Abraham Lincoln famously said "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves". He knew that the only way a great nation can be destroyed or kept from achieving greatness is from within. The same is true about you. The only way you can be destroyed is from within. What are you telling yourself? Are you supporting your dreams by thinking confident thoughts? Or are you destroying them with negativity?
The definition of confidence is The feeling or belief that one can rely on something or someone. It is nearly impossible to achieve anything without confidence. You've probably heard the phrase "you must believe in order to achieve". Well, it's true! Every great achievement was preceded by tremendous belief. The most important "confidence" you can have is SELF-Confidence. You must be filled with self-confidence in order to excel at anything. Without it, you are just "destroying yourself from within".
You Determine Your Reality!
If you have children, you're undoubtedly familiar with the two characters in the picture to the left. The one of the left is of course Donkey from the movie Shrek. The one on the right is Eeyore from the classic children's series Winnie the Pooh. Both are the same species (donkey) - both are roughly the same size - both have the same physical abilities - both can talk, think and reason. But, one seems to have more success in their life. Why is that? Well, if you've seen the movie Shrek, you know that Donkey approaches life with an unwavering confidence. That confidence is often misguided, but, even though he is a "Dense, irritating, miniature beast of burden!", he is still able to walk through life with a strut in his step and a smile on his face. Now consider Donkey's counterpart, Eeyore. Eeyore mopes through life with a lethargic gate and his head hanging low. He complains constantly about seemingly innocuous inconveniences. In fact, "Eeyore" has become a synonym for "mope".
Eeyore will never do anything of substance with an attitude like that. He will continually complain about his tail falling off instead of realizing that his tail may have been what was slowing him down!
Conversely, the confidence with which Donkey caries himself enables him to live life to the fullest! Among Donkey's accomplishments are: Assisting in saving a princessMarrying a dragonHaving Several kidsBeing considered a "noble steed"Performing Songs to the Delight of Audiences Young and Old We understand that these are just silly cartoon characters, but that doesn't take away from the fact that they perfectly illustrate the point of this email. Your reality should have no bearing on your level of self-confidence. If you don't believe in yourself, who will believe in you? The answer is "NOBODY!". Nobody will ever follow an Eeyore! As irritating as Donkey is, you can't deny his self-confident enthusiasm. Owning a franchise is just like owning any other business. You need to be confident in yourself to operate well! So you have a choice to make... Are you going to be a "sad sack" donkey like Eeyore or a "Noble Steed" like Donkey?
Tips to Improving Your Self-Confidence
Everybody needs a shot in the arm occasionally. Even great athletes, singers, actors and business people need a 'pick-me-up' now and then. So, here are a few tips to help you build your self-confidence. Get things done - Confidence is built on accomplishment. If you achieve small and big goals, you're going to feel much better about yourself.Monitor Your Progress - Hitting goals is great... Unless you don't realize you did.Do the Right Thing - Wherever your personal moral compass points you, make sure that you don't deviate from it.Exercise - Besides the health benefits, sticking to an exercise plan will give you an immediate boost to your self-confidence.Try New Things Often - Even failing at new things will be more beneficial to your self-confidence than just succeeding at the mundane.Think Long-Term - Keep your eyes far down the road. That way you don't obsess over temporary setbacks.Start every morning by looking in the mirror and telling yourself that "I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me".