Energy from self-confidence

Dorothy Victor, may 10, 2014 
Article from http://www.deccanherald.com/content

Self-confidence is a kind of energy. Flowing from within, it can ignite a person and fire him to greatness. 

However, like other forms of energy, it must be generated painstakingly, stored prudently and used wisely. It will then illuminate our path and help us transcend all lurking obstacles in our journey through life.

It was with self-confidence that John F Kennedy decreed that he will put a man on the moon. The self-confidence in what he believed fuelled Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to take that “one step for man and one giant leap for mankind,” in history. Years later, the same self-confidence put Barrack Obama in the White House as the first African American President of the world’s super power.

 Seemingly impossible challenges can be met, faced and won with this powerful tool of self-confidence in oneself and in the world around. 

The story of how Henry Ford pioneered the V-8 engine is often quoted to stress the importance of self-confidence in one’s accomplishments Early in the age of the automobile, Henry Ford decided to produce his now famous V-8 motor. He chose to build an engine with the entire eight cylinders cast in one block, and instructed his engineers to produce a design for the engine. 

The design was put on paper, but the engineers agreed, every one of them, that it was simply impossible to cast an eight-cylinder gas engine block in one piece. Ford said confidently, “Produce it anyway.” “But,” they replied, “It’s impossible!” “Go ahead,” Ford commanded, “and stay on the job until you succeed, no matter how much time is required.” 

The engineers had to go ahead without any choice. Six months went by, nothing happened. Another six months passed, and still nothing happened. 

The engineers tried every conceivable plan to carry out the order, to no avail.At the end of the year, Ford checked with his engineers, and again they informed him they had found no way to carry out his orders. “Go right ahead,” said Ford. “I want it, and I’ll have it.”

 They went ahead, and then, as if by a stroke of magic, the secret was discovered.Self-confidence, which is self-belief in a nutshell, is a commanding force in unleashing inner strength. 

Waking up every day with self-confidence is perhaps the only sure way to beat pessimism, overcome impediments and march towards victory. 

As Poet Walter D Wintle put it eloquently, “If you think you are beaten, you are; If you think you dare not, you don’t; If you’d like to win but think you can’t, it’s almost certain that you won’t. Life’s battles don’t always go to the stronger man; But sooner or later, those who win are those who think they can!”

Dorothy Victor, may 10, 2014 
Article from http://www.deccanherald.com/content

Taking a Selfie Has More to Do With Self Worth Than You Realize

Molly Fosco
Posted: 03/05/2014 2:26 pm EST Updated: 03/05/2014 2:59 pm EST
Article from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/molly-fosco/
Entertainment & Lifestyle Blogger

We are obsessed with ourselves. When I say "we" I effectively mean millennials. We invented the selfie, we tell everyone about the amazing things we're doing at any given moment via social media, and the newest addition to our self obsession -- the BuzzFeed quiz section where we can discover significant revelations about ourselves like which sandwich type best matches our personality.

It's no secret that the Internet has fed the flame of self-indulgence and for some, humility has completely gone out the window. But what exactly is the motivation behind all this self obsession? Have we always been selfish people and technology is the enabler? Are we just a bunch of narcissistic brats? It might sound crazy but I think it's possible that the millennial self-obsession is actually a lot more poignant than that.

What makes something go viral on the Internet? There are only a few publications these days that seem to really get it right in terms of creating viral content. The aforementioned BuzzFeed is of course one of the first names that come to mind when you think of virality. A recently published GQ article takes an inside look at the BuzzFeed Animals vertical, a team that has built their entire career out of understanding why one baby animal picture is cuter than another baby animal picture. Jack Shepherd, Animals editor (or Beastmaster as the Animals team members are referred to in the article), theorizes that the biggest reason animal content is so universally loved and consistently shared is because stories about animals tend to show humans at their best -- empathetic, caring, kind. Think people saving abandoned strays or raising awareness about an animal welfare issue. We want to believe that human beings are good people because we want to believe that we are good people as individuals.

I've heard the criticism that my generation expects too much out of life because many of us are the product of positive reinforcement as a parenting technique. Our parents told us "you can do anything," "you can be anything you want to be," "you're special." So when we get to our late twenties and we're still working at a job that has nothing to do with our college major or whatever prolific calling we thought we were going to fulfill by now, we become dejected and frustrated. We feel like we're not doing enough, we feel like there's so much more out there we're meant to do and be. So where do we look to find that fulfillment and self-worth? Yep you guessed it -- the good ol' interwebs.

Not only are we reading content that gives us a good feeling about ourselves, we're creating it too. The harshly judged practice of self picture taking, while perhaps excessive or annoying at times, can actually be a really simple way to feel really good about yourself. Dove is a company known for campaigning to raise self esteem among young women so that they don't get sucked into the objectification that media often bestows upon them. In one of their recent videos aptly titled "Selfie," they use the practice of silly self picture taking as a medium to help young women really see their beauty and self worth in a very honest way. Although our selfies might be veiled in narcissism, self-obsession or boastfulness I think that for many it's a genuine attempt to boost self esteem. Seeing a close up picture of your own face and willingly showing it to thousands of people with one click is a form of self-confidence that I don't think should be quickly dismissed. It's taking a risk and opening the door to criticism but hoping for positive reinforcement and love.

A ridiculous amount of my job is dedicated to understanding exactly what makes people not only read or watch something, but then also spend precious minutes of their time sharing that content. Working in the world of digital strategy you will learn that there are typically 4 main reasons why people share online. Content will be shared if it incites emotion, offers value, facilitates a connection or is in someway remarkable. And expanding on the BuzzFeed Animals virality theory, I believe that people will also view and share content that tells them something about themselves. Something that says "this is about me, this is the type of person I am, or this is who I want to be," and there's nothing wrong with that. It wasn't wrong for our parents to tell us we're special. If you believe you're meant to do great things in this world then you're going to be much more likely to actually do them. But first you have to find out what it is you really want to do! And if taking selfies and looking at baby animals online helps inspire you then why the hell not?

Generation "me" isn't so black and white (Instagram filters aside). We might come off as narcissistic brats sometimes, but maybe we're just trying to get to know ourselves better. Maybe we want and should believe that we're good people. Everyone wants to find a purpose in life and the millennial generation is looking for it on the Internet. Our version of soul-seeking just might annoy you a little bit more than the offline version. Sorry about that!

Molly Fosco
Posted: 03/05/2014 2:26 pm EST Updated: 03/05/2014 2:59 pm EST
Article from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/molly-fosco/

Self-Confidence Begins at Home

Sherrie Campbell, PhD Become a fan
Veteran, licensed Psychologist
Posted: 04/14/2014 3:15 pm EDT Updated: 04/14/2014 3:59 pm EDT

A child's sense of self is shaped by every interaction he or she has, but it is shaped most powerfully by how they are loved and parented at home. How a child sees themselves will influence every aspect of their life from their education, relationships to their overall well-being. Life is about feeling good enough, competent, loved, successful and happy, and the outer world doesn't always reflect this, so unconditional love and acceptance at home is the best catalyst for self-esteem.

9 Truths Our Children Must Hear About Themselves

1. They are amazing. Our children need to know they are amazing just because they are. They don't have to DO anything to be amazing. They are a gift, deserve to be loved and treasured and need to be disciplined to think and believe in their own greatness. When we see them having low self-esteem we must remind them that nothing can stand in the way of their greatness.

2. They are significant. When we love our children and treat them with respect, they learn they are important and significant. When we include them in our lives and also respect and parent in alignment with their changing developmental needs, we show them we see them and they are important. We must verbalize their importance, and encourage them toward their unique purpose in this world.

3. They are smart. When we raise our children we must raise them to see, believe in and use their intelligence. When our children hear they are smart and we find every opportunity to show them this through their own actions, we help them believe it about themselves. When they believe they are smart they behave smartly, perform smartly, communicate intelligently and they make wiser choices.

4. They are beautiful. We are all beautiful in our own unique ways. We must tell our children they are beautiful inside and out and give them that idea of themselves. If they live from this idea they will strive to maintain it because it feels good to feel beautiful. Beauty is subjective, and the world may not always mirror this to them, so if they have this as an internal belief they will be able to carry this through the harder times.

5. They are special. Our children are precious people. They are unique and different from us and we, as parents, need to celebrate and allow this. When we love them according to their special qualities, they learn to see themselves not as different but as genuinely gifted, unique and special. When we allow them the freedom to be in their uniqueness and we recognize them with interest and support, they naturally find a confidence in their individual expression.

7. They are capable. When we teach them they are capable, they learn they can stand up with all the confidence in the world. They can look any person in the face and be proud of the person they are; it won't matter what people say about them, because they know all that matters is what they think of themselves. When we believe in their capabilities they will naturally live up to higher expectations.

8. They are powerful. As we parent them with love, discipline, support and positive affirmation we teach them no one can stand in the of their greatness. We teach them that no one can stop them but them, that no one can get in their way but them. We teach that getting in their own way is not an option. We believe in them to dig deep and to find the power to surpass all challenge.

9. They are lovable. Our children learn how to love themselves by how we love them. We must always affirm their unconditional lovability. No one is perfect, and having confidence doesn't come as a result of being perfect. Confidence comes from learning to love themselves in their not-so-perfect moments. We must always tell them to love themselves, not just that we love them but that they need to love themselves.

When we implant confidence into our children though our parenting they get a head start in life. They start life with an inherent belief in themselves and what they are capable of. This way when life gets hard, their natural drive will be to maintain and strive for that original sense of well-being they were gifted from our parenting. When we love them with discipline and positive affirmation they learn to treat themselves in just this way.

Little Life Message: Our external parenting becomes the internal dialogue within our children so we must strive to make it positive.

Sherrie Campbell, PhD Become a fan
Veteran, licensed Psychologist
Posted: 04/14/2014 3:15 pm EDT Updated: 04/14/2014 3:59 pm EDT