Archive for the ‘Inspiration’ Category

3
Jan

Be confident – Believe it and you can achieve it!

42-17108898

I was recently asked if I had always been confident. I had to admit, that I wasn’t always confident and still don’t always feel confident.  I would often wear my insecurities on my sleeve. And as a result I would sometimes be taken advantage of or not achieve a particular goal. I’d worry what other people thought of me and was greatly influenced by external factors.

I have tried to remember if I had an epiphany or heard a great motivational speech that had made a difference to my level of confidence – I couldn’t.   I realized ultimately it was about decision and what I chose to believe. I had to decide who I wanted to be and how I wanted to be for my success, achievement of my goals and to live a fulfilling life.

A recent quote by Carrie Wilkerson, strengthened my view on this.

“… Until you change your mind about who you are and whom you chose to impact and what you want to be and what you want to do, until you change your mind about it, you cannot achieve it. Until you believe it, you cannot achieve it.”

Confidence is crucial to a happy and fulfilled life.

Confidence influences all areas of your life and a healthy self-image and belief in yourself is the greatest asset you can have.

People who lack confidence and self-belief always underachieve.  They are less willing to try something new, less likely to be realise their potential and to be their best self.  They tend to be prone to stress, anxiety problems and low self-esteem is a causative factor in mental health and family breakdowns.

It doesn’t matter at what point you are starting from. What matters is that it is never too late to be the confident person you want to be – you can decide and learn to be more confident today.  Otherwise, consider the alternative.  Professor Maslow stated,

” If you deliberately plan to be less than you are capable of being, then I warn you you will be unhappy for the rest of your life.  You’ll be evading your own capabilities, your own possibilities.”

You have the power to become more confident in your life, career and business – but begin with making a decision and believing you have the power to achieve and be successful.

Choose confidence.

KAMAKA Action Tip

Here’s an exercise to help you get you focused on being the best that you can be:

Consider your skills, experience and expertise and record three “I AM’ statements, reflecting positive attributes, your skills, gifts and how you want to be known.  Compliment yourself. Remind yourself of who you are and not what you think others think about you.
3 »I AM Statements:

I AM _____________________________________________

I AM _____________________________________________

I AM _____________________________________________

“What you think, so you will become.” — Napoleon Hill

2
Jan

It’s What Successful People Do…

iStock_herogirlMedium

If you limit your choices only to what
seems possible or reasonable,
you disconnect yourself from what
you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise

(Robert Fritz)

As we begin another New Year, like many others you may be reflecting on 2011 and how successful a year it was?

Did you achieve the goals you set for yourself?  Was it a year with many challenges and frustrations?

Whatever, 2011 had for you, it’s now the time of year many of us look forward to the future…creating new plans and setting goals.

But, one essential factor we often miss is the mindset we have and take into the New Year…

“ Oh well let’s see how this year goes, can’t be worse than last year”.
“Let’s just go with the flow and see what life brings us…”
“There is nothing we can do, we are after all in a recession…”
“It’ll be another 10 years before I’m out of debt”
“I’ll not be getting my promotion this year.”

Well, that’s one approach.  But a negative one.  It’s easy to complain.  In fact, its almost a given in our society to complain and be happy with being discontented.  Are you really comfortable with being discontented?  Are you OK with not quite reaching your goals?

So how do you achieve the success you want?  How to you achieve great things in your business?  Until you want change enough and are desperate enough – you will remain comfortable in your discontent.  Change requires decision – a change in mindset.  Make up your mind to achieve your goals and be successful. First and foremost, you have to choose and believe you have the power to do it.  That’s mindset.

(more…)

26
Apr

People who lack confidence always underachieve

Stand out and be noticed

Confidence influences all areas of your life and a  healthy self-image and  belief in yourself is the greatest asset you can have.  People who lack confidence and self-belief always underachieve.  They are less willing to try something new, less likely to be realise their potential and to be their best self.  Sound familiar?

I believe confidence is crucial to a happy and fulfilled life.

Professor Abraham Maslow said,
” If you deliberately plan to be less than you are capable of being, then I warn you you will be unhappy for the rest of your life.  You’ll be evading your own capabilities, your own possibilities.”

Strong stuff, but you can become more confident and be the person who fulfills their potential.   It doesn’t matter at what point you are starting from. What matters is that it is never too late to be the confident person you want to be.

Consider two numbers.

The first, how confident are you?  Rate yourself out of ten where ten means that you can achieve absolutely anything, no barriers, no obstacles. And zero means , you simply cannot see yourself getting very far and you feel incapable. Reflect on the ‘number’ you have given yourself.

Now consider, what you could achieve and how you would feel if you were more confident?  - this is your second number – how high would you like you confidence to be?

You now have your two numbers, your ‘confidence scale’ for this time in your life. So how how are you going to get from your first number, where you are now, to where you want to be fulfilling your potential, your second number?

Here are 3 actions that work and will move you towards greater confidence.

  1. Remind yourself: Think of the last time you achieved something you were proud of.  Now list all the qualities and strengths you demonstrated.  Remind yourself, you are capable of far more than you think.
  2. Create a Confidence Journal – Use this journal to remind yourself of positive truths, affirmations and compliments about you.  Record inspiring ideas, thoughts and confidence boosters quotes.
  3. Set the goal. What would you dare to dream if you had total confidence and knew you could not fail?   Make a list of ten goals you’d like achieve over the next few months.  Choose the one that would have the greatest impact on your life and truly reflect your increased confidence?  How will you know you have achieved this goal?  Now write down the goal so it is specific. Make it clear and measurable with a timescale.

Goals in writing are dreams with deadlines. - Brian Tracy

So now its up to you.  You have the power to become more confident.

Add this affirmation to your confidence journal, “ I am responsible – its up to me, I am responsible for everything I do and I choose to be confident.”

For more tips please see my blog post ‘ Women and the confidence thing – Part 3: Building your Confidence’

7
Feb

Women and the Confidence thing 2: Fearless and Fabulous

Continuing this series on confidence KAMAKA is hosting our first seminar of 2011 – Fearless and Fabulous.

So here’s your invitation:
Dear brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous business woman

Have I got it wrong?  Is this not exactly how you describe yourself all the time? Well  if not you are if you are like many female business owners or aspiring business owner, where the lack of self – confidence is hampering their success or continued success.

How many of the followup statements resonate with you?

  • I can’t do public speaking – what elevator pitch?
  • I’m nervous around new people, particular when I have to enter a networking event
  • I’ll never get that contract
  • I’m not good enough
  • I need more contacts
  • Who is going to buy my service anyway, there are far more experienced people out there?
  • I don’t know what to say at networking events? No point going?
  • What elevator pitch?
  • I can’t pull a presentation out of the hat
  • I’m just faking it
  • I was just lucky getting that referral
  • I don’t want to appear pushy
  • You feel uncomfortable or perhaps slightly shocked when asked for your business card

Any of this thinking sound familiar to you?
Instead do you want build your confidence and be the fearless, fabulous business leader you are?
Join us

‘Fearless and Fabulous’ for Women Business Owners

Thursday 10 February 2011 
9.30 – 12.30

Developing Authentic Presence, Profile and Impact

‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?

Book now.

Limited places. 
http://fearlessandfabulous-linkedin.eventbrite.com/

4
Jun

Charisma – part of your leadership presence

picresized_1276897691_eloquent-eyes-18Charisma – have you got it?  Do you recognise it when you see it? Who do you think of when considering charismatic people?  Dalai Lama? Tony Blair? John F. Kennedy? Margaret Thatcher? Mother Theresa? Fabio Capello

Barak Obama said of his wife,

Most people who meet my wife quickly conclude that she is remarkable. They are right about this. She is smart, funny and thoroughly charming. Often, after hearing her speak at some function or working with her on a project, people will approach me and say something to the effect of, you know, I think the world of you, Barack, but your wife, wow!

Charisma is a powerful and effective quality.  So what is charisma and can it be learnt? Do you become more charismatic with confidence?

Charisma can be defined as ‘compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others’. It can be daunting to imagine yourself as a charismatic leader if you don’t feel it comes naturally to you.  However, although there are no quick fixes to becoming more charismatic, charisma is a learnable set of skills which can be built and which, when embodied, will become a highly desirable attribute contributing to your success and leadership presence.

Research and a number of studies conducted have shown conclusively that charismatic leaders are more successful.  They appreciate the impact that charisma can have on their effectiveness and work to develop it as part of their leadership presence.  Charismatic leaders attract more publicity and more attention from outside groups as well as exerting strong connections within within their organisation.

Here are some suggestions to help you develop your charisma and leadership presence

Connection to a higher purpose: Charismatic individuals seem to have a greater sense of purpose beyond their own gain. Be purpose focused and get in touch with the bigger vision that drives you and remind yourself of this daily.

Authenticity and Uniqueness: It’s great to be you, so give yourself permission to be true to you demonstrating your passion – it is attractive

Communicate and hone your presence: Communication is both holistic and cognitive – you need to think about your presence in terms of specific communication. Clarify your messages to make them clear and coherent. Only 7% of our communication is through words, thus how we ‘present’ ourselves, the tonality of our voice, image and body language is key to communicating who we are. Your communication and the image you present create the first impression in any situation. In conversation consider so much about leadership isn’t about you but that other person.

Self- awareness – ‘know thyself’: Emotional intelligence is a crucial part of charisma. Awareness of emotions and the ability to manage moods are key skills for charismatic individuals, as is empathy for others. Learn to connect with your own feelings and listen to others.

Health, energy and appearance: Key to charisma is health. Charismatic people need not have perfect smiles or gym bodies, but they do have a vitality and abundance of life. They also nearly always manage their appearance well. So value your health – this includes good sleep, water, exercise, recreation and diet.

The role of the body: Charisma is an embodied quality. It is apparent from the moment an individual walks into a room. Charismatic people ‘own the room’ and they convey charisma by their posture and movement.  Manage your posture and practice carrying yourself with confidence and dignity – standing tall, carrying your weight firmly in each step and ‘owning the room’.  Observe how charismatic role models carry themselves.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, which frightens us most. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and famous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? (Marianne Williamson)