How to Increase Confidence and Achieve Your Toughest Goals
Confidence is key in any area of your life.
Without confidence, you can’t close the deals at work.
Without confidence in yourself, you will stay at a job you hate forever.
Without confidence, you’ll be pushed around by the world.
But confidence isn’t something you are born with, it’s something you CAN acquire.
If you think powerful CEO’s, Olympic athletes, and world-class performers are born confident…you’re wrong.
Confidence is just a habit that is developed over time.
As Robert Kiyosaki said, “Confidence comes from discipline and training.”
You can learn to become confident from people who have more discipline and training than anyone else in the world. They are commonly known as the toughest people on the planet — Navy Seals.
They go through the most difficult training on Earth often times surviving freezing cold temperatures, insane sleep deprivation, and grueling physical and mental pain.
Then, they experience HELL week.
A week where they get four hours of sleep over 60 hours and spend most of the day and night in the freezing cold being wet 24/7.
If there’s anyone that can teach you confidence it’s them. Use these habits to start developing your own confidence and start taking control of your life.
1. Focus on RIGHT NOW
Navy Seals are trained by the best psychologists in the world to survive and thrive in the most extreme conditions.
One of the first principles is a “right now” philosophy. For example, if they’re on a 20-mile run they’re taught only to think about finishing the run.
They aren’t thinking about what’s happening afterward or how bad the run has been so far. They focus only on the short term to help them accomplish their biggest task.
As George Lucas said, “Always remember, your focus determines your reality.”
What you focus on determines how you act and feel.
You can also use your focus without going through HELL week to benefit from this training technique.
The next time you exercise, make sure to set a goal for your run or workout. When it gets close to the end and you feel like quitting focus ONLY on finishing the specific exercise, nothing else.
Or, the next time you have a big project at work, set an end goal and focus only on that until you are finished.
Quit thinking so far in the future and start focusing on finishing the task.
2. Imagine How Good It Will Feel When It’s Complete
The next time you’re facing a difficult task or feel like you can’t succeed, look to your past successes for extra motivation.
Navy Seals are taught to think or write down 20–30 things they have done successfully in the past to use it as fuel to make it through hell week.
You can do the same by listing out your past accomplishment. It could be getting the promotion, losing weight, buying a home, signing a new client, etc.
After thinking of enough wins, you will start to feel pleased with yourself. Then, take this feeling of success and imagine how it will feel when you successfully reach the goal you are trying to accomplish right now.
As Muhammad Ali said, “The man who has no imagination has no wings.”
Use your imagination to transfer those positive feelings you are experiencing to focus on finishing the task at hand.
The best part is that you can do this over and over again.
Eventually, you will provide your brain with enough experiences of success that will only further deepen your internal confidence.
3. Keep Breathing
How many times have you wanted to quit when a goal gets tough?
The little voice in your head will begin to tell you it’s over, give up now, don’t even bother trying to finish.
Then, two thumbnail-sized portions of your brain, the amygdala, will take over. The amygdala is responsible for ensuring you are safe and secure.
When you feel yourself failing it’s your amygdala having a panic attack thinking you are in trouble.
Stop this feeling of panic in it’s tracks by flooding your body with oxygen.
As Eckhart Tolle said, “Be aware of your breathing as often as you are able, whenever you remember. Do that for one year, and it will be powerfully transformative. And it’s free.”
The best way to beat this primal reaction is to start using a breathing technique Navy SEALs learn early in training.
Inhale deeply for a count of six. Hold it for a count of two, then exhale for a count of six.
You should completely empty your lungs.
Do this three times anytime you are feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious.
When you do this you will lower your blog pressure and flood your brain with oxygen. This takes it from a panic state to understanding that everything okay and you’re not in danger.
Keep breathing!
4. Cheer Yourself On To Keep Going
Your brain is wired for negativity, it’s always trying to keep you safe.
If you think it’s just your brain with those negative, pesky little thoughts you aren’t alone. Humans experience 40–70,000 thoughts per day, up to 70% are negative according to Psychology Today!
To help battle those negative thoughts SEAL’s are taught to create their own positive voices.
They will mentally say things like, “You can do it. This is easy. Don’t worry about that mistake.”
They are their own best friends during their toughest challenges.
You can do the same by not focusing on your past failures as your brain is already going to do that for you. Instead, focus on being a positive voice of reason.
Become your own cheerleader.
Combat your negative, pre-historic mind by overwhelming it with positive self-talk and to encourage belief in yourself.
The next time you’re anxious, nervous or worried before or during an event use these techniques.
Remember, confidence is built up and acquired over time.
If you want to be successful in life you need to be confident. With yourself, your abilities, and your attitude.
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