You’re reading The 1 HUGE Difference Confidence Makes, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

There’s so many ressources available on the internet on how to build your confidence. Everyone seems to have their method, and the aim of this discussion is not to look and judge, but to reflect on what confidence actually does, in a practical sense.

Objectively:  Con– and fidere are the Latin roots of the English word “confidence.”
Specifically, the prefix con– means “with.” The infinitive fidere means “to believe in.”

So confidence is basically about having faith in yourself. 

From there, it’s not hard to understand why this is so important in life. People who have faith in themselves, dare take risks, and in turn, have more rewarding experiences.

People who have faith in themselves understand that their mistakes cannot define them, and instead they can only help them grow.

People who have faith in themselves believe in their own ability to learn from their mistakes, and do better than they have previously done.

They don’t dwell, sulk, regret, or remain stuck in fear for very long. These things don’t serve anyone, but people who have faith in themselves, and trust in their ability to bounce back, are able to stay away from these behaviors.

As a result, they gain time.

Confident people have more time.

As they have more time they are able to be more productive. As they are more emotionally stable and more prone to risk taking, they create more opportunities for themselves.

As they combine hightened productivity with (calculated) risk-taking they become more successful, they become high achievers, and then what happens?

“Just as the foundation of successful experience is self-confidence, so the foundation of self-confidence is successful experience.”

-Neil Burton, author of Heaven and Hell: The Psychology of Emotions

 

And then, their blessings multiply. It’s the virtuous cycle of confidence:

Confidence -> Action -> (Positive) Results -> Confidence -> Action

Where it starts for you depends on your own personal starting point in terms of self-confidence.

If you’ve got it in spades and want even more of it, all you have to do is capitalize on what you have, and take action, take risks, take a stab at something you’ve always wanted, that girl, boy, business, championship, whatever it is you wish you had, get up and go after it.

Every new successful experience will bring you closer to your next successful experience, and your next, and so on… 

And if you don’t think you’re one of “them”, those people who have faith in themselves, the first think that you could do is start changing your mind.

See that’s exactly the type of thinking that is currently holding you back. This thought that you aren’t like those people who make great things happen.

The thought that “those” people were born with some biological advantage you weren’t given.

Extreme cases aside, you know deep down that this just isn’t true. And I’m here to tell you everyone has it in them, that strength to get up and grab the bull by the horns.

And there are indeed diffent approaches you can take to start feeling more confident.

I approach this problem from a social perspective, sharing techniques on how to communicate effectively, understanding people better, and how to deal with the different social challenges regular people face on the day-to-day.

Knowing that I’m able to do these things allows me to operate confidently in this human, connected, and social world we live in.

So maybe there’s another advantage to self-confidence, the peace of mind! 

Either way, you know the drill, it all starts with you going out to do something. 🙂

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

-Dale Carnegie

 

Alex Mombo is an author & blogger. He loves engineering, playing music, reading personal development literature and wants to help you find ways to express yourself more fully at http://ift.tt/1NTBdGD

You’ve read The 1 HUGE Difference Confidence Makes, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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You’re reading 5 Key Ways Your Smartphone Can Help Enhance Your Productivity, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

The rate of dependency on the Smartphone is increasing. In fact, a recent study has shown that approximately 64% of American adults have smartphones. The question, however, is do you know that this same smartphone can help you enhance your productivity?

This doesn’t mean that smartphones don’t have a few downsides though. In fact, researchers say that way a brain looks with a smartphone addiction is similar to that of brain that is drug addicted.

However, though it has helped increase the number of tech savvy people, the smartphone is still one of the most underutilized gadget of our age. Much like a the human brain, a smartphone carries with it a greater amount of capacity than it’ owner may ever known!

Social media networks abound, and it almost seems that all these gadgets help you do is waste your time and ruin your relationships. If half the capacity of our smartphones were explored and used properly we will be way more productive as business men, mothers, employees and individuals.

If you have a smartphone, I can almost bet that you are under-utilizing it. Your smartphone can do more than help you play music and take selfies. Please find below, a few key ways your smartphone can help enhance your productivity:

1. Your Smartphone Is a Great Personal Development Tool

There are a lot of functionalities in a smartphone, but I still think the greatest advantage of having a cell phone is its ability to connect us to the internet.

I appreciated the use of a Smartphone when I got contacted for business by someone in my business network who didn’t speak English. I explored the usefulness of Google and was amazed at how easily I could communicate in another language. There are even a number of other language apps I have since discovered.

Equally, I have been able to read a good number of self help books using my smartphone that has helped me in no small way using my smartphone.

When you need to understand a new word, need to check facts about the world, need to read up on something without having to carry a big device, need to watch a tutorial or a recipe, you only need to search as far as your phone. In fact the existence of smartphones has erased the major excuse for ignorance.

2. Your Smartphone Can Help You Manage Tasks More Effectively

Your Smartphone can wake you up in the morning with your choice of a very distasteful song or sound. But more than that, it can help enhance your productivity throughout the day.

Several mobile-friendly services can keep you attuned to what needs doing. The most useful ones can be accessed as a Smartphone app. One example is Toodledo.

I have found that from daily reminders to drafts, to Alarms and notifications, my Smartphones can very easily become a daily guide through my engagements and chores. There is no reason why you shouldn’t explore this especially if you are as forgetful as I tend to be sometimes, or as busy as I am.

3. Your Smartphone Is Your Best Travel Companion

If tourism is your thing or perhaps your job expects you to travel a lot to different locations, then you are probably among the great number of people who are under using their phones.

I am personally amazed at the number of Travel apps that help us whenever we have to make that trip. From apps that remind you what to take along to apps that help you track your flight in real time and apps that help you get around in your new surroundings. There is really no need to still be entwined in the normal travel frustrations.

4. Your Smartphone Makes E-commerce Easy and Trendy

Whether you are operating as a business owner or as a customer, your smartphone is a massive asset that can help with transactions. Trends have shifted dangerously in the past few years, from shopping in brick and mortar shops to online shopping. There are numerous advantages online shopping has over regular shopping.

Making purchases from your phone will enhance your productivity by freeing up more time for you to do other things and have a more productive with your twenty four hours. There are a variety of online resources that enable you to do heavy transactions via your mobile with nothing but a click, especially you are like me and your work is majorly online.

5. You Can Have a Pretty Productive Meeting with your phone

It is difficult to keep up with the number of Social media chat networks, more keep springing up every day. There are way too many people on multiple chat platforms and sadly most people are just there to…well, chat.

If you have to have a meeting especially with a small group of people, whether it is family related or work related, you don’t have to leave the house or even travel. Smartphones and the plethora of social networks have created various means of planning and meeting online.

Skype, face book, whatsapp, tubidy, weChat and the many more are great resources. If used properly, these resources will enhance your productivity and get your better results

Some people actually consider smartphones evil, because of the repeated notifications from IM’s, Chat messages, and e-mails. The good thing however, is that they can be curtailed with a little discipline and innovation. I mean, smart phones have provisions for muting or even turning off notifications.

To enhance your productivity, limit yourself to a few necessary chat platforms and utilize them properly. This way you don’t become less productive because you lose too much time chatting

Life can be so much easier and better with a Smartphone if we cared to find out how. Now, let’s turn that gadget into a life saver!

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Toby Nwazor is an entrepreneur. He is equally a free lance writer who is passionate about helping other people live their best lives now. He is the co-founder of the personal development blog  http://ift.tt/1WkbZVf

You’ve read 5 Key Ways Your Smartphone Can Help Enhance Your Productivity, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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