Do you feel you are not always the best in what you are? Well, I guess you luck self-confidence. Why not, try to read some articles here for your tips and guidance? I also provided you some videos to watch on how you can overcome this. Remember accept that nobody is perfect. So what makes you worry about?
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
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/
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
By DEREK WHITNEY
Article from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/
We all know people who sing their own praises at every work or social opportunity. You may sometimes wonder if they know something about self-confidence that you don’t. Perhaps their annoying habit is a sign that they’ve discovered some secret to waking up every day feeling ready to conquer the world. Truly, the line between self-confidence and arrogance can seem finer than it really is.
Cocky or Confident?
Cocky people do have confidence, but it comes from a different place than true self-assurance. Arrogance is one result of building self-esteem from outward sources such as financial privilege or constant praise. However, yank the external support system away, and the person’s sense of self-worth goes with it.
You build true self-confidence from within and project it to the world. Confident people have a realistic picture of their own traits and abilities and trust themselves enough to respond to life authentically. They learn from failure rather than letting it define them, and they forge ahead a bit wiser.
A hallmark of the genuinely self-assured person is the ability to admit to a mistake without excessive apologizing or rationalization. A cocky colleague, on the other hand, is more likely to pass the buck.
Four Ways to Tell the Difference
1. Style vs. Bling Addiction.
True style is personal and has little to do with trends. Confident people enjoy what they have without defining themselves by their possessions. These are the folks who survive disasters with a strong and giving spirit. Their sense of self remains constant even if they must physically rebuild.
Arrogant people are more often emotionally devastated by material losses and may struggle harder to define their core values in the face of adversity. Not everyone who flaunts “stuff” is cocky, but ostentation suggests a distorted self-image.
2. Active Listening vs. the Monologue.
That person who insists on holding court in any gathering is probably a frightened jester rather than a monarch.
Arrogant people need to validate their belief of being better than others and are constantly looking for opportunities to sell themselves.
If you like yourself as you are, you free up energy to be genuinely interested in other people. You engage in active listening and ask sincere questions. In turn, people will respond positively to your attentiveness.
3. Ambition vs. Ruthlessness.
Ambition is not a crime. Confident people relish achievement and contributing their talents to the world. They don’t feel threatened by others’ successes and instead try to learn from them.
Cocky people need to believe that they are on top even if reality says otherwise. This can lead to unnecessarily manipulative or callous behavior as they focus on defending a power base at all costs.
4. The Human vs. the Greek God.
As a self-confident person, you accept that you are just a human being. You are intrinsically no better or worse than anyone else. In addition to your successes, you have flaws, failures and really bad hair days or even years. You treat yourself with compassion while taking responsibility for your choices, and you learn from misfortune and mistakes.
Arrogant people can’t risk the fragile persona crumbling in the face of defeat and run from criticism. They tend to go to extremes of either deflecting blame onto others or condemning themselves for being only human.If you wonder about your own cocky moments, you are probably in the ballpark of self-confidence.
Truly secure people evaluate their own behavior and face their doubts. By letting go of fear, you set yourself up for success.
DEREK WHITNEY Article from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/
Posted: Tuesday, April 23, 2013 5:02 pm Maria Luisa Salcines | MLSalcines@aol.com Article from http://www.themonitor.com/opinion/columnists/
Raising a self-confident child can be tricky because sometimes in the name of making our child feel loved we overprotect, and make life too easy for our children.
Self-worth is what allows a person to be happy and pursue success. It lays the foundation for your future by giving you the confidence to succeed in school, persevere when times are difficult, and form healthy relationships.
Self-confidence is gained through years of unconditional love. Think of your children as a bucket of water you are filling that needs constant refilling because the water overflows.
Children are developing and changing on a daily basis, they can never hear the words “I love you” often enough. Your unconditional love has to always be a constant in their life.
Loving your child and telling him he is loved only when he behaves does not help a child gain self-confidence.
Children need to know that even when they make mistakes and choices you disagree with, they are still loved.
Parents need to encourage their child to try new things; they need to give their child freedom within healthy boundaries so that he can have the courage to try new things.
Trying new things and failing is what teaches a child to persevere. As much as it hurts
a parent to see their child sad, this learning process is an important part of life.
Parents who pamper and protect their children do more harm than good.
Helping your child gain a sense of self-worth is a slow process that continues throughout your child’s life.
Parents can help their children by teaching them responsibility. Give your children chores, and hold them accountable for their grades and behavior.
Show your children that you are proud of them. Make the effort to attend all of their school functions, especially when they get older. Teens often pretend they don’t care, but you’d be surprised how good it makes them feel when you show interest in the things they are involved with.
Listen to your children and try to learn how to communicate and fit in their world. Parents build a wall between their children when they are constantly talking about the past or about how they used to do things.
Be open to learning new things and they will be more open to letting you into their lives.
Regardless of how big or small, always celebrate your children’s accomplishments.
Allow your children to express their opinions in a respectful way. Sometimes we tell them we want them to talk to us, but when they do we don’t listen and are quick to give our opinion.
Advice is great, but sometimes listening is more important. When you allow your children to express their feelings you are letting them know that their thoughts matter.
Raising children is a challenge and parents you will make mistakes. When you do, don’t hesitate to apologize.
A parent-child relationship built on love, acceptance, and trust can always be mended.
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Maria Luisa Salcines is a freelance writer, and certified parent educator with The International Network for Children and Families in Redirecting Children’s Behavior and Redirecting for a Cooperative Classroom. Follow her on Twitter @PowerOfFamily or contact her at her website at www.redirectingchildrenrgv.org. Article from http://www.themonitor.com/opinion/columnists/
Posted May 13 , 2013 Article from http://www.exchangemagazine.com/morningpost/
Africa needs to forge a new model of growth based on inclusivity
Cape Town, South Africa – Economic diversification is essential for African economies to build buffers against vulnerability in a volatile world, panellists told a World Economic Forum on Africa session on Africa’s economic outlook.
Creating a savings culture and increased tax base to help fund intra-African trade and investment and reduce African countries’ dependence on customs revenues are other factors that could provide buffers against volatility and improve trade flows by lessening the incentive for countries to impose non-tariff barriers, participants said.
Sectors mentioned as being important for the future include agriculture, financial services, natural resource extraction, investment in IT infrastructure, housing, power supply and regional trading of electricity. Participants added tourism and healthcare as important sectors for Africa’s development and job creation.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance of Nigeria, said Africa’s growth rates are not a flash-in-the-pan as shown by the fact that, even in the uncertain economic climate globally, Africa continues to grow. But it is important to find ways to step up the growth and make it inclusive.
Her view was echoed by Pravin Gordhan, Minister of Finance of South Africa, who said it is not only the measurement of gross domestic product that is important, but the quality of that GDP. He said Africa needs to produce a new model of growth based on inclusivity and create new economic institutions both within and between countries to support it. The flow of capital out of the continent has to be stemmed to increase the availability of investible capital within Africa.
He said that, although foreign direct investment in Africa is growing, much of it is still going into the resources sector. The challenge of the next five years is to lay the basis for greater diversification based on countries’ comparative advantage. “The time has certainly come for Africa to start talking about what it is going to do for itself.”
Africans should take advantage of the increased confidence and interest in the continent by negotiating better terms of trade. However, he cautioned that the new self-confidence now evident in Africa itself should not lead to hubris. “We will be living in a risky world for some years to come.”
Benno Ndulu, Governor of the Bank of Tanzania, said natural resource wealth is a key opportunity for the future and, although past experience of leveraging it for development has been negative, lessons have been learned and the future is more positive. He added that Africa has a comparative advantage in its combination of cheap labour and a large youth population, which can help Africa to attract investment from Asia.
Okonjo-Iweala said that, while Africa is seeing increased FDI, increasingly Africans themselves are investing in Africa. She said that, for example, South African companies are among the biggest investors in Nigeria while Nigerian companies are expanding rapidly across West and East Africa.
Linah K. Mohohlo, Governor and Board Chairman of the Bank of Botswana, said for Africa to progress, it is important that a greater commitment is made to productivity and competitiveness.
With the support of the Government of South Africa, the World Economic Forum on Africa is being held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 8 to 10 May. Over 1,000 participants from more than 80 countries are taking part. Under the theme Delivering on Africa’s Promise, the meeting’s agenda will integrate three pillars: Accelerating Economic Diversification; Boosting Strategic Infrastructure; and Unlocking Africa’s Talent.
Posted May 13 , 2013 Article from http://www.exchangemagazine.com/morningpost/
Making kids play team sports in PE is neither healthy nor educational.
By Jessica Olien|Posted Friday, May 10, 2013, at 5:35 AM
Article from http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2013/05/reform_physical_education_gym_class_shouldn_t_require_team_sports.html
Students play in the school gym at J.V. Junior High School in Dillon, S.C.
Photo by Tami Chappell/Reuters
As a kid, I wanted desperately to be good at sports. This was not because I enjoyed playing them. I did not. It was because I’d learned that physical education classes were key to my social survival. I knew my failure to make a basketball hit the backboard would have ramifications throughout the school year. In anticipation, as each summer waned, I’d do drills in my backyard. I’d practice dribbling balls, swinging rackets, serving volleyballs over a tree branch.
Once each school year started, it would take less than a week to re-establish my utter failure in sports and my place as an object of ridicule to my peers.
Every PE unit was a means for me to prove just how useless and uncooperative my body was. The cycle began with cautious optimism—maybe I’ll hit/kick/serve it this time!— followed shortly by a missed kick or fumbled serve that showed the class and teacher that I was terrible at everything. The culmination of each class was the annihilation of my self-confidence.
Every new sport was a fresh hell. I spent the majority of the time either on the sidelines or waiting to be picked for a team by one of the popular kids, the ones who already knew how to swing a bat and give unselfconscious high-fives. I ended up in the outfield with the boy who picked his nose.
I spent most classes trying to disappear. I had the tricks down: move as subtly as possible away from the ball; attempt a bathroom break when your team is called to the infield; when all else fails develop allergies or limp (this one rarely paid off).
After this ordeal, I’d shuffle through the rest of the school day deflated, sure that the students who’d watched me flounder at kickball now expected me to fail at life. Long division? Who, me? You must be mistaken; I can’t even catch. With the weeklong exception of archery in high school (my singular time to shine), this agony went on for 12 years.
Calling the class “physical education” was some sort of sick joke. The lesson I was learning about my physical body was that it was useless, inferior, and quite possibly infected with a cootie-like virus. We should have been learning about how complicated and capable our bodies were and how to make them healthier. Instead we were playing dodgeball.
Cheryl Richardson, the senior director of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, the organization that produces national PE standards, says “dodgeball should not be part of any curriculum, ever.” But she admits it is difficult to know how many schools are adhering to the standards, which are not federally mandated. Richardson says NASPE advocates for a more balanced approach to physical education than that which many of us grew up with, one that teaches children good sportsmanship, builds on their motor skills, and helps them find a role in a group setting. But they do still advocate for competitive team sports.
The proponents of team sports in schools say it helps kids learn that they have a place in a team. In this, for me, sports were very effective. I learned early on that my place on a team was similar to that of the elderly antelope with a gimpy leg on a nature program. I was a good distraction, being mauled and eaten so the other, less obviously damaged could get away.
If I had not been subjected to such effective team-building exercises, maybe as an adult I would not be such a loner. Experiences in school can have a devastating effect into adulthood. A British study from Loughborough University showed that physical education in school can be so traumatic that it turns women away from physical fitness for the rest of their lives.
Needless to say, my physical fitness did not improve over the course of my school career. Instead, I developed a slouch and the impression that my perfectly normal body was disabled. A notion that, despite being in perfectly good shape, I held onto until I was 30.
As an adult, I certainly haven't played any of the varsity-style sports that I was expected to take quite seriously as a 10-year-old. For kids who do want to play sports, there are plenty of other opportunities. Most schools have programs outside of gym class for those who want to try their hand at team sports or work toward becoming a professional. Sports are certainly not so underappreciated in our culture that they need to be the standard by which we judge kids and teach them how to take care of their bodies.
To make matters worse, sports in a school setting are not even an effective way to get exercise. According to a 2006 investigation, high school students got an average of 16 minutes of actual exercise a in an hour of gym class. The notion that our school gymnasiums are the breeding ground for our nation’s professional athletes has kept physical education from actually educating children about their bodies or how to use them.
Some schools have changed their curricula to reflect a healthier, more inclusive view of physical education. Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative promotes healthy eating and a positive outlook to combat childhood obesity. However, many schools still teach that fitness has to be a competitive venture, which rewards those who are already comfortable in their bodies while making others flounder their way into adulthood needlessly diminished and damaged.
Due to budget constraints, some schools are doing away with physical education altogether. This would have looked like a miracle to me as a kid, but as an adult I can appreciate the value of physical fitness and how detrimental it is for children to remain focused and immobile all day.
Many states have passed bills to extend physical education time, adding 200 minutes a week. But according to a study from Cornell, 200 minutes translated to a measly eight-minute increase in active time. The study, based on an annual survey of high schoolers by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, showed that even students did not believe gym class was serving its purpose.
The solution seems pretty simple. Start teaching kids how to do the things they can do, better. Most kids can run and jump and skip. Let them. They don’t have to race or see who scores the most points. Teach them about what they can do rather than what they can’t. Show them their bodies can be a key to their future happiness, not an obstacle to it.
Jessica Olien|Posted Friday, May 10, 2013, at 5:35 AM
Article from http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2013/05/reform_physical_education_gym_class_shouldn_t_require_team_sports.html
JEDDAH: FADIA JIFFRY Thursday 9 May 2013 Last Update 9 May 2013 1:33 am From http://www.arabnews.com/news/450963
The Kingdom is trying to implement a ban on chastisement in schools as part of a global initiative to end corporal punishment.
According to regular circulars issued by the Ministry of Education, schools in the Kingdom are advised not to use corporal punishment. This rule is applicable to all stages of general education and penalties have been created to prevent teachers from using force to discipline students. However, there is still no precise prohibition framework.
Teachers say that a ban on corporal punishment in schools might lead to undisciplined students.
“Students in this generation are very hard to control without beating,” says Ahmad Oraif, a high school teacher. “Corporal punishments in schools need to be allowed to reflect the teacher’s authority in class, at least to a certain degree. For example, in my situation, I find it very hard to control big students, especially when I try to reprimand them for their mistakes. They don’t pay attention to what I say and don’t treat me with the respect I deserve as a teacher.”
He adds that disciplining a child with a stick is much more effective than trying to discipline a child verbally. “Most of us teachers fear the vengeance high school students are capable of. After-school hours are usually the time when angry students attack their teachers.”
Oraif says he uses the ruler as a prop to maintain discipline for students he privately tutors. “Apart from just the respect it provides, I find these students producing results, which is why I think corporal punishment in schools is important, although I wouldn’t suggest severe punishment.”
“Banning corporal punishment in public schools will be a big threat to teachers,” says Afa Binladin, principal of a public school in Jeddah. “There are many complains that most high school students are already very tough to control and a ban on using sticks to discipline would only make it worse.”
“I don’t support such forms of punishment, especially not severe punishment, which causes facial mutilation and it creates many psychological consequences,” says Dr. Khalid Al-Oufi, consultant psychiatrist and medical director at Al-Amal Hospital. “Corporal punishment affects the self-confidence of a student. It leads to the development of weak personalities and provokes angry and hostile behavior among students.”
Al-Oufi says there are other ways in which teachers can deal with students.
“Teachers can use positive reinforcement, either by praising, thanking or encouraging them for good behavior. Teachers can also use negative reinforcement by depriving students of the things they like, by not allowing them to go for their break time, by asking them to stand up, by not giving them high marks or by using the psychological punishment such as time out.”
A global report released in 2012 to end legislated violence against children said 117 states worldwide had prohibited corporal punishment in schools, while 81 states had neither prohibited nor enforced the law yet, with Saudi Arabia listed among these countries.
The report also said 46.3 percent of the global child population was protected by law from corporal punishment at schools.
JEDDAH: FADIA JIFFRY Thursday 9 May 2013 Last Update 9 May 2013 1:33 am From http://www.arabnews.com/news/450963
From the quietly confident doctor whose advice we rely on, to the charismatic confidence of an inspiring speaker, self-confident people have qualities that everyone admires.
Self-confidence is extremely important in almost every aspect of our lives, yet so many people struggle to find it. Sadly, this can be a vicious circle: people who lack self-confidence can find it difficult to become successful.
After all, most people are reluctant to back a project that's being pitched by someone who is nervous, fumbling, and overly apologetic.
On the other hand, you might be persuaded by someone who speaks clearly, who holds his or her head high, who answers questions assuredly, and who readily admits when he or she does not know something.
Self-confident people inspire confidence in others: their audience, their peers, their bosses, their customers, and their friends. And gaining the confidence of others is one of the key ways in which a self-confident person finds success.
The good news is that self-confidence can be learned and built on. And, whether you’re working on your own self-confidence or building the confidence of people around you, it’s well worth the effort!
How Confident do you Seem to Others?
Your level of self-confidence can show in many ways: your behavior, your body language, how you speak, what you say, and so on. Look at the following comparisons of common confident behavior with behavior associated with low self-confidence. Which thoughts or actions do you recognize in yourself and people around you?
As you can see from these examples, low self-confidence can be self-destructive, and it often manifests itself as negativity. Self-confident people are generally more positive – they believe in themselves and their abilities, and they also believe in living life to the full.
What is Self-Confidence?
Two main things contribute to self-confidence: self-efficacy and self-esteem.
We gain a sense of self-efficacy when we see ourselves (and others similar to ourselves) mastering skills and achieving goals that matter in those skill areas. This is the confidence that, if we learn and work hard in a particular area, we'll succeed. It's this type of confidence that leads people to accept difficult challenges, and persist in the face of setbacks.
This overlaps with the idea of self-esteem, which is a more general sense that we can cope with what's going on in our lives, and that we have a right to be happy. Partly, this comes from a feeling that the people around us approve of us, which we may or may not be able to control. However, it also comes from the sense that we are behaving virtuously, that we're competent at what we do, and that we can compete successfully when we put our minds to it.
Some people believe that self-confidence can be built with affirmations and positive thinking. At Mind Tools, we believe that there's some truth in this, but that it's just as important to build self-confidence by setting and achieving goals – thereby building competence. Without this underlying competence, you don't have self-confidence: you have shallow over-confidence, with all of the upset and failure that this brings.
Building Self-Confidence
So how do you build this sense of balanced self-confidence, founded on a firm appreciation of reality?
The bad news is that there’s no five-minute solution.
The good news is that building self-confidence is readily achievable, just as long as you have the focus and determination to carry things through. And what’s even better is that the things you’ll do to build self-confidence will also build success – after all, your confidence will come from real, solid achievement. No-one can take this away from you.
So here are our three steps to self-confidence, for which we’ll use the metaphor of a journey: preparing for your journey; setting out; and accelerating towards success.
Step 1: Preparing for Your Journey
The first step involves getting yourself ready for your journey to self-confidence. You need to take stock of where you are, think about where you want to go, get yourself in the right mindset for your journey, and commit yourself to starting it and staying with it.
In preparing for your journey, do these five things:
Look at What You've Already Achieved
Think about your life so far, and list the ten best things you've achieved in an "Achievement Log." Perhaps you came top in an important test or exam, played a key role in an important team, produced the best sales figures in a period, did something that made a key difference in someone else’s life, or delivered a project that meant a lot for your business.
Put these into a smartly formatted document, which you can look at often. And then spend a few minutes each week enjoying the success you’ve already had.
Think About Your Strengths
Next, use a technique such as SWOT Analysis to take a look at who and where you are. Looking at your Achievement Log, and reflecting on your recent life, think about what your friends would consider to be your strengths and weaknesses. From these, think about the opportunities and threats you face.
Make sure that you enjoy a few minutes reflecting on your strengths!
Think About What's Important to You, and Where you Want to Go
Next, think about the things that are really important to you, and what you want to achieve with your life.
Setting and achieving goals is a key part of this, and real self-confidence comes from this. Goal setting is the process you use to set yourself targets, and measure your successful hitting of those targets. See our article on goal setting to find out how to use this important technique, or use our Life Plan Workbook to think through your own goals in detail (see the "Tip" below).
Inform your goal setting with your SWOT Analysis. Set goals that exploit your strengths, minimize your weaknesses, realize your opportunities, and control the threats you face.
And having set the major goals in your life, identify the first step in each. Make sure it’s a very small step, perhaps taking no more than an hour to complete.
Start Managing Your Mind
At this stage, you need to start managing your mind. Learn to pick up and defeat the negative self-talk which can destroy your confidence. See our article on rational positive thinking to find out how to do this.
Further useful reading includes our article on imagery – this teaches you how to use and create strong mental images of what you'll feel and experience as you achieve your major goals – there’s something about doing this that makes even major goals seem achievable.
And Then Commit Yourself to Success!
The final part of preparing for the journey is to make a promise to yourself that you are absolutely committed to your journey, and that you will do all in your power to achieve it.
If, as you’re doing it, you find doubts starting to surface, write them down and challenge them calmly and rationally. If they dissolve under scrutiny, that’s great. However if they are based on genuine risks, make sure you set additional goals to manage these appropriately. For help with evaluating and managing the risks you face, read our Risk Analysis and Management article.
Either way, make that promise!
Tip:
Self-confidence is about balance. At one extreme, we have people with low self-confidence. At the other end, we have people who may be over-confident.
If you are under-confident, you’ll avoid taking risks and stretching yourself; and you might not try at all. And if you’re over-confident, you may take on too much risk, stretch yourself beyond your capabilities, and crash badly. You may also find that you’re so optimistic that you don’t try hard enough to succeed.
Getting this right is a matter of having the right amount of confidence, founded in reality and on your true ability. With the right amount of self-confidence, you will take informed risks, stretch yourself (but not beyond your abilities) and try hard.
So How Self Confident Are You? Take our short quiz to find out how self-confident you are already, and start looking at specific strategies to improve your confidence level.
Step 2: Setting Out
This is where you start, ever so slowly, moving towards your goal. By doing the right things, and starting with small, easy wins, you’ll put yourself on the path to success – and start building the self-confidence that comes with this.
Build the Knowledge you Need to Succeed
Looking at your goals, identify the skills you’ll need to achieve them. And then look at how you can acquire these skills confidently and well. Don’t just accept a sketchy, just-good-enough solution – look for a solution, a program or a course that fully equips you to achieve what you want to achieve and, ideally, gives you a certificate or qualification you can be proud of.
Focus on the Basics
When you’re starting, don’t try to do anything clever or elaborate. And don’t reach for perfection – just enjoy doing simple things successfully and well.
Set Small Goals, and Achieve Them
Starting with the very small goals you identified in step 1, get in the habit of setting them, achieving them, and celebrating that achievement. Don’t make goals particularly challenging at this stage, just get into the habit of achieving them and celebrating them. And, little by little, start piling up the successes!
Keep Managing Your Mind
Stay on top of that positive thinking, keep celebrating and enjoying success, and keep those mental images strong. You can also use a technique such as Treasure Mapping to make your visualizations even stronger.
And on the other side, learn to handle failure. Accept that mistakes happen when you’re trying something new. In fact, if you get into the habit of treating mistakes as learning experiences, you can (almost) start to see them in a positive light. After all, there’s a lot to be said for the saying “if it doesn’t kill you, it makes you stronger.”
Step 3: Accelerating Towards Success
By this stage, you’ll feel your self-confidence building. You’ll have completed some of the courses you started in step 2, and you’ll have plenty of success to celebrate.
This is the time to start stretching yourself. Make the goals a bit bigger, and the challenges a bit tougher. Increase the size of your commitment. And extend the skills you’ve proven into new, but closely related arenas.
Tip 1:
Keep yourself grounded – this is where people tend to get over-confident and over-stretch themselves. And make sure you don’t start enjoying cleverness for its own sake…
Tip 2:
If you haven't already looked at it, use our How Self Confident Are You? quiz to find out how self-confident you are, and to identify specific strategies for building self-confidence.
As long as you keep on stretching yourself enough, but not too much, you'll find your self-confidence building apace. What's more, you'll have earned your self-confidence – because you’ll have put in the hard graft necessary to be successful.
Goal setting is arguably the most important skill you can learn to improve your self-confidence. If you haven't already read and applied our goal setting article, you can read it here.
Key Points
Self-confidence is extremely important in almost every aspect of our lives, and people who lack it can find it difficult to become successful.
Two main things contribute to self-confidence: self-efficacy and self-esteem. You can develop self-confidence with these three steps:
Prepare for your journey.
Set out on your journey.
Accelerate towards success.
Goal setting is probably the most important activity that you can learn in order to improve your self-confidence.
Jassim Mohammad Al Nassai weighed 120kg and was on the brink of developing diabetes when he decided to give up junk food and his sedentary lifestyle. Now, he's 40kg lighter and a powerlifting champion. He shares his story with Ranjani Ramesh
By Ranjani Ramesh for Friday magazinePublished: 00:00 April 13, 2012
Article from Gulf News
Squeezing myself into the chair at the front of the class, I was still wheezing from running up the stairs. "What a fatty," my friends sniggered. I was so busy trying to catch my breath that I didn't realise who the boys were talking about at first. I looked around to see who they were referring to, and they were staring directly at me. That's when it sank in.
These were my classmates, and they weren't being nasty, just honest. I was 16 years old, around 150cm tall and tipped the scales at 90kg. Up until then, I'd tucked into my favourite foods - fried chicken, burgers and pizza - simply thought my clothes were being shrunk in the wash, and that the chair at school was particularly small.
I couldn't stay in denial. I was overweight and hated it. But instead of spurring me on to improve my diet, my friends' disparaging remarks sent me to the fridge for comfort. Sprawled out in front of the television that night, I even had an extra portion of Chinese takeaway to make myself feel better.
I had always been on the fat side, perhaps because I didn't like sports much. It had never bothered me before. I was popular, had lots of friends and went out at the weekends doing what I loved - eating fast food.
I probably would have carried on like that if I hadn't fallen ill with a fever. It was so bad, around 104F, that I went to my doctor. He asked me to undergo a few tests and return the next day for the results.
After he'd examined me and studied the reports he said, "Jassim, you are going to have some serious health problems soon if you don't do something about your weight".
In that cold white consulting room his words seemed to echo off the walls. For the first time in my life, I felt scared. "Your blood sugar is high," he said, "and you could end up with diabetes." I stared at him, shocked. Could I really be on the brink of such a serious condition at my age? I was just a teenager.
"You have to change your lifestyle and diet," my doctor warned. "If you don't take care of yourself now, you could be in trouble later." I took the prescription to tackle my fever and went home in a daze. Extremely worried, I discussed with my parents what the doctor had told me. Of course, they were concerned and asked me to stop eating junk food. "You also need to get some exercise," they said.
My friends were also concerned and suggested I join a gym. "Please change your diet," they pleaded. I had always loved sweets and was never without a bag to munch on. For breakfast I'd used to eat a couple of burgers and wash them down with a fizzy drink. For lunch I'd have fried chicken and burgers with a milkshake and in the evenings I ate more burgers and maybe a Chinese takeaway too.
I tried to follow a proper diet for a few days, but then I spotted my favourite fried chicken and gave in. With oil dripping down my chin, the doctor's words echoed in my mind. Guilt made me order an extra portion.
Although my friends had started encouraging me to watch my diet and my weight, I didn't really listen to them.
A few schoolmates used to call me nasty nicknames such as ‘trailer truck' but I ignored them.
But I knew that I was putting on weight. My clothes were getting tighter, but somehow I just couldn't find the willpower to doing something about it.
At 21 I developed a large lesion on my back and had to undergo minor surgery. The doctors who operated on me told me that the lesion was related to my obesity and advised that I alter my lifestyle immediately.
That was the final straw. The pain I'd gone through with the lesion and surgery forced me to take control.
By that time I had ballooned to 120kg and my stomach and lower body were almost twice the size of my upper body. I wore size XXL clothes and I just couldn't bear to look at my reflection in the mirror.
Determined to change my life for the better, in the summer of 2008, I walked into Nashwan Gym in Jumeirah and asked to meet the fitness coach. "I need to get fit," I told the trainer, "and I'm willing to do anything you say."
Tough regimen
The first thing he suggested was that I visit a doctor. He then sent me to a dietician who worked out what I should eat. Beginning in the morning, I was told to have a large glass of lemon juice and a bowl of lettuce. After a rigorous hour-and-a-half workout I had a few slices of pineapple and more salad. Lunch was a large slice of grilled chicken and tuna. In the evening I had a serving of tuna and a large bowl of salad and later I had more tuna with pineapple juice. Luckily, I love tuna!
When I first started training at the gym, my body was crying out in pain. Even 30 minutes on the stationary bicycle was sheer torture, but my trainer kept the pressure on to keep it up.
He told me to stop looking in the mirror after every session to see if there were any changes, and instead to wait for my friends and family to start noticing the changes. After three weeks, my family started commenting on "something different" about my looks. I was happy and worked even harder with my trainer. He used to make me jog for at least half an hour, cycle, then stretch.
Sometimes it felt like a boot camp, but I believed in my trainer and for eight months I kept on training and dieting until my weight fell from 120kg to 85kg. My friends were amazed with the changes and kept encouraging me to keep it up. The health benefits I felt were almost immediate. I could climb a set of stairs without panting, walk for an hour and not end up wheezing and even jog for more than two kilometres without tiring. And finally, my blood-sugar levels were within a normal range.
I had lost a lot of weight, but I still felt that I looked unattractive. To tighten my body, my trainer put me on a muscle-building plan. I started weight training to tone my arms, legs and build up my chest. In a few months, my body started to look toned. I also kept to my diet religiously. I was allowed to snack on fruits if I was hungry, but that was it. For a guy who had always reached out for a pizza or burger at any hour of the day, I must say it was very difficult. But I kept my objective in mind and kept away from the fridge at home and from dining out with my friends.
After 12 months of training and following a diet, I was 80kg and went shopping for new clothes because most of my jeans and shirts were too loose. I felt so happy to throw away my XXL clothes. I found, to my absolute surprise, that I could fit into a medium-sized shirt and trousers! I looked into the mirror and knew that I was stepping out in style.
A new man
With a better and healthier body came a sense of self confidence and higher self esteem. I looked back on the days when my friends called me a ‘drum' or a ‘trailer truck' and I thought I should surprise them.
I hadn't seen my best friend, Mohammad Abdullah, for a while because I was always at the gym. So when I turned up at his place, he was stunned. "I cannot believe it is you, Jassim," he said. He actually didn't even recognise me at first. Seeing the astonishment and happiness in his eyes and in those of my other friends, was a huge motivator for me and I finally knew that I really did look different.
My confidence soared. I felt a lot happier about my body. I used to hate having my picture taken because I was embarrassed by my body, now I looked forward to posing for the camera.
Still, I wanted to challenge myself further. I have a dream of joining the police force so I need to be trim and full of energy. I also wanted to build muscle and tone my body, so decided to take up powerlifting. It became my new challenge and with my trainer's help, I decided to compete for the annual UAE Powerlifting Championship. All the big gyms in the UAE send their athletes to compete and I had just a year to get ready.
I started by lifting relatively light weights and after a year could confidently lift around 100kg. My trainer put me on a strict training plan where I built up my muscle mass. In 2010 participated in the UAE Powerlifting Championship in Umm Al Quwain and won the gold medal in the 80kg category! This medal still hangs in Nashwan Gym.
My life today…
When I wake up in the morning I have a glass of water or a large glass of juice then a shower and head straight for the gym. I lift weights for an hour before heading work and then to university in the evening where I am studying for a degree in information technology. Two years ago this would have been unthinkable for me as I could not have taken the pressures of a job and studies. But a regular workout helps in building stamina
I'm glad that I was saved in time by the doctor who warned me - I haven't had to go back since! - and my trainer who motivated me. I want to reach out to others who are living their lives on junk food and little exercise in the hope that my story will be their inspiration.
Getting him in shape
Nashwan Mohammad, co-owner of Nashwan Gym talks about Jassim's programme:
"When Jassim came to my gym, he wanted only two things: to lose weight and have a good body.
"We asked him a few questions about his diet and lifestyle and then did a weigh-in. We found that he needed extensive training to get his body into shape and improve his health. As any gym trainer will tell you, people expect miracles to happen in a few days and they want to see results almost immediately. But we make sure that customers understand that a body that has been neglected for many years without exercise and a nutritious diet will take time to correct itself. What one needs to have is patience.
"In Jassim's case, we got a detailed medical report from Rashid Hospital about his blood sugar, blood pressure and the condition of his heart before we decided to draw up a regimen that would include diet and exercise.
"We also did a physical examination of his body at the gym to see which parts of his body had accumulated fat and needed to be toned. I then started him on a set of cardio exercises including cycling and jogging.
"As with others who come to my gym, Jassim was also given a customised regimen and told to stay away from quick fixes such as steroids. We have a strict policy of checking for steroid use among those training with us and if we notice any trace of steroids in their system, we don't allow them to continue at the gym.
"Instead he was given a whey protein supplement that he could have regularly in addition to his customised diet meal plan."
Write out your interview answers and practice them out loud.
When it comes to interview skills, "practice" does indeed make "perfect." Practicing your answers on paper to commonly-asked job interview questions will prepare you to be more confident in an interview. Three commonly asked interview questions are: "Tell me about yourself," "What makes you the right candidate for the job?" and "What would your previous employer say about you?
Instructions
1 Write out the answers to possible interview questions on paper. Put some effort into making the answers thoughtful, informative and concise.
2 Sit upright properly in a chair in front of a full-length mirror. Place your hands in your lap. Place your feet together with your eyes directly forward. Observe your disposition and facial expressions. Adjust your demeanor to display confidence.
3 Record yourself. Practice your interview answers using a camcorder or an audio tape recorder. Listen to your voice inflections. Observe your body language.
4 Coordinate a mock interview with a friend as the job interviewer. Instruct your friend to be tough on you and ask questions in random order. Discuss improvements that will lead to a successful interview.
SOMERSET-— Alisha Black can see a difference in children's attention spans before and after recess.
"Sometimes it's a big difference," said Black, lead teacher for the Pre-K Counts class at Maple Ridge Elementary School in Somerset. "Some really need to burn off the energy."
Linda McDonough said children need exercise.
"It builds up their bodies and stimulates cognitive development," McDonough said. She is the director of early childhood education for the Head Start program through the Community Action Partnership for Somerset County, Tableland Services. "Children also need different kinds of activities: quiet and sedentary, and loud and gross motor skills active. These activities are needed for physical and cognitive growth."
The state requires Head Start and Pre-K Counts programs to have 45 minutes of play in a six-hour day. Those 45 minutes do not have to be in a block of time; the time can be divided through the day.
About 75 percent of preschoolers in the U.S. spend most of their days in child care centers and they are only active about 2 percent to 3 percent of the time, according to a recent study published in the journal Pediatrics. Dr. Kristen Copeland, a pediatrician at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, said her research team found three main societal barriers to exercise: concerns about the children injuring themselves while at play; financial constraints that limited some centers' ability to purchase playground equipment; and a growing emphasis on academic learning over unstructured physical play time.
"Children develop mastery of gross motor skills — climbing, throwing and catching ball, skipping and learning to control their bodies — on their own at an early age, and these skills aren't taught in school," Copeland said in the article. "And children who are most comfortable with these skills show more self-confidence and have better peer relationships than children who don't."
McDonough agrees that in some cases there is pressure on preschools and elementary schools to stress academics. Some have cut recess time and gym classes.
Some parents believe that only boys need physical activity and that girls are content playing indoors. Dr. Pooja Tandon, a pediatrician and researcher at Seattle Children's Hospital, said her team's study shows that preschool girls are 16 percent less likely than boys their age to be taken outside by their parents to play. The study, published in the Archives of Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, also shows that children who are cared for at home are more likely not to play outside. About 42 percent of those who don't regularly attend a child care center don't go outside to play daily.
"I think girls in general can be more content with sedentary stuff," McDonough said. "When I was growing up, even in high school, girls were not allowed to play full-court basketball or to climb the ropes in gym. It's great how times have changed. We encourage all parents to get their children outside to play."
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could only waken up in the morning, brush our teeth and put on our self-assurance for the day?
But, for those of us who don’t have a wardrobe full, here are 4 simple strategies that will help you develop more confidence.
1. Play up the Good Things.
Be your own greatest mate. What do you tell a mate who’s had a go at something new, whether or not it went well? At least you had a go at something new- great for you!
Emphasize the strength it took in trying something, rather than the end product. (You’d do it for your closest buddy, wouldn’t you?) Each of us has limitations. The key is to accept that you have them and not focusing on them.
2. Dont worry in relation to the risk of something new.
If you are about to try on a different experience, do you spend your days focusing so much in relation to the outcome you aren’t enjoying the moment? If you look out at new events in your life as a opportunity to discover something, it opens up the likelihood of you becoming skillful at that something.
If you waste your days worrying about the outcome, you’ll transform any opportunity there may have been into a waste. What’s more, we cannot develop when we are frozen with terror. Don’t put yourself up to fail. If you do, look back at the number one step, over again!
3. Use self-talk to keep assumptions away.
We all use self-talk. The answer is to draw on it in a method that we don’t construct unhealthy feelings that may lead to lasting misgivings. Spot yourself utilising off-putting self-talk and replace it with something optimistic and not built on assumptions!
Develop confidence by not expecting perfection from yourself at all times. You can simply try your hardest at something. No one can do all things flawlessly, so why do you suppose that you ought to be able to?
4. Learn to depend on your self-assessment.
When you always depend on the attitude of other folk, you’ll constantly be worrying what they think! That does not a thing to encourage self-confidence – it tears it down, by giving up your individual force to other folk.
Concentrate on the authentic you, within, to discover how you think as regards your own actions, how you’ve been performing your job, etc. You’ll be building up a robust awareness of who you are.
It’s vital to keep in mind that no one can be self-possessed every day. In reality, you’ll develop self-belief faster and easier when your comprehend that.
For the most part individuals with poor self-esteem or who are lacking in self esteem are that way because of naive expectations. They expect more from themselves than they do other people.
An individual with low self-esteem will think nothing in relation to calling him or herself a ‘daft fool.’ They wouldn’t dream of saying that to anyone else. To build self-reliance it’s a safe suggestion to be your own greatest friend.
Imagine being asked, without prior warning or preparation, to go on a stage and speak in front of an audience about something like confidence or daring. Could you do it?
During a public speech competition that took place on Friday in Abu Dhabi, as part of a Toastmasters Area Conference, this is what some of the contestants had to face: giving an impromptu one-and-a-half to two-minute speech on the “if you want to swim, you first have to dip into water” theme.
The full-day meeting was all about choosing one winner from each of the four categories of speech contests, who will move on to the next level of the annual Toastmasters International Competition.
“Toastmasters is a non-profit educational organisation for people who want to develop their skills in leadership, public speech and their self-confidence,” explained Marwan Abdulla Shayea, advance communicator and advance leader of Toastmasters’ Ro’yah club in Abu Dhabi, formed specially for Gasco employees.
“It was established in the US in 1924 and now it has reached more than 270,000 members in over 13,000 clubs in 116 countries,” he added.
The way it works is for a group of minimum 20 people to come together and form a club. They will hold meetings once or twice a week, each member practising his or her public speech abilities, using a manual provided by the Toastmasters headquarters, meant to boost this person’s leadership skills and self-confidence. How to tackle a topic, how to prepare a presentation, how to use body language and humour are some of the issues that the speaker will learn.
The group will start having speech competitions, first among themselves, then with other Toastmasters clubs from an area, which covers about five clubs, then move on to the division (about 30 clubs) and eventually to the district competition, which, for this part of the world, means the GCC countries, Jordan and Lebanon. The district winner will get to compete in the final Toastmasters International in the US.
The UAE joined Toastmasters in 1996 and the first club was formed in the Capital – Abu Dhabi Toastmasters. Presently, there are at least 90 clubs in the country.
“The competitions are about public speeches and presentations may be made on any subject except religion, sex and politics,” explained Asma Al Amri, Toastmaster advance leader, advance communicator and area governor.
So far, no UAE member has made it to the US finals, but Mohammed Murad, an Emirati from Dubai, has progressed so well within the organisation that he is now one of the two vice-presidents of Toastmasters International.
“He used to be a policeman, and after he retired, he decided to better himself, so he joined a Toastmasters club,” pointed out Shayea.
“This is the point of Toastmasters — to help people develop their skills for the community,” stressed Shayea.
WHEN ST JAGO High School student Alcia Brown was chosen by her teachers and principal to represent her school and the country at the 2012 Global Youth Leaders Conference in the United States, she was delighted and proud.
The bright 18-year-old, who exudes self-confidence, said the honour means a lot to her and her family.
"I was ecstatic. I consider it an honour and I am preparing myself to ensure I represent my school and country well. My family and friends are humbled by it and are behind me 100 per cent," she said.
The annual summer conference, held at venues across the United States, China and Europe, is a unique leadership-development programme that brings together outstanding young people from around the world, to build critical leadership skills within a global context. Students are chosen to attend based on their leadership at school and in the wider community.
Eager to attend
Held since 1985, the conference offers students an opportunity to learn from and exchange ideas with some of the world's top business leaders, policy officials, lobbyists, journalists, diplomats and academics. To date, more than 200,000 young people, 15 to 18 years old, from some 100 countries, have participated.
Alcia was selected for the June 26 to July 4 programme in Washington, DC, and New York, and is eager to attend, noting that previous attendees from her school have related that they have learnt how to better interact and function in different social settings.
"Their cultural awareness has improved because of the mixing and mingling with individuals from over 100 countries across the world. It focuses on social issues that affect nations, and there is emphasis on good leadership qualities," she said.
But, benefiting from such interaction and exchange comes at a cost, as Alcia is required to pay her own registration and tuition fees, and airfare. She said her family is helping, but she needs more support and is looking to corporate Jamaica for assistance.
"I have received assistance from one sponsor so far, and that covered my deposit. However, I need much more money to cover the remaining costs, which is approximately $200,000," she said.
The deputy head girl has won many awards, including the prestigious Oswald Powell award for excellence in the 2010 Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations, and is very involved in the school, church and community. She is president of the school's Debate and Literary Arts Society; public relations officer of the student librarian body; secretary of the Sixth-Form Association; and is a member of the Environmental Network, Science and Technology Club, Inter-Schools Christian Fellowship, and the Sign Language Club.
Exceptional student
With a self-assurance born from accomplishment, Alcia argues that it is important that outstanding students, such as herself, are given every opportunity to excel and realise their true potential, noting that this augers well for the country's development.
"I believe that an exceptional student should be given the opportunity to be phenomenal. When you see potential, I think it is good for someone to assist in fostering that growth, and I believe I am someone who is on the path to becoming a reputable person in society," she said.
Alcia, who plans to contribute to the development of the country in the field of pharmacology, said she is inspired by her family, which has instilled in her "a sense of greatness".
Her mother, Gloreen Brown, who describes Alcia as a "go-getter", said she is eager for her to attend the conference, noting that, "It will enhance her deportment, development, and what we already see in her as an exceptional individual."
Persons or organisations wishing to assist can contact Sandra Swyer-Watson, principal of St Jago High School at 984-4312.
