How to Overcome a Confidence Crisis

A confidence crisis is triggered by setbacks like losing an important business order, break-up of a valued relationship or losing a job. When this happens, even a small thing can send you over the edge, creating an unwanted crisis. To protect yourself from such a situation, you need to take control of yourself, and your life. 

 

You must learn to ignore external stimuli. Don’t be affected by what people say or are likely to say about you. More important, you should not be worried about failure. Believe in the old adage that you cannot win always. There are bound to be failures, and setbacks in life, despite your best efforts. Take them in your stride. If need be, sleep over your failures. You will wake up feeling good, and confident. Don’t hesitate to let others know that you can handle your affairs. This will build your self-confidence.

 

Maintain a diary, and note down all positive things that happen during the course of the day. You will be surprised to note the number of positive things that are happening around you, which you missed earlier. This will help you think positively, and dispel your doubts. This will also break the stranglehold of negative thoughts that had lowered your self-esteem, and generated doubts about your abilities and skills. Repeat to yourself every day that you are getting better at what you do, and feel the difference.

 

Take some time to think about your relationships. If a friend is having a bad influence on your self-confidence or if the relationship is more of a burden than a pleasure, you are better off if you stop meeting that person. Instead, try to build new relationships with people you like and admire, and who are supportive of you. Ideally, form a group of supportive friends and give them your support in turn. This will do your self-confidence a world of good.

 

Stop wasting your energy on things that can go wrong. Think about the worst thing that could possibly happen. You will realize that it is not the end of the world. Focus on the subjects over which you have control and reduce your exposure to events over which you have little or no control. Monitor your internal dialogue, and silence the negative voice that keeps criticizing you. 

 

A useful strategy is to visualize a situation that bothers or worries you. Jot down these points. Think of people who have successfully crossed these hurdles, and ask yourself if they could do it then why can’t I? Think of yourself as someone who is brimming with confidence, and is ready to take up the challenge. Make this a habit. You will find that you too can overcome these obstacles.

 

Self-confidence is more than a simple state of mind. It also flows from your physical well-being. Regular exercise adds to your energy levels, and makes you feel fitter and confident. Similarly, dressing well adds several notches to your self-confidence. Even simple things like sleeping well will make you feel better. In contrast, drinking to drive away your woes will add to your unhappiness. 

 

You must also learn to speak up. When you hesitate to speak, you are doing yourself a great disfavor. Very often, you become a prisoner of your shyness. You want to speak, but your shyness does not let you do so. This eats into your self-esteem and self-confidence. Don’t allow this situation to continue. Always remember that you may know more than your colleague who is the center of attention because he has a view on every subject. Others may find your views more interesting, if only they heard them.

 

Also, don’t think that you can change your fortunes overnight. It takes time to change things. What is needed is your belief in yourself. It is a great help in overcoming any confidence crisis.

Building Self-Esteem

Self-esteem is your own personal view of yourself physically, mentally, and emotionally. Everyone has a different view of themselves, but keeping a positive outlook will benefit you more than a negative one. Many individuals suffer from low self-esteem for a variety of reasons and need to build their self-esteem in order to succeed in life. Remember, the only one who can make you excel is you and no one else. The same goes for self-esteem. The only person who can build up—or consequentially tear down—your self-esteem is you. Although other individuals may aide the process, the end decision is yours.

 

People have low esteem for a variety of reasons. Some individuals suffer from poor body image and focus on all the negative traits of their physical appearance. Others have emotional issues that have caused their self-esteem to drop or feel themselves unworthy of any praise. For whatever reasons your self-esteem may falter, the key to building it up again is to find the root of the problem. Think of self-esteem like a house, if you build a stunning house on a poor foundation, the entire structure will crumble. However, if you take steps to ensure the foundation is strong and capable of holding anything, the process may be slow, but your self-esteem will be built soundly. 

 

Many individuals look for help for their low self-esteem in books or seminars. The number of available options on the market is phenomenal, and you are sure to find one on a topic that deals with your specific issues. Check out your local library or book store and explore their “self-help” section for a book that you may find helpful. It is quite unlikely you will find the answers to all your problems in a book, but you may find it helpful to know others are in your same boat and you are certainly not alone. Additionally, you may wish to seek professional help in your quest to boost your self-esteem. Often, speaking with a qualified individual can help you determine the root of your problem and the necessary path you should take for the rebuilding process. Perhaps your problems dates back to childhood, or maybe it has recently developed. Whatever the case, a professional will be able to best determine your next step.

 

A main factor in self-esteem is negativity. Negative thoughts can pervade your confidence and crumble your self-esteem. If you find yourself surrounded by negative people or in a negative situation, try to best remedy the problem. Often, individuals in an abusive relationship have their self-esteem shattered when a supposed loved one constantly berates them and questions their worth. Similarly, a negative workplace environment can lower your self-esteem with colleagues or bosses finding fault with your work. Maybe you have a friend who is consistently negative with all surrounding him or her. Whatever the source, distancing yourself from the negativity will help you regain your self-esteem. Strive to surround yourself with positive people. If you are going through a rough time in your personal life, you may wish to join a support group. Similarly, there are support groups available for individuals with self-image issues. These groups will allow you to meet other individuals like yourself and provide a forum for you to sound your hopes and achievements.

 

However, you choose to begin building your self-esteem, do so today! Be thorough and consistent with the process and be aware it may take a while. You should not become impatient or despondent if you find yourself esteem slipping. Remember, you are an important and worthy person and should treat yourself as such.

Check Your Confidence Levels

Would you like to be confident? Your answer may be - yes; I do want to be confident. However, this answer lacks the impact. It is too generalized. Just like everybody wants to do well in life and be rich but not many ever realize this wish. This is because to actually get somewhere in life, you need to quantify your confidence. You need to define the task for which you need to be confident so that you can execute it successfully. A mere wish to be confident won’t take you anywhere. The dream must have a deadline as well!

 

Self Confidence might mean different things to different people groups. For a child it might mean to be able to recite the poem to her teacher the next morning. For a business executive it might mean to be able to present the business report to the Board of Directors. For a salaried person it may be the ability to be able to make a switch over from his secure job to a new independent venture and so on. To execute their respective tasks, these people need a certain level of confidence, which would see them through. Every task requires a minimum level of confidence to be able to be executed. Do you have a task in your mind to be done? Do you have the level of confidence required? Let us check it out!

 

Following is a simple questionnaire. You have to answer to these in a YES or NO

 

1.  Does it happen too often with you that you cannot take a decision all by yourself and you seem to look for your colleagues, friends, or your spouse to sort the matter for you? 

2.  Do you always seem to be in perpetual need of a support system wherein you can feel secure? 

3.  Do you just sit and listen all the times in your office meetings? 

4.  Do you feel difficulty in reporting a matter to your boss or you have an excellent idea that can improve your company’s efficiency but you cannot muster enough courage to go and talk about it to your Boss? 

5.  Are you terrified to meet someone new? Is public speaking your worst nightmare? 

6.  Do you timidly accept orders from your superior even though you know that you are already overloaded and you need to say no? 

7.  Are you excessively concerned about what other people think of you? 

8.  Do you fear taking risks? 

9.  Do you feel dissatisfied about your appearance?

10. Are you uncomfortable in social gatherings – being amongst lots of people? 

 

If you happen to answer these questions with a Yes, you seem to have a confidence crisis that might become an obstacle in successfully executing your tasks. Don’t Panic, as it is good that you found out since now you are aware of a potential problem of your life. The very fact that you are aware of your confidence rating makes you ready to take further action and work towards eliminating the negative effects of low confidence levels and work towards building your self-confidence.

 

Here are some more questions you may answer:

 

1.  Have you accomplished anything in the past?

2.  Are you the one to go ahead and break the ice at a new place or wait for someone else to initiate a discussion?

3.  Do you feel you are well respected by others?

4.  Do you think you have the potential to succeed?

5.  Are you a happy and loving person?

6.  Are you satisfied with your career graph?

7.  Are you satisfied with your skills and qualifications?

8.  Do you feel in control of your life?

9.  Do you imagine yourself to be more successful five years from now?

10. Do you feel that you are a worthwhile person?

 

If you happen to answer most of these questions with a NO, you have LOW self-confidence levels.

 

However, a YES is never decisive and a NO is never final. One needs to constantly maintain the good points and work towards converting bad points into good points. And the good news is that it is very much possible. It’s important that you honestly answer the questions above, since only when you realize the present status of your self-confidence would you be working towards building self-confidence or maintaining and increasing your present levels. 

Do You Have Low Self-Esteem?

Low self-esteem can be devastating to an individual’s personal, work, and scholastic life. The constant feeling of inadequacy and unworthiness can undermine attempts to succeed at even the smallest things. If you find yourself plagued with such feelings, you may need to ask “Do I have low self-esteem?” Self-esteem is your own view of yourself, your capabilities, and your attributes. It is impossible to succeed in life if you are constantly second guessing and berating yourself over the tiniest detail. Many individuals suffer from low self-esteem, so you are certainly not alone. Some individuals have recently begun to question their self-esteem while others have been doing so their entire lives. Whatever your situation, honestly answering these questions will give you a great deal of insight into how you view yourself.

 

Are you nervous or awkward around other individuals? These people can be coworkers, friends, family members, or even strangers on the street. Do you ever look at anyone and think you are not on the same “level” as they are physically, mentally, or athletically? Do you see yourself as the least important member of your family, group of friends, or office? These persistent feelings can erode your self-esteem. Most likely, you are the only one who thinks these things. Ask your friends, coworkers, and family members about your performance, attitude, and personality. More than likely, you will be pleasantly surprised. Remember to rank your own needs up there with the needs of others. Quite often, individuals with low self-esteem strive to please everyone but themselves in order to make themselves feel more adequate. This act usually backfires since your focus is on those surrounding you instead of yourself. Dig deep and figure out your own needs. Focusing on yourself for a while will allow you to identify to root cause of your self-esteem issues so that you can go about conquering them.

 

Do you worry or obsess about your physical appearance? Are you constantly trying to change your appearance for what you think is the better? These feelings of inadequacy are quite common, especially among children and women. Often, individuals notice certain qualities about themselves as children due to comments by a friend, family member, or school mate. These feelings harbor themselves inside, making them stronger and deeper-rooted. Some individuals obsess about their weight, height, statue, bone structure, facial features, hair, and anything else under the sun. These issues can become the root of serious problems, including eating disorders. Even the most beautiful people in the world have some feelings of inadequacy about their outward appearance. The people society deems beautiful or perfect have secret issues about their own appearance or body, so you are definitely not alone. Instead of constantly worrying about those aspects you deem as negative, focus on the positive. If you find yourself slipping into a dangerous or deadly habit, seek professional help as soon as possible. The world has learned to live with you, now you must make the decision to live with yourself. Once you are comfortable in your own skin, your self-confidence will soar sky-high.

 

Do you publicly berate yourself for fun? Is your idea of a good conversation tearing yourself down at the expense of others? Would you rather talk about your failures and weaknesses over your successes and strengths? This is often the case with individuals with low self-esteem. Instead of accentuating the positive, they verbalize that constantly criticizing voice they hear in their own heads. Whatever the case, if you find yourself to be suffering from low self-esteem, there are ways to rebuild from within. Seek help from friends, family members, colleagues, self-help books, or professionals if necessary. Low self-esteem is a problem that should not be ignored.

 

How Self-Esteem Affects Our Confidence

Our self-belief has a profound effect on our confidence and on the quality of our lives. If a person believes that he lacks basic skills to solve problems then he may lose heart and give up. In contrast, a person who has less abilities but who believes in himself stands a much better chance of being successful. This is because his self-belief gives him the confidence to try. 

 

Have you ever wondered why only a few students in a class ask questions? Is it because the others have understood all the points made during a lecture? Or is it because they lack the confidence to ask a question? More often than not, it is the fear of making a fool of themselves that stops students from asking questions. In other words, they lack self-confidence. The only way this confidence can improve is when they start believing in themselves. 

 

This is why self-belief is so important. It gives an individual the confidence to aim for the moon. It overwhelms negative thoughts, and drives away the fear of failure. It is the best antidote against self-flagellation, which turns several talented persons into under-achievers. It gives the students the confidence that they have nothing to lose. On the contrary, they realize that they have everything to gain by asking a question, even if it happens to be a silly question.

 

Abraham Lincoln is a fine example of a man who believed in himself. He lost every election until he went to the Senate and stood for the post of the President. He did not allow his failures in professional and personal life to erode his self-belief. Had he done so, the history of the US would have been different.

 

Self-belief gives us the confidence to accept failure. It teaches us the importance of positive thinking. Those who have self-esteem don't talk about failures; instead, they try to find out why they did not succeed. They look for lessons that can be learnt from their experience. This is not a simple issue of semantics. It is the power of positive thinking, and it is available to only those who have self-esteem.

 

Once again it is self-esteem that gives us the confidence to enter a new group, and become a part of it. Those who lack self-esteem are very reluctant to approach a new group. They don't want to expose themselves to the ridicule of being seen as shy, nervous or ignorant. They would instead prefer to stay in their corners. 

 

In fact, lack of self-esteem stands out like a sore thumb at parties, at meetings, at conferences and at social or official functions. Individuals with low self-esteem avoid introducing themselves to others. They prefer to stay in the shadows, away from the sights of others. However, their colleagues who enjoy high self-esteem dominate the discussions. They are sought after by others for information. They are also invited to other meetings and parties -- all because their self-esteem gives them the confidence to open up before a group of strangers. It is the same student syndrome that is reflected in an individual's working life too.

 

Low self-esteem also lowers an individual's self-confidence. He takes to liquor or drugs to boost his confidence artificially. Nothing can be more futile or dangerous. Such behavior further destroys an individual's self-esteem. The best way to break out of this pitiable situation is to build self-esteem, which is not easy. The individual has few options but to begin life afresh. The best is to look for a new workplace and a new set of friends, because it is easy to deal with people who have no preconceived notions about you.

 

But nothing will work until the individual develops self-respect, and the self-belief that he is as good as others. He must realize that he is not the only one who has strong and weak points; the others too suffer from the same defects. The only difference is that the others project their strong points whereas he projects his weak points. All that he needs is to refocus his priorities. He will find the elusive self-confidence.

Blogging News Stories as They Happen

Blogging news stories as they unfold is one of the most exciting and controversial applications of technology that bloggers have discovered. One thing that makes the blogosphere so active is the fact that it is possible to update a blog instantaneously, so the news on blogs tends to be more current than the news in the paper, or on television. Unlike news delivered by these other media, news that appears on blogs does not have to travel through a series of editors and administrators before it reaches the public eye. This has some advantages, and some distinct disadvantages.

 

One of the most notable cases of news hitting a blog before appearing in other media took place in July 2005 when terrorism struck London. As passengers were evacuated from a subway car near an explosion, one man took several photographs of the scene with his cellular phone, and within an hour these images were posted online. First-person accounts of the catastrophe began appearing on blogs soon after these photos appeared, and people all over the world learned about the events in London by reading the words and seeing the photos posted by bloggers. 

 

The fact that these stories and images were being spread directly by individuals operating without the added filter of a reporter helped to make the crisis feel very immediate to people across the globe. When it comes to blogging, news often appears in a very personal context. This has the potential to be the beginning of an exciting new era of reporting, one that takes "New Journalism" to its logical next step by putting the power to shape how the news is written and read directly into the hands of the public. 

 

Many bloggers and cultural commentators who are champions of the weblog movement feel that this growing trend of individuals who getting their news from blogs is a good thing, because it makes the flow of information more democratic. By decentralizing the control of news, blogs allow more voices to enter the field of debate about important current events. 

However, many people are adamantly opposed to the use of blogs as news outlets, and there are plenty of good arguments on this side of the debate. Unlike newspapers or television stations, few blogs have fact-checkers, and there is little attention paid to journalistic accountability on many blogs. This can lead to the rapid spread of misinformation, and more than one falsehood has taken the blogosphere by storm. The questions about whether blogging news as it happens is ethical or not are very complicated, but no matter where you stand on the topic of current events blogs you are almost sure to agree that this movement has the potential to revolutionize how modern people get their news. 

 

Choosing the Right Tools

In blogging, using the correct blog software tools can help you manage the goings-on of your blog. When it comes to publishing your blog content, there are two kinds of blog software tools that you can use, such as: the server-based tools and the client-based tools.

 

Both of them have their own advantages and disadvantages and it is up to you to choose the one that is right for your blog.

 

The Client-based Tools

 

One of the two blog software tools that you can choose from is the client-based tools. These tools’ purpose is to aid you with publishing your blog and they are normally installed on your computer and also run from there. Additionally, client-based tools are also categorized as small blogs that are able to run from your hard drive.

 

Client-based tools also have text editors that allow you to perform word processing applications from your own computer. Thus, a text blog editor enables you to create and publish your own content at the comfort of your own desktop.

 

Obviously, the first advantage of using client-based tools, like the text editor, is convenience. Most bloggers choose to publish their work with a desktop tool rather than a Web browser, which entails logging into the blog software’s control panel and accessing the Web-based text editor.

 

Additionally, client-based tools can be managed either locally or remotely. Such tools can allow you to manage and edit your posts remotely. More so, the content of your blog can also be managed locally by saving drafts to a local computer. These can be very beneficial to those with limited Internet connection since accessing and managing the content of your blog remotely and locally can be done without the need of being connected to the Internet.

 

Lastly, you can manage multiple blogs through the use of client-based tools. If by any chance you are publishing more than one blog, it might be easier if you consider using a blog editor. The blog editor can be easily configured to manage all your blogs. You

only have to enter the same information that you use to log in into your server tool combined with the particular kind of server software you are using and the blog editor can save that information in its configuration.

 

The Server-based Tools

 

Another kind of blog software tool that you can choose from is the server-based tools. There are two varieties of such tools: blog hosting service provider tools and server-based publishing tools.

 

The first variety is automatically provided by your blog hosting service provider. Hosted blog software tools are very easy to use and you do not have to install any software or manage any configuration too difficult to comprehend. These kinds of tools can help

you focus on publishing your content.

 

With the use of hosted software tools, you are also provided with an assortment of design templates. These can help you in choosing the desired layout that suits your blog. More so, the layouts can be easily customized, including the fonts, columns, colors, etc.

 

On the other hand, publishing tools you install on the server has the advantage of giving you the level of customization and control you need over the configuration settings. Through the use of these kinds of server-based tools, you can decide how much storage space you allocate, extend the features of your blog through plug-ins or add-ins and make custom layouts and pages.

 

How to Plan Your Blog

The basics of blogging cover all the basic essentials, including your writing style, blog category and the content of your blog. Planning your blog can be difficult if you do not know what you want to talk about. It could be extra hard if you do not have the necessary background in blogging. However, knowing what you want to blog about can easily come to you once you start browsing and poking around other blogs. You can pick ideas from those blogs, expound and make them the basis of your blog.

 

The Blogging Categories

 

Generally, there are several types of blogs. Nevertheless, there are three popular categories of blogs, such as: the organizational, business and personal blogs.

 

The first category, the organization, uses the power of blogs to communicate either externally with the public or internally within their organizations. This kind of blog has the purpose of facilitation internal communications amongst employees, colleagues and other organizational personnel. In addition, organizational blogs normally publish information that is of interest by the public. In a certain instance, there are organizational blogs that publish seminar schedules, meetings, and announcements for their clients, customers or members.

 

The business blogs, on the other hand, are for promoting services or products offered by businesses in order to help increase profits, revenue and interest of potential consumers. These kinds of blogs can look for ways to increase their reputation and

authority with vendors, customers and partners. They do this by publishing contents that express expertise and knowledge within a specific market portion, niche or industry.

 

The personal blogs are those that contain contents that are more of a reflection of bloggers’ opinions and thoughts. Normally, they are used to publish articles that voice their points of view on several kinds and varieties of events and topics. Bloggers who publish personal contents usually find pleasure in documenting their everyday lives, stream of consciousness and even their hate to specific events through articles that reflects their moods.

 

The Target Audience

 

Your target audience and blogging style comes hand in hand. The moment you think of creating your own blog, you must first realize what your target audience is; you must know what they want, need and desire to read about. The blog you create and the contents you publish must provide quality and value to the readers in order to be effective in establishing communication and expanding readership.

 

More so, the kind of blog you want to create essentially creates its own target audience. For instance, an organizational blog is meant for those who are members or clients of a certain organization. Although the target audience may be limited, there is a good chance for consistency with regards to the dialogue you create with your readers and eventually more people would be interested in your blog.

 

The mentioned personal blogs are not normally designed for social dialogue with a certain target readership of any category and is rather meant to serve as a collection of your musings. These kinds of blogs are best reserved to your close friends and they are your target audience.

 

If you identify your target audience successfully, your messages that you want everyone to know about will be effectively targeted. Some of the greatest joys of blogging come from the use of your enthusiasm in publishing signification information for a community where there is a free exchange of opinions between the readers and you.

 

How to Learn Blogging Software

A lot of blogging software is specifically designed to be simple to use, but even the least intimidating blogging program can feel very overwhelming to somebody who has not spent a lot of time learning the ins and outs of different kinds of software. Particularly for newer bloggers, learning how to use the interface of blogging software is the most difficult part of blogging. If you are somebody who feels comfortable expressing themselves in another medium, it may prove to be well worth your time and effort to learn blogging software, but that doesn't mean that the task will be easy. 

 

The main thing that will help you find success as you learn how to use a new kind of blogging software is to try and take things slowly. Many people get so excited about learning to blog that they try to rush into the thick of it and start exploring the most complicated features of a program right away. This can lead to getting confused and feeling frustrated, and all too many potential bloggers burn out during this stage of the process. If you take your time learning the basics of your blog software program before you move on to more advanced techniques, you will be more likely to retain what you have learned, and to keep feeling positive about your ability to understand the world of blogging.