“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit at home and think about it. Go out and get busy." - Dale Carnegie

Introduction:

Do you look at some people and think they were born confident... they just seem to have the courage to do anything, confidence oozes out of them and you watch from the side line wishing you had the 'magic' fairy dust that could make you grow 10 feet tall and feel bullet proof too?

Let me CONFIDENTLY share their secret... they were not born that way, they worked to become that way. So I know you can too!

How do I know?

I have done ALL the tips and strategies I am about to share with you in this blog, I once lived scared, uncertain, nervous, overwhelmed, self conscious ... and the list goes on, and transformed that into feeling confident in just about everything I do, and try.

Your brain actually LOVES learning, so here are 10 tips & strategies to put in your 'magic fairy dust' 🧚‍♀️box to start building your Confidence Muscle today! 👊

Let me go 'sciencey nerd talk' for a moment.

Before I became an entrepreneur, I was a Medical Scientist. I learnt the brain is 'Neuroplastic' ... yes this soft mooshy lump of billions of cells known as the brain, is forever firing and wiring thoughts, feelings, emotions, actions, way beyond childhood, into adulthood.. well actually forever.

BUT, this is a BIG BUT, is determined by the internal and external input.

Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change and adapt due to experience. What that means is the brain's ability to change, reorganize, or grow neural networks. This can involve functional changes due to brain damage or structural changes due to learning.

Armed with this 'mind blowing' 🤯 fact, YES you can train your brain to become more confident through various strategies and practices. Confidence is often a result of positive thinking, practice, training, knowledge, and talking to other people.

Strap on your thinking cap and read on with an open mind!!

1. Positive Self-Talk

Now I am not saying stand in front of the mirror and chant affirmations, although positive affirmations when done properly can rewire negative thoughts with positive self talk (yes there is a right and wrong way to practice affirmations).

Another misunderstood practice is the practice of gratitude. In this instance, I am referring to learning how to focus on what’s going well in your life. Now this can be very difficult if your life is messy, and I can honestly say when I was sick and homeless facing bankruptcy, I had to dig VERY deep to find ONE THING to feel grateful for. But when you have to dig deep, you can often find ideas to get you out of living face down in the mud!

I go deep into the brain effects of positive affirmations >> in this blog where you can also download my free 21 Days of Positive Affirmations.

2. Set and Achieve Small Wins & Goals

Now I am not going to write a boring paragraph about S.M.A.R.T. goals... but what I am going to tell you is to do-the-doable. What ONE thing, a small task, you can you work on this week.. or today, that you can tick off your success list?

A big goal is like a book. It has chapters. Big goals can only be achieved in steps (chapters), for example, how to loose 10kg.

Set a 10 week plan > Aim to loose 1kg per week > Find a suitable meal plan > Get a food diary and prep your meals each week > Start a light exercise regime 3 days week > Have a 3L daily water goal > Track progress > Celebrate daily wins > Seek support via a coach if needed.

The MOST important step in the above example is Celebrate daily wins. This creates a positive feedback loop in your brain to keep going, resulting in momentum towards your 10kg goal!

3. Visualization

Yep! I am going there!! Many 'non-believers' think this is a load of mumbo-jumbo 'woo woo' stuff!

Denis E. Waitley (born 1933), is an American motivational speaker, writer and consultant, is known for the science that backs up what we visualise in our mind has the exact same body response in our body as though we were physically living the experience, example running a race. His work was so respected he served as Chairman of Psychology in the U.S. Olympic Committee's Sports Medicine Council, responsible for the performance of all U.S. Olympic Athletes.

I can prove this phenomena. When I was a competitive swimmer age 7 - 14, my coaches taught me these 'mind movie' techniques of winning the race in my mind. I reproduced that in the pool and went on to become the regional champion and represent my state.

I believe visualisation has been a powerful contributor for me overcoming many obstacles and becoming a powerful manifester of goals and dreams becoming reality.

Disclaimer:

If your thoughts and visualisation has a negative bias, most of the time that comes true too!

Many of my teachings involves using detailed and vivid imagery to boost your self-belief.

4. Prepare and Practice

You have to be prepared to train your brain for confidence!! Building confidence is not a random act, or a 'one and done', nor are you gifted at birth with this magic. It's like fitness, work your confidence muscle a little bit every day to get the benefits.

You don't have to get it right, or have the perfect plan, you just have to start! Making tweeks and adjustments as you go is the name of the game, but the secret sauce is ACTION!

Practice, practice, practice taking action. Practice the new things regularly to build the skills, that builds competence, reduces feelings of anxiety and builds your confidence muscle!!

I literally did the 5 4 3 2 1 Goooooooooooo for decades. This is a mind trick of courage and leap of faith before your 'cave-man' survival brain puts the brakes on.

5. Learn from Mistakes

So now that you have been practicing, it's important to reflect. We ALL make mistakes, and it's important to view 'failures' as learning opportunities. Let me give you a REAL LIFE example.

The first time I was asked to teach on stage, I was TERRIBLE! I was so nervous I wanted to vomit, I had a cold sweat, my hand was shaking so much holding the microphone I thought I was going to pass out. My voice was also shaking, and I was so embarrassed.

I wanted the ground to open up and consume me on the spot!!

That was the beginning of my speaking career! I made it my mission to learn how to become a confident speaker, and volunteered for both digital and live speaking events so I could master the skill.

I have now spoken to audiences of thousands of people and feel excited to share my wisdom.

Another real life example. Most people have heard some version of the light bulb 💡 invention. Thomas Edison is believed to have done over 10,000 experiments to finally create light in a glass bulb. He is known for saying that he didn't fail 10,000 times, he just found 10,000 ways it didn't work! GENIUS!!

6. Develop a Growth Mindset

To train your brain for confidence, you have to embrace challenges with enthusiasm and persist through setbacks. Yes it's scary, overwhelming and sometimes feels impossible, but all the points spoken about so far are your stepping stones to a more confident you.

I believe in you!! So it's time you believe in your ability to grow and improve with effort. We all start at zero.

That's why I have put together a powerful mini course >> Build Kick *SS Confidence in Life & Business to deliver the psychology, the knowledge and practical steps to take back your power and build courage and resilience whilst achieving your goals and dreams.

7. Surround Yourself with Positivity

Who are the five confident people you can hang out with, observe, ask them questions? To train your brain for confidence, it's imperative to spend time with supportive and encouraging people and limit exposure to negative influences that bring you down.

This was a priority for me to avoid or limit time with ALL toxic people in my life, including family!

One of my favourite quotes from Rumi "Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames"

8. Take Care of Your Physical Health

Training your brain for confidence means have a healthy body also! When you exercise regularly you get so many happy hormones (endorphins) that reduces stress and boost mood.

Remember, your brain is not a garbage bin, nor is your body. Avoid junk food, maintain a balanced diet and get enough sleep.

9. Practice Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques

This is such an important process in training your brain for confidence. You may not understand or practice mindful techniques, but science proves engaging in mindfulness meditation helps you stay present and reduces anxiety. Also using deep breathing exercises, has an instant calming effect on your heart rate and your mind.

A major part of my personal practice and professional teaching is in the holistic and metaphysical practice of mindfulness and relaxation techniques. They are Life Changing Life skills to learn for confidence and stepping into you greatness.

10. Educate Yourself

If you want to train your brain for confidence, DECIDE to become a 'Life Learner'. Curiosity encourages creativity and trying new things. When you keep learning and taking action, it is a powerful step in training your brain for confidence.

Keep seeking to gain knowledge and skills relevant to your goals. Make a point of continued learning to build self-assurance, it becomes a success habit after a while, and you also start to enjoy the growth journey of your new capabilities and confidence!

Try this: Answer these 3 questions

1.  What are my strengths?

2.  What limiting beliefs am I holding onto?

3.  Am I taking action and stepping into the best version of myself even when I am fearful?

Conclusion:

Recapping 10 Tips & strategies to train your brain for confidence.

1. Positive self talk

2. Set and achieve small wins and goals

3. Visualisation

4. Prepare and practice

5. Learn from mistakes

6. Develop a growth mindset

7. Surround yourself with positivity

8. Take care of your physical health

9. Practice mindfulness and relaxation techniques

10. Educate yourself

Implementing these strategies consistently can help rewire your brain, leading to increased confidence over time. Remember that building confidence is a gradual process and requires courage, patience and persistence.

Start your journey NOW with >> Build Kick*SS Confidence Mini Course. The Confident New You 2.0 will thank you for taking that 'leap of faith'.

I got you!

ALWAYS IN YOUR CORNER

BIG LOVE & GRATITUDE

Lisa X

Watch this short video as Lisa explains how to train your brain for confidence