Overcoming Negativity and Embracing Empowerment

In a world saturated with negative news and constant updates on global turmoil, it’s easy to fall into a cycle of self-doubt and insecurity. Last week, I delved into my own experience with this confidence-sapping phenomenon – too much of consuming and internalizing negative news.

The more I immersed myself in the world’s problems, the more my motivation to pursue my dreams and embrace new challenges dwindled. In fact, I would often feel utterly helpless.

Then I put mindfullness to work.

I started noticing what thoughts and unconscious beliefs rushed through my mind after yet another session of news consumption. Well, more often than not, I’d be thinking, why would anything I do even matter, who needs it when the world is in this state?! The sensational headlines and negative trends in the news are designed to grab our attention, to shock us, to want to know more gruesome details, and to make us feel like everything is coming to an end. Recognizing this detrimental pattern was just the first step towards reclaiming my confidence.

Before we can make any meaningful changes, we must embark on a journey of self-awareness. This involves reflecting on our experiences and pinpointing situations that consistently erode our confidence. Negative self-talk, incessant comparison, and fixating on past failures are some of the culprits that sabotage our self-esteem. By acknowledging these confidence drainers, we lay the foundation for a more empowered self.

So If I find something that takes away my confidence (following the news) and decide to do less of it (stop reading it every day), there has to be a way to do more of that which increases and feeds my confidence, right?

Harnessing the Power of Positive Affirmations

Counteracting self-doubt requires deliberate effort, and one effective strategy is adopting a practice of positive affirmations. Every day, we can take a moment to remind ourselves of our strengths and past accomplishments. A technique known as “stacking” can be particularly impactful here. Recall your moments of glory and achievements, and internalize the idea that if you’ve accomplished it before, you can certainly do it again. This practice, endorsed by renowned speaker and life coach Tony Robbins, has the power to elevate your confidence and make you feel empowered. We often unconsciously stack negativity, entering a cycle of disempowerment – so why not consciously stack positivity for a change?

“I started ‘stacking the good’ in my life. Like, let me stack a dozen great memories — feel them, see them, and experience them. And I felt this biochemical change that didn’t just last a half-hour or an hour, … it went on for a day or two. So I’ve learned to stack the good.” – TONY ROBBIS

Practice Makes … Confidence

You have probably heard an old adage Practice Makes Perfect. Well, since a few years back, most of the influencers and self-development mentors prefer to say Practice Makes Permanent, emphasizing the fact that with consistency we can practice a skill to the point of mastery. With this said, nothing improves our confidence more effectively than actually doing the thing we want to be more confident at. It’s exactly like cultivating a skill – it requires consistent practice.

I know it sounds so simple, you really did not need to read my blog post to know that to become more confident in something, we must actively engage in that activity more often. Everybody seems to know that! And yet, many of my friends will tell me: “ I do not want to try this, because I do not have confidence I can do it. ” I just want want to scream: “This is exactly WHY you need to do it: start messy, start insecure, start scared, but start ANYWAY!”

Dedicate time to hone your skills and immerse yourself in the tasks that you want to excel at. Mastery breeds confidence, and as you see your competence grow through practice, so will your self-assurance.

Goal Setting: A Stepping Stone to Confidence

If you resonate with the previous point, but still do not know how to procede, setting a small, but achievable goal is pivotal to your confidence journey. Break down your larger aspirations into smaller, manageable objectives.

Let me reiterate: “Start small, start messy, start insecure, start scared, but start ANYWAY!” Something will come out of your action. On that, you build on.

As you achieve these milestones, relish in the sense of accomplishment. These small victories contribute significantly to a positive self-perception and embolden you to take on bigger challenges.

Surround Yourself with Positive People

This is a significant aspect of personal growth! The individuals we choose to have around us wield a profound influence on our confidence journey. It’s essential to actively seek out those who uplift and empower us. Positive role models can effectively counteract the impact of confidence-dampening factors. When you’re in an environment that nurtures positivity, you’ll find yourself feeling more capable and supported.

However, remember that it’s not just about cheerleading. It’s equally important that the individuals who encourage you also possess the willingness to be candid and straightforward. They should share and impose on you the same high standards they expect from themselves. This dynamic fosters an atmosphere where you’re compelled to raise your own standards and align with the group’s collective ethos.

Often, the people who truly resonate with our goals and aspirations aren’t necessarily our family or relatives. To find like-minded individuals, we often have to venture beyond our immediate circles. Expanding our network is essential for personal and confident growth because the power of surrounding ourselves with positivity cannot be understated. This process involves seeking out role models, mentors, or coaches who can propel us beyond our comfort zones. But unlike our family and our usual circle of friends who readily provide reassurance (regardless of our actual progress) these mentors and coaches relentlessly push us to excel, reminding us of our true potential.

Therefore, constructing a support network of individuals who uplift, challenge, and resonate with our aspirations can significantly elevate our confidence levels. As we step out of our comfort zone and seek out those who share our values, we initiate a transformative journey toward greater self-assuredness and success.

In our everyday life negativity is a given, it is our default mode. We must actively seek out the positive and consciously live up to our higher standards. Maintaining confidence then becomes an ongoing battle that demands mindfulness and effort.

It is only by embracing self-awareness, adopting positive affirmations, setting achievable goals, and surrounding ourselves with positivity, that we can rekindle our self-assurance and confront challenges with renewed vigor.

Please consider sharing your journey from self-doubt to confidence that happened in the past -why was it a transformative one for you? And see how you can begin once again, nurture your confidence from within to get to a new level of success.