Fake It 'til You Make It!

I was thinking about confidence; about how we present ourselves and times when we feel more and less confident.  

Are we born with confidence?  I think we are, at least to an extent.  That’s why we will touch a hot stove until we are told no, no, no or we just get burnt.  We have confidence that we can walk until we fall, we can be silly and laugh and run around like crazy until we are told to sit down, shut up and quit acting like a fool.   

So as we grow we start to lose that innate confidence we have and eventually life gets in the way, we are hurt or made fun of or abused and as the damage sets in, our confidence wavers and wanes and sometimes is just snuffed out. 

So how do we develop that confidence again?  How do we go from walking with our eyes on the ground to looking at the world head on?  How do we learn to love ourselves and feel beautiful and worthy?

Ever heard the term  “fake it till you make it”?

I know, sounds great on paper right?  But how does that play out in real life.  This is what I have been pondering. Start by practicing the following:

Faking it                                                                  Making it

Walk up to strangers and introduce yourself : People like to be approached instead of doing the approaching.

Everyone is afraid of rejection and you will help make them comfortable.

Look people in the eye when talking to them: You will start to realize that you are an engaging person and you will make others feel like you are interested in them and what they have to contribute.

Be willing to discuss a topic you are not really familiar with:   You will become a well-rounded conversationalist.  Don’t be afraid to ask questions when you don’t know.  People usually love sharing their knowledge with others.

Smile at people on the street or in stores:  We have a tendency to walk around with our heads down or eyes focused on our goal instead of other people.  When we look up and smile at strangers we will start to become more open.

These are just starters and I don't know if they will work but I think that if we start to incorporate these practices in to our daily lives we will begin to see a change in the way we perceive ourselves and others perceive us.

Have a Be-YOU-tiful Day!