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Growth and Self-Confidence

There’s an interesting connection between personal growth and self-confidence that I want to point out. We all go through periods in our lives where our self-esteem and our self-confidence are low. It’s not a good feeling isn’t it? It comes as no surprise that hundreds, if not thousands of books and papers have been written about boosting your confidence. It’s one of the biggest self-help niches. And then there is therapy and even pills that are supposed to help you feel better about yourself.

trust yourselfThink back for a moment to a time when you experienced a lot of self-growth. It doesn’t matter when it was, or what it was. When you stepped out of your comfort zone and embraced the realm of possibility something interesting happened. Your self-confidence shot way up, didn’t it?  Maybe it was the first time you gave a speech.  Maybe it was joining an organization like Toastmasters.  Maybe it was when you gave a presentation at work, or developed a workshop, or participated in some type of contest.

There’s something inside us that makes this happen when we are scared and do it anyway. In a small way you may experience this when you get on a roller coaster or jump out of a perfectly good airplane while sky diving. We’re scared to do it – particularly the first time – but incredibly proud of our accomplishment when it’s over.

Now think back on a time when you didn’t experience a lot of self-growth. We all have seasons in our lives where we’re most stuck in our comfort zone. Sometimes it’s out of necessity. We’re busy raising young children, we’re in between jobs, or we are getting over an illness or injury.  But sometimes it is because we allow ourselves to become lazy.    Yes, there are times in our lives where we can’t stretch and grow. It happens and it’s part of life. The important part is to realize when that time is over. We have to pick ourselves back up and start stretching that comfort zone again. It’s not always easy, but it’s necessary.

As you think back on your own experiences or those of loved ones around you that you’ve observed, one thing you notice is that when personal growth comes to a standstill and we are stuck, our self-esteem and self-confidence suffer.

taking risksThe point I’m trying to make here is that there is a strong connection between growth and self-confidence. When we stretch our comfort zone and experience personal growth, our confidence goes up. When we don’t, it slowly but surely goes down.

If you want to boost your self-confidence and self-esteem then, it’s important to focus on getting out of your comfort zone, do what scares you, and experience that personal growth and the resulting confidence boost for yourself. Use it as motivation to get off the couch and do something. Use it as motivation to dream about what could be possible. Use it as motivation to make a plan and take some massive action.

After the initial goal setting it is important to keep focused and remind yourself regularly of your final target. You may have been told that if you repeat a positive phrase (an affirmation) to yourself enough it will come true.

As you start to stretch your comfort zone and move further and further into the realm of possibility, something interesting happens. Your self-confidence goes up as expected and that in turn fuels your own ability to continue to stretch and grow your comfort zone. It’s a self-propelling cycle.

The more you stretch, the more confident you get. The more confidence you have the further you can stretch. Your biggest job is to just get the process started and I have some ideas for you. For now make sure you pay attention to this connection between your comfort zone and your self-confidence and self-esteem. Use it and leverage it to fuel your own personal growth. Not growing as a person just isn’t a good option as we’ll discuss next.

To growing and stretching your comfort zone

Fran Watson

www.franwatson.ca

 

 

P.S.  Let me know how you are doing by posting in the comments below.

P.P.S.  Here is a video for you to enjoy:  http://www.flickspire.com/m/JoseeSmith889/MotivationalQuotes

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