Prosperity and happiness seem to be directly proportional to
self-confidence. Individuals with initiative and persistence tend to
achieve more than others who, despite possessing larger resources,
behave timidly and confusedly.
Methods that don't work
Childhood experience plays an
important role in building a strong personality, but nobody can do
anything to change the past. If you wish to increase your level of
self-reliance, you are going to have to use your creativity and take
action in the present.
Methods that recommend repeating
encouraging phrases to yourself seldom produce lasting effects.
Monotonous messages, whether positive or negative, dull the mind. Such
practices result in boredom, not in a dynamic personality. The systems
that work are those that involve our mind and emotions at the same time.
Two key elements
The
goal of increased self-assurance should not be pursued for the needs of
the moment, but for permanent improvements in our lives. Changes in our
fundamental psychological patterns have little worth if they cannot be
stabilized and maintained.
A better future must entail a
consolidation of any gains in self-reliance that we may be able to
attain. A man cannot become self-confident just for a single day. An
isolated incident that provokes major psychological changes contradicts
human nature, although it may provide an interesting story for a film.
The
main drivers of our personality are incredibly stable. Even minor
changes require tremendous effort or sustained external pressure. The
only methods that can effectively increase our self-confidence are those
that, little by little, realign our thinking patterns according to
consistent principles. The keys to a strong self confidence are having a clear long-term goal and taking consistent steps in that direction day after day.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I
refer you to my book The
10 Principles of Rational
Living
Text:
http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com
Image by Jule_Berlin under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license
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