Three Powerful Yet Simple Actions For Strengthening Self-Confidence

Being in possession of a strong sense of self-confidence is a very useful and necessary trait. When you begin to approach supreme, absolute confidence, many things that you do in life seem to become much easier to accomplish.

In fact, it is not that things are getting easier, it is that you have gotten better.

You are better at relying on and trusting your own decisions. You take control of situations when necessary and let go when you need to.

Being self-confident means that you are able to move through life with a sense of definite purpose in a state of peace and poise.

Three Powerful Actions

1. Deep, Slow-Breathing
2. Bright, Genuine Smiling
3. Present Social-Interaction

Didn’t I say they were simple!

Deep, Slow-Breathing

The importance of deep breathing becomes obvious when you understand that
being confident is a state of being vibrant while at the same time calm.

This means that even though you have a lot of focus and energy, you are in control and feeling good, present, stable and not anxious. If you were anxious
or nervous, it is probable that your shallow, rapid breathing will give this away.

To practice deep, slow breathing is best done when you are not in a stressful situation. The goal is to be able to slow your breathing down and at the same time bring it as deep into your lungs as possible.

Simply inhale through your nose while relaxing your stomach. You want to allow your abdomen to expand so that you make more room for the breath to go in.

Keep it very brief as a practice. A minimum of three deep breaths is a good goal, and up to ten is a really high aim.

The idea is for you to feel calm, relaxed and refreshed from the breathing exercise. Then you should be able to carry your calm, relaxed and refreshed state over into step two: Bright Genuine-Smiling.

Bright, Genuine-Smiling

You might wonder why this is a step. Maybe you think that all of your smiling is genuine and real. Don’t fool yourself.

If you are reading this for the purpose of having more confidence, then you are most likely not presenting genuine smiles as often as you might imagine.

Think about all of the times when you see people in public and you smile just as a courtesy; just “to be nice” or even without thinking about it!

This is similar to when we see people and ask “how are you” or we are asked the same thing and we just say things like ‘fine” or “good” or “O.K.” on auto-pilot without much thought or care.

You may notice that when you ask someone how they are in passing, you do not even listen for a response.

It is just something you say to be “polite”. The idea of genuine smiling is a practice in mindfulness.

It is a way for you to be present with a small experience of real joy.

This is easily achieved by thinking of something that has made you smile
before. Even one of those things that have you smiling suddenly and often when you least expect it.

To begin with your genuine smile, use the calm, relaxed and refreshed feelings
you earned from your deep, slow breathing exercise and combine it with a smiley thought.

Something that makes you smile often throughout the day. Or it can be some gem that you dig out of your memory to help bring out a bright, genuine smile.

Some of you may be thinking “I do not smile often throughout the day!” Well then, your part of this exercise is to find things to smile about often throughout the day and then move on to this step of combining your calm, relaxed and refreshed state with your practice of bright, genuine-smiling.

Once you have practiced smiling often while you are in a calm, relaxed and refreshed state, you are then ready for the ultimate and final step for strengthening
self-confidence: Present Social-Interaction

Present Social-Interaction

You are already probably involved in lots of social interaction right now.
Maybe you are not because you do not feel confident.

You may even be reading this for the purpose of strengthening your self-confidence in order to have more, better, or more successful social interactions.

Well, if you have practiced steps one and two, even just a little, you are already on your way to having much improved social interactions.

Even though this step may seem like the most difficult, it is actually more of a combination of deep, slow-breathing and bright, genuine-smiling.

When you find yourself in public or social situations and you want to interact with others, just breath deep and slow.

As you slowly exhale, think of your smiley thought and then… smile.

Congratulations! If you have been able to do this while around people in a public and / or social situation, you have just had a successful, present, social-interaction!

The next step is to direct your calm, relaxed and refreshed smile at a specific person. Even if this is all you do, make it brief and then breath deep and slow once again and gently move on.

“Hey! Isn’t it weird to just smile at people and not say anything?“

Only if you are a weirdo and you have creepy intentions. And if you just stand there smiling and staring that could be weird too.

It would actually be creepy if you didn’t respond to them if they actually said hello, and started talking to you already. I haven’t yet published my anti-creep formula so you will have to wait for that one.

If you have followed along you will realize that this is a meditation exercise brought into action, Social-InterAction.

It is not for weirdos and creeps.

It is for authentic people who for some reason or other have had difficulty feeling self-confidence.

Breathe deeply and slowly, smile often, and then hang out where people can notice you being calm, relaxed, refreshed and brightly, genuinely smiling because you love the world and the people in it.

Having a genuine gratitude for your life and those people you have to share the world with is a guaranteed path towards Supreme, Absolute Self-Confidence. Enjoy it!

www.HakeemAlexander.com