Confidence key to success

Situations such as job interviews, making presentations and reports, public speaking and the like require confidence as well as the pre requisite skill or knowledge. You may be well equipped to deliver a speech after hours of practice with the script but if your confidence deserts you, then no amount of preparation will suffice. Confidence springs from conviction and is not to be confused with impertinence or condescension. Confidence will allow you to maneuver even negative situations to your favour. Practising the following exercise will help you conquer your fears and boost your confidence. Step I: Sit in a relaxed manner with a straight spine, eyes closed and observe your breath. Inhale and exhale normally. Step II: Visualise a situation in the past when you felt flustered or lacked confidence. As an illustration, let's consider a job interview; visualise the interviewer asking you questions and then see yourself giving self assured knowledgeable responses. Visualise the interviewer appreciating and being impressed by your answers and demeanour. Be confident in your visualisation and see the positive outcome. Do not try and think about negative consequences arising out of your fears. Step III: Make a body movement. This could be a clenched fist or clasped hands or any other movement which you would feel comfortable replicating in the real life situation. Stay in the new pose for five minutes as you continue to visualise yourself dealing and interacting with the person on the other side. Step IV: Slowly open your eyes and look at the new pose which you made while visualising. Keep looking at the new pose for 20 seconds and close your eyes again. Open your eyes after five minutes and see the same pose again. Next time, whenever you find yourself in the situation which you had visualised, make the same gesture which you had adopted during the visualisation. You will feel more assured and deal with the situation confidently, without any fear of failure.