Confidence

“You are where your thoughts have brought you; you will be tomorrow where your thoughts will take you.” - James Allen

“My parents instilled a sense of pride and confidence in me…I never even thought of losing. In high school, I boasted weekly — if not daily — that one day I was going to be the heavyweight champion of the world.

As part of my boxing training, I would run down Fourth Street in downtown Louisville, darting in and out of local shops, taking just enough time to tell them I was training for the Olympics and I was going to win a gold medal. And when

I came back home, I was going to turn pro and become the world heavyweight champion in boxing.

I never thought of the possibility of failing — only of the fame and glory I was going to get when I won. I could see it. I could almost feel it. When I proclaimed that I was the "Greatest of All Time," I believed in myself. And I still do.”’ - Mohammad Ali

The dictionary defines self confidence as "Freedom from doubt, belief in yourself and your abilities." It is a myth that confidence is the opposite of humility. Confidence is an opinion you have of yourself. The thing about confidence is that you can actually get it by what others think/feel about you. Confidence affects how you see yourself, the belief you have about your ability and character. Self confidence is an opinion you have of yourself. When you approach something with doubt and fear, that is exactly what you create...doubt and fear.

Productive performance begins in your head. Your thinking is the main productivity tool it is the most important performance factor. Control your life by controlling your thoughts by:

Perceiving which thoughts are of benefit to you.
Applying good reasoning with how you think.
Remembering times when having an optimal thinking mentality has created confidence in your life.
Creating end result of your wants but realize it starts with how you think.
Imagining you have what you want before you have it.

Remember these 4 points as you reach for success:

Whatever you believe, with feeling becomes your reality.
If you have negative beliefs about yourself, you will get negative results.
The starting point of great success is to challenge and eliminate your self-limiting beliefs.
You don’t get what you want in life. You get what you believe. What you believe is who you are!

“If you can control a man's thinking you do not have to worry about his action. When you determine what a man shall think you do not have to concern yourself about what he will do. If you make a man feel that he is inferior, you do not have to compel him to accept an inferior status, for he will seek it himself. If you make a man think that he is justly an outcast, you do not have to order him to the back door. He will go without being told; and if there is no back door, his very nature will demand one.” ― Dr. Carter G. Woodson, The Mis-Education of the Negro

“If you think you are beaten, you are If you think you dare not, you don't, If you like to win, but you think you can't It is almost certain you won't. If you think you'll lose, you're lost For out of the world we find, Success begins with a fellow's will It's all in the state of mind. If you think you are outclassed, you are You've got to think high to rise, You've got to be sure of yourself before You can ever win a prize.Life's battles don't always go To the stronger or faster man, But soon or late the man who wins Is the man WHO THINKS HE CAN!”

Walter D. Wintle

When you have confidence you :

Are selective, remembering mainly the positive events in the past.
Focus on the present.
See the future in terms of what can be done instead of what can't happen.
See challenges as problems to be solved.
View setbacks as temporary.
See good outcomes arrived because of their effort.

If you have a negative limiting belief, here is how you can turn around that belief to create power in your life.

Fill in the blanks:

My limiting belief/negative is...
The way it limits me is by...
The way I want to be, act and feel is...
Write an affirmation on what you want to be, act and feel.
Memorize that affirmation and repeat it to yourself daily.

Have:

Confidence to take action without any guarantees of success.
Confidence to risk failure over and over on the road to success.
Confidence to stay focused and have persistence through adversity.

Critical Questions

What do I like/admire about myself?
What are my goals today?
What will I do to move towards these goals today?
What will make each task today most profitable/beneficial/enjoyable?
How can I best utilize my greatest talents/strengths?
How can I bring bring the best in myself and others?
Why do I know I will be successful?

“The power behind believing is, the more you believe in yourself, the more you become the person you believe in.”

Avoid Negative Self Talk

I can’t
I don’t know how to
I am not smart enough
This is too hard for me
It can’t be done
That is the way it is
I wish I could
I should but I can’t
I need to
I ought to
It is impossible

Confidence Quotes

You gain strength, experience and confidence by every experience where you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you can not do.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
“Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you’re in control, they’re in control.” – Tom Landry
“He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat.” – Napoleon Bonaparte
“I was always looking outside myself for strength and confidence but it comes from within. It is there all the time.” Anna Freud
“You have to be, before you are.” – Cordell Davenport
“If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.” Mahatma Gandhi
“If it is to be, it is up to be.” – William Johnson
“If you doubt you can accomplish something, then you can’t accomplish it. You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through.” Rosalyn Carter
“If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence, you have won even before you have started.” – Marcus Garvey
“People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success.” – Norman Vincent Peale
“In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can.” - Michael Korda
“Instead of giving myself reasons why I can’t, I give myself reasons why I can.” - Unknown Author
“It is always easier to believe than to deny. Our minds are naturally affirmative.” – John Burroughs
“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford
“You can determine who confident people are by listening to what they don’t say about themselves.” – Brian G. Jett
“You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them.” – Michael Jordan
“I demand more from myself than anyone else.” - Dr. J
“Confidence doesn’t come out of no where, it is a result of something.” – Roger Staubach
“Confidence is a lot of this game or any game. If you don’t think you can, you won’t.” Jerry West
“One important key to success is self confidence. An important key to self confidence is preparation.” – Arthur Ashe
“Confidence is the feeling you have before you understand the situation.” – Unkown Author
“Confidence is a habit that can be developed by acting as if you already had the confidence you desire to have.” – Brian Tracy
“Confidence is contagious. So is lack of confidence.” -Vince Lombardi