Author, speaker and motivator, Jacqueline Kent, shares how you can begin to build self-belief and confidence today.
WHEN YOU find yourself stuck in that rut, not believing in yourself, feeling as if you are not enough, the last thing you want to hear anyone say is something such as “think positive” or “do something you enjoy”. It’s not you want to hear but, honestly, there are some really simple things you can do – right now – to navigate the negativity of what I like to call “not enoughness”, to turn around your day – and, ultimately, your life.
Becoming so used to investing all your time and energy into making others happy leaves you feeling empty, alone and lacking any direction. I’m a recovering people-pleaser but have now learned that by finding ways to say no, getting to know who my cheerleaders are, and identifying the people who abuse my generous nature, I’m able to live a much more fulfilling life and be real with myself about what I want. And this way of living is available to you too, if you follow my three simple steps to boost your self-belief.
1 RE-WRITE YOUR STORY
Understand the main negative stories you tell yourself, such as: “I don’t matter” or “I’m not as good as...”. Look for evidence of times you have proven you do matter and that you have been more than enough (that’s all the time, by the way!). Find the opposite emotion to this and craft it into a statement. Instead of saying: “I’m not good enough to do this”, you might say: “I have all I need in this moment, my needs matter, I am important too, I am always enough”. Focus on these positive emotions – it will change your energy.
2 TRY AFFIRMATIONS
Remember those statements we talked about at number 1? Put them all over the place and repeat to yourself every time you see them. Set an alarm for several times a day and repeat them to yourself, and keep repeating them. Make a screensaver for your phone so you see it wherever you are. This way the new stories gradually filter out the old ones. When you begin to believe in yourself, that’s where the magic happens. Everything you think and everything you do affects how you show up in the world. When you believe in yourself, those who support that story will show up to help you.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “like attracts like”. When you feel negative and down on yourself, you attract people, places and situa
