Confidence – is it nature or nurture? If I were to base my decision on looking at my seven-year-old versus my five-year-old, I would say nature. However, my life experience tells me it is a bit of both. As if our jobs as parents aren’t challenging enough, it is up to us and our community to build up the confidence in our children.
I can clearly remember the moment that happened for me as a teenager. We were at a family function dancing in a circle, when a family member pushed me into the centre of the circle. Their reaction to my dancing was so encouraging that that defining moment not only started my love affair with dancing but also changed the way I looked at myself.
The Key to Confidence:
- Believe in yourself unconditionally, because only you truly know your full potential.
- Be true to yourself and realise that you are human and bound to make mistakes which you will learn from.
- Acknowledge and celebrate your successes. Use positive affirmations. “I can do it!”, and “I feel terrific!”
- Know that you can’t control the thoughts and actions of others but you can control how you choose to interpret them. Offence can only be taken; not given – when you accept your “true” worth… it can’t be taken.
- Think positively and surround yourself with positive people.
Other essential elements to ensure confidence are:
- Great communication skills.
- Understanding your audience.
- Dressing for confidence.
- Making a great first impression.
Flourish Image Consulting hold workshops once a month for adolescents and teenagers (10 to 18 years old) where they focus on confidence-building skills.