I had a client who wanted desperately to make a career change. She yearned to discover her passion. But first, she admitted, she needed work on her self-confidence.
We started with affirmations she could give herself. We moved to her finding the courage to ask those closest to her for affirmation. I encouraged her to write down the affirmations she received from others in a special journal. (I once was encouraged to keep a “Value Journal” in which I recorded the good things others said about me as a reminder to me of my value to others. I still use it occasionally today.)
With help from your friends
It’s true that you can hear several compliments and then hear one criticism or “gotcha”—and what sticks in your mind will be the “gotcha.” So I encouraged my client to really pay attention to the affirmations, write them down, and go back and re-read them whenever she needed the reminder.
Affirmations may feel fake to you at first, whether you give them to yourself or ask others to be forthcoming with them. But there is nothing wrong with “faking it until you make it.” There is nothing wrong with asking others to notice when you excel and to say something about it. You are also doing them a favor by asking them to notice positive things (rather than focusing on negatives).
What is your experience with affirmations? How have they helped you? Do you have tips to share on boosting self-confidence? Please do so in the Comment box below.
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