Although we don’t admit it all that much, everyone wants to improve their self confidence and there is always room to grow. Since I discovered Personal Development a few years ago, my self confidence has continued to grow and improve. Many people don’t realise how much better their lives can be by improving their self confidence. If you appear confident, you are more approachable, more likeable and believe it or not you are mostly treated better. If you have ever gone for a job interview and missed out only to find out someone less qualified than you was given the job, I can tell you that they probably appeared much more confident and assertive and believe it or not, that is such an attractive quality. There are many ways you can start to improve your self esteem starting right now.

What are you telling yourself?

Pay attention to what you are telling yourself on a regular basis. If you are constantly putting yourself down and telling yourself you aren’t good enough or you hate yourself, then your confidence levels will never improve. It all starts with the person you are being. Begin each day with some positive affirmations. Write them down and read over them through out the day. Try and catch yourself when you are putting yourself down and replace your negative thoughts with positive ones.

Eat healthy and Exercise.

This one seems so simple but so many of us eat foods that we know aren’t good for us and don’t get off the couch to exercise. Eating healthy and exercising every day will not only improve the way you look, it will improve the way you feel about yourself. It’s a good start to bringing out a more confident you.

Posture and appearance.

Walking tall, dressing well, making an effort with your appearance…Even though these are exterior things and we have all heard that saying ‘it’s what’s inside that counts’, it really helps with feeling more confident by knowing you have made an effort when going out. I always feel much more confident when I straighten my hair, put on some make up and wear nice clothes and heels if I am going out. You might think that it shouldn’t matter, but pay attention next time you are out and about in your daggys and then again dressed nicely. When you make an effort you walk and stand taller, you feel more confident and you will find yourself having better conversations and building better relationships.

Fake it till you make it.

So you’re probably saying to yourself…Why would I want to be fake right? It’s not about that at all. If you have ever heard the phrase, Be Do Have, then you will know that being the person you want to be will eventually get you there. By being the confident person and starting to act as if you are oozing self belief, you will eventually be that person with out having to try.

Challenge yourself.

By breaking away from your comfort zone and trying new things, your self confidence will automatically start to improve. Every time you step outside your comfort zone, something changes inside of you. You grow a little bit more and always gain more self belief.

Personal Development.

Personal development should be done on a daily basis. You learn so much about yourself and there are always areas that can be improved. You don’t have to spend much time on personal development. Reading a book before bed, or watching a short Youtube video will get you thinking on a new level. 

Have you ever heard somebody say “I woke up on the wrong side of the bed?” It could have even been you saying it to yourself. Why is it that whenever you do wake up in a bad mood, you often let that mood shape your entire day? I’m not saying everyone’s perfect. We ALL wake up sometimes feeling tired and unmotivated. It happens only on the odd occasion with me because I am normally excited to wake up and get started in my business. It really does help when you do something you love. If you are stuck in a job you hate, it doesn’t help with your motivation knowing your about to spend the next eight hours doing something you don’t love.

It is so easy to change your mood and it’s entirely up to you. Wouldn’t you rather spend your day being happy and feeling good? Even if your job is something you aren’t planning on sticking with for the rest of your life, it is much better for you and everyone around you to make the most of it, instead of sulking around being miserable. So here are a few ideas to get you feeling good as soon as you wake up and maybe you can make your day a little brighter.

That dreaded snooze button…

As soon as you wake up, get straight out of bed. It doesn’t help your motivation levels by hitting the snooze button every ten minutes. The last thing you want to do is to keep sleeping and get up late. Rushing around to get ready is not going to help your mood.

A little exercise…

Exercise in the morning. Even if it is only a few push ups or sit ups, it will make you feel more energetic to get the blood pumping and your muscles waking up.

A hot shower…

If you’re anything like me, a hot shower always makes me feel great. Start your day with a shower. Use this time to go through in your mind, what you are grateful for. It is so easy to think about all the bad things about your day to come… “Oh I hate my boss; I have so much to do today; The bills are due.” bla bla bla! You really have to train yourself to start thinking about the positives and if you are saying there is nothing to be grateful for today, you aren’t thinking hard enough. Pay attention to the thoughts you are having and challenge yourself, whenever you have a negative thought, replace it with a positive. Something as simple as this could really improve your day.

Your favourite tunes…

Another thing that will make you feel good is putting on your favourite music every morning when you are getting ready. How many times do people turn the TV on straight away in the morning and sit and watch the news? Or they might read the paper. Why, if you are feeling unmotivated would you want to watch or read about all the negative things going on in the world? That’s not going to help you feel better is it? Music always makes me feel good and pumps me up.

A little motivation…

On your way to work, take the time to listen to some motivational CD’s. There are so many out there and even if you only have a short commute, fifteen minutes of personal development is better than nothing.

I challenge you to try these things and see how much better your day can become. You will come home feeling more energetic and happy and everyone around you will surely start to notice a difference. Feel free to comment below if you have any other ways to improve your mood that helps you stay on track for a more positive day.

A lot of the time we go through our everyday life doing the same thing all of the time. We rarely challenge ourselves and we just tend to continue doing the things that we are the most comfortable with. We stay within our comfort zone. When you are challenged to step outside your comfort zone, something amazing happens. You develop more confidence and a new found self belief and a fire starts to burn inside you. Stepping outside your comfort zone is so important for our development. It makes us a better person and makes us feel really good.

There are so many advantages to getting outside your comfort zone. Not only do you build confidence, but you get to experience so many more exciting things in your life. Back before I started my personal development journey, I was terrified of flying. It was pretty ironic because my husband Mike is a pilot. The company I was with had conferences all around the world in exotic locations and the first one was in beautiful Hawaii, so I figured I had two choices… I would definitely have to stretch myself, get scared and uncomfortable and get on that plane, or I could choose not to go, stay home and be extremely disappointed with myself, missing out on the experience of a lifetime. I decided to suck it up, be brave and get on the plane. Yea it was scary! I have flown many times since then and no flight will ever be as scary. There was a drunk, psycho man on the plane and he was running up and down the aisles, bumping into people, trying to open the door near where I was sitting and eventually had to be restrained and sat on. We ended up having to divert to Fiji so he could be removed from the plane and arrested.

We ended up getting to Hawaii five hours later than we should have, our luggage was delivered late and the flight home was delayed because the radios stopped working! What a classic. I can laugh about it now but for my very first flight over seas, it was the scariest thing I have ever done. But the positive was that I got through it and was ok! No matter how scary something is, if you push yourself and remain calm, you will come out the other end a better person. Because of what happened on that flight, I am now so much more confident whenever I get on a plane. With what I experienced on my first flight I know I can deal with any adversity that comes my way.

The reason I decided to write about this topic today, is because it was only last weekend I was pushed outside my comfort zone in a pretty big way. I have never been one to love getting my photo taken. Most people are either extremely camera shy or the complete opposite and love to jump in every picture they can. A friend of Mikes offered to take some maternity pictures as I am in the later stages of my pregnancy. At first I thought, No way! I had put on a little bit of weight as you do when you stop doing the amount of cardio I was, and also being pregnant your body changes and grows in ways that sometimes make you not feel the best. Don’t get me wrong, I have embraced this pregnancy and had the easiest time with it, I just wasn’t sure if I could be comfortable being in front of the camera.

So it didn’t take me long to change my mind. I thought why not? Yea it would stretch me outside my comfort zone in a big way, but this is something I could do and have with me forever and I thought it would be kind of cool showing my son when he is older. The weekend was awesome. I used it as an excuse to pamper myself and have a bit of ‘me’ time so by the time the photo shoot came around I was relaxed and calm about it all. Holly the photographer made me feel really comfortable and it was such a fun day. I am so grateful to have such a fun husband too. Mike helped me relax by being silly, trying to get in the shots by planking on the rocks behind me. I feel great about the photos. I have only seen a few of the edits and so far they look great. I’m definitely glad I got outside my comfort zone, and challenged myself. I think the most important thing is to make the decision to go for something and then just do it. Once you have decided, it is much easier to go through with the challenge. You just have to take the first step.

It amazes me that people can give up on their dreams because they have hit a certain age, or they have had children and don’t have time, or they think that too much of their life has been wasted to achieve anything more. It’s never too late to start again or to set new goals. My mum was a single mum for most of my childhood and she worked very hard to provide for my brother and I. At forty years of age, when my brother and I were in our teens, mum decided to go back to Uni to develop her nursing skills and complete her Bachelor of Nursing. Of course this wasn’t easy (especially having two teenagers that liked to have a good time) but mum continued through the four years via correspondence and completed her studies with mostly distinctions and high distinctions. I was so proud of her and she has instilled some good values in me to always try my hardest and to follow my dreams.

What about the good old Colonel Sanders? He was sixty five years old before he found success with The Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise. Now KFC is one of the largest retail food systems in the world. Sanders went from living off a social security cheque to making millions. He drove from town to town, often sleeping in his car to get the word out to restaurant owners about his chicken recipe. He was turned down over one thousand times, however had the belief and persistence to continue pursuing his dream. He never quit, never gave up and certainly didn’t think he was too old or it was too late to be successful.

Although Andrea Bocelli grew up loving music and playing many instruments as a child, his adult years began studying law and he didn’t pursue a career in singing until he was in his thirties. He got his big break at the age of thirty four. Andrea is now known all around the world for his amazing voice and has had many successful records including ‘The Prayer’ which he sung as a duet with Celine Dion. The Prayer won a Golden Globe and was nominated for many other prestige awards.

The point to these inspirational stories is to never give up and to follow your heart and what you believe in. It’s never too late to make a change and reset your life. Why not live with no regrets? Move forward knowing you have given things a go living life to the fullest!

So many of us go through life without a purpose or vision about what we want to accomplish. It is so difficult to achieve our goals if we aren’t clear on them. I have written in a previous post about the importance of writing down our goals, but there are many other creative ways to set goals and get excited. So if you haven’t already heard of the concept of a vision board, I would love to share with you a little about them.

Vision boards are used to help provide clarity and maintain focus on the goals we have set for ourselves in a fun, creative way. Vision boards are not only great for adults; they are an excellent tool for children as well. It is fun to do, so why not sit down with your kids on a rainy day and put one together. All you need to do is find a surface that you will be attaching pictures to, some pins or glue, and of course some pictures or words you would like to use. I use a cork board for my vision board and I use pins to attach the pictures. This way I can move things around and take down the pictures of the goals I have achieved and place them on a separate board. The picture to the right is my vision board..

So it’s really easy to begin on your vision board. I mostly use Google images but you can get pictures from all over the place. You can use magazines or catalogues or why not have a photo taken of you sitting in your dream car? How powerful is that?
Be really clear when choosing your pictures. If you have a goal of going to Hawaii for example, pin up a picture of the exact resort you will be staying at. If you want to go to the snow, find a picture of someone snowboarding or skiing, or if you are a little adventurous like my husband Mike, find a picture of a helicopter dropping skiers onto the slopes! That’s what he wants to do one day!

It is also very important to put your vision board in a place that you will see it Every day. My vision board is hanging on the wall in my office directly across from where I sit. I look at it everyday! It’s great to be able to feel how it would be to experience the goals you have attached to your board and it’s even better to be able to take some of the pictures down of the goals you have achieved. Best feeling ever!

So why not go have some fun today and start creating your vision board? It will assist you in staying focused and positive and it’s lots of fun.

So you are probably asking yourself… “What is a RAK?”

Well, a RAK is a Random Act of Kindness and basically it is a simple act of kindness carried out by an individual or a group to cheer someone up and bring them happiness.

“Why should I perform Random Act’s of Kindness?”

There is no better feeling than being able to do something for others. No matter how small the act is, you are guaranteed to make someone’s day. We have all heard of Karma and not only is there bad Karma, we also experience good Karma. What you give out always comes back, so why not help others if it is not only going to make us feel good, but we will receive good things in return. I’m not saying that the reason you perform Random Acts of Kindness is to get something for yourself out of it. It is so much more meaningful to do it ‘just because’.

There are many ways you can carry out RAK’s and the most exciting way for you is to do something for someone, without them knowing it was you. Now you don’t have to spend a lot of money, or do anything too over the top. Here’s some ideas to get you started…

Paying for the car behind you in a toll booth and driving off.

We all have a spare three dollars and why not pay for the car behind you? You never know, they might be digging through the console trying to come up with enough change, or they might have been on the phone to someone who was negative and they weren’t feeling the best. You could make someone’s day with as little as a couple of dollars! Why not?

What about paying for another couples meal at a restaurant or café?

While you are sitting having your meal or coffee, have some fun. Scan the room and choose who you want to shout for that day. Don’t tell them. When you go and pay, just tell the waiter that you are paying for that table’s meal also and then walk off. Part of the fun is imagining the people’s reaction and picturing how you could have made their day. What if you shouted a couple who was celebrating their anniversary and they had saved for weeks to be able to enjoy a nice meal? It is such a good feeling because you know you will get these people talking and excited and wouldn’t it be great if they passed on the RAK to someone else?

Flowers, ‘Just because’..

All the ladies love receiving flowers and I think most of you would agree, it is much more special getting flowers on days when you aren’t expecting them. Why not send some flowers to your mum, or wife or someone special with a card saying ‘Just Because”? It would definitely make their day and it would be pretty funny watching them trying to figure out who they got them from!

No money? No worries…

You don’t even have to spend any money to perform Random Acts of Kindness. If you see an elderly lady struggling to carry her groceries to the bus stop, take ten minutes out of your day and help her carry them. It doesn’t take much for you, but you could make the lady’s day and there is no better feeling!

So you are probably getting the point. I would love for you to comment on some of the Random Acts of Kindness you have performed or some more ideas you think would make someones day! Check out the video below… for some extra inspiration. 

We all spent so many years at school. I went through from kindergarten to year ten. Most people go through years eleven and twelve and then spend another four years at Uni. In all of these years spent at school, speaking from personal experience, there are many things I wish they had of taught us in school. Don’t get me wrong, education and learning is so important and if they could add a few more things to what is taught and maybe take out some of the boring, unnecessary subjects, I think we would all be better off. I have learnt so much about myself and life in general since I left school. We spend so much time trying to fit in keep up that we loose ourselves a little along the way.

Mindset and Attitude.

Wouldn’t it be great if teachers spent more time on teaching students how to think and grow, instead of just following the normal text books and curriculum? My husband’s boys came to live with us for a year when they were ten and twelve and during that short time not only did their grades improve, but so did their attitudes. This wasn’t because of the new school they had attended. It was because Mike and I taught them the importance of having a positive mindset and attitude. Children from a young age should be taught that being negative is not going to get you far. If you are positive and excited, even if you are doing something that isn’t the most enjoyable, you will experience better results and have a much better time.

Talking to People.

We are taught from a very young age that talking to strangers is a bad thing. How many times in our lives have we been self conscious or too shy to introduce ourselves or make connections with people we don’t know. The business I am in is all about talking to people I don’t know and I definitely would have been quicker to succeed if I had more skills and confidence approaching new people. A good friend of mine has a five year old daughter and she encourages her to introduce herself to others and not to be shy. This little girl is so confident with both adults and children and I truly believe it will make her more successful as she grows up. It’s kind of funny though, some children she does approach won’t even play or talk to her, because they have been conditioned to think that it’s not good to talk to strangers.

Following the Heard.

We are so focused in school on fitting in and people liking us. Even from the first years at school, we all want the back packs and shoes that the cool kids have. It would be so great if we were taught that standing out and being unique is a good thing. Many students that are a little different are bullied or picked on because they aren’t like everyone else. If we are taught to embrace the individuality of others and ourselves we would learn so much about each other and each person would grow and evolve so much more. We learn when we leave school that we are all different and people like us for who we are. In school though, we are scared to be different and if we follow the pack we will go through school not drawing too much attention to ourselves.

Uni is not the only option.

We are taught in school to get good grades to get into the Uni course you choose. I didn’t go to Uni. School definitely wasn’t my thing. So many people I know though, spent so much time studying and pressuring themselves to get the best grades to get into the subject that will lead them to the best job after they spend four years struggling at Uni. Many people don’t even make it through Uni, or they take a year off and never start because they get so caught up in everyday life, they just loose focus and continue working their ordinary job they chose to take on for the year. There are so many other options out there and in school we should be taught there are alternatives. Not everyone dreams of going to Uni and getting that corporate job. Since I left school I have been introduced to a world of possibilities and have done more in life than many of my friends that went off to Uni.

Goal Setting.

I didn’t learn about goal setting until a few years ago. If we were taught about goals in school, we would be more focused and driven and our results would most definitely improve. Having something to aim for in life is so important. If you don’t have goals or dreams, where’s the motivation to try your hardest. Students would definitely benefit from learning how to set and achive goals. It would be so simple to teach too.

I think to sum it up, if there was some sort of Personal Development curriculum introduced into schools, we would see better results on every level. The students would be more confident, be more driven, there would be less bullying and we would definitely see better results. Obviously this is just my opinion, and we all have one. Speaking from my experience with Mikes boys when they lived with us, I really think these things would make a huge difference to our children.