Starting today, keep a journal of your achievements. Small things, as well as the grander successes. Keep track of what’s going on in the here and now, as well as leaving space to record achievements from your past. When you have a low moment, be sure to take out your journal and read through it, reminding yourself how great you really are.

is a way of thinking about the world. It is a great way of coping with life’s difficulties and challenges. Fortunately it is something we can all learn at any stage of life. However teaching it to your children now means they will see immediate benefits and it is something they can take into the future.
An optimist expects to get the best out of life. As such they believe they will succeed. They are able to recognise their abilities and that they are capable of making things happen. So …

In my book, you have an opportunity to review and reflect on your past successes and achievements. Towards the end, I ask: “what one thing are you most proud of?”. The reason I mention this is because on the day the proof copy of my book arrived, I opened it up to read this very question. My answer had to be that very moment. Standing there with a book I had written – with my name on it! I could not recall feeling prouder of something I had achieved.
Interestingly, from …

How often have you said to a person that they were lucky? Or you lament your own bad luck when something bad happens. When we talk of luck, it’s with the idea that it is something beyond our control. Perhaps the world has it in for us, or we were just born unlucky. Those lucky folks out there have it easy – success comes their way and only good things ever happen to them. To talk of luck is to undermine the actions and thoughts of people.
I once lost my …

There’s always something to do right? Every day something new comes along to take up your energies. You have a huge list of tasks to do and you say to yourself that once these are done, then you will do the things that bring you pleasure.  How often has it happened that you never quite get around to the fun activity you’d planned for yourself, once the boring stuff was done? You ended up running out of time, or were too tired, or you decided that you didn’t deserve it …

What follows are ideas to consider if you want to increase your confidence. You may want to read this in conjunction with my article on What is Self-Confidence?.

Believing in yourself

Choose your goals. Goals can be fun and enjoyable. They do not have to be things that fill you with dread. If it is a large goal, break it down and reward your achievements. Try to focus on what you’ve accomplished rather than what’s left to do.
Remember your past achievements, no matter how small. Write them down and reflect how good …

‘If I have lost confidence in myself, I have the universe against me.’ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Confidence is about believing in yourself, giving you the to go for your goals. As such, assertiveness is a valuable component of a self-confident person. To reach your goals you need to be able to go for what you want. Tied in with this is having an optimistic outlook. Self-confidence is also about liking yourself and being able to take personal responsibility. Furthermore, having confidence is not about belittling or treading on the needs …

What is it?
Locus of control refers to your perceived source of control within your own life. It is a concept developed by Julian Rotter. Rotter devised a locus of control scale to measure the extent people feel their lives are within their control. The scale is measured along a line from high external to high internal. High external refers to those people who see their life as being in the hands of other people and as such can do little to control things. High internal people in contrast see themselves …

The next time your partner comes home with good news, be happy for them. Listen to what they have to say and be proud of what they have achieved. Don’t get jealous or think about your own life. Focus on your partner 100% and feel empathy for how they are feeling. If you find this difficult, think about how you would want someone to react to your good news.

Think about all the things in your life that you are proud of. What things have you done in your past that you can look back on today and say, ‘yep, I’m really proud of the way I did that’. What about the things you are doing now that you are proud of? As you take the time to reflect on this activity, have a think about what these things tell you about the sort of person you are. You may come to understand a bit more about the things …