clear composure that will get your opinions across succinctly and in a style that is straightforward to understand. By doing this several times a day, you will start to feel more comfortable and assured in the things you have to say, this will, of course, seep into your entire life and you will be well on your way to developing the confidence you long for.
