Are you scared to speak in front of an audience and you get all clammy, complete with butterflies in your stomach?  Welcome to the club because even the best speakers experience the same thing when they are about to speak to an audience.  The only difference is that the latter has enough confidence to get past that stage and take control of their fear of public speaking.  Many times, people we know who lack self confidence tend to stay in the background and get less recognition compared to those who do have that trait.

Build Your Confidence

There are several things you can start doing to make you more confident.  Sure, it may seem awkward when you are just starting, but eventually, you will catch on.  Dressing smartly is one way of building that self confidence.  You notice during job interviews that interviewees who come in business attire tend to look capable of taking on the job compared to those who come in rugged clothing.  When you notice a person walking with confidence, you notice that they don’t drag their feet, but they walk straight ahead with purpose.  That shows a man who knows where he’s going and what he ought to do.  These people tend to give the impression that they are important, and you would want to be labeled as such yourself. 

A good posture tells a lot about your self confidence, too.  Many others will slump back on their chairs or walk with drooped shoulders, and they look like losers.  Get a winning posture and see how people will start thinking you got something they don’t, including self confidence.  As we move from outward manifestations of self confidence, we can start examining ourselves to polish on our own self confidence.  Find out the things you are good at and focus on these.  Look at your weaknesses as opportunities for improvement.

Too Much Confidence 

Too much or too little of anything is not good, including confidence.  So, how do you differentiate an overconfident person from one who exudes the right dose of confidence?  For one, the former are generally unlikable.  Speak with other people, but don’t talk them down.  Ask nicely in a firm voice, but don’t get bossy with them.  Get the courage to be friendly instead of aloof at other people.  We do want to reinforce positive things about us, but it does not mean we would think negatively of everyone else around us.

Need a mantra to help you believe in yourself? Try mine. “I can do it, I can do it, I can do it!” It’s too simple, you tell me. But saying it and actually doing it are two different things. The first one is easy, the latter a totally different story.

Know the Real You

Have a one on one with yourself. List down questions and answer them truthfully. Who am I? What are my interests? What field am I good at? What skills do I possess? In which areas do I consider myself as ineffective or weak? How do I know I am weak at these? Have I tried these yet? Have I done anything to improve any of my shortcomings?

Asking these questions will aid you in understanding who you really are, from what you want to where you’re good at. Remember to stay honest in your answers as it will eventually affect the way you see yourself. You shouldn’t claim to be good at something you’re not nor should you be too humble to admit your talents. It might help to keep in mind that this list is only for your eyes! You can brag all you want as long as it’s true!

Focus on the Positive!

After realizing where you’re good at, direct your efforts to maximizing these. Do not limit yourself or set a ceiling. This will just bound you from achieving more. As for your weaknesses, make an effort to improve but never dwell on these. Do not let the negativity pull you down. Know that what you lack, some people possess and vice versa.

Be Your Own Cheerleader

Go ahead and give yourself a pep talk! Don’t wait for other people to praise you before you feel good about yourself. No need to say it out loud for others to hear. In your mind, shout out loud, “I am so good at this!” or “I can definitely pull this off!” Doing this whenever you start doubting your capabilities will give you an extra boost.

People usually say you become what you think you are. Perhaps true, perhaps not. But would you risk it? Knowing your worth will cost you nothing but a better way of seeing things, of doing work, and of living life. It puts you in control rather than letting others run your life. Keep the mantra. Believe that you can, no matter what.

Can you call yourself an optimistic person?  Are you a positive thinker?  Do you believe that you can shape your own future and command your happiness?  You don’t have to be at the mercies of fate.  Your success in life and your happiness starts with having a positive mindset.  When you think positively, you become the master of your life.  You own your dreams, actions, happiness, and ultimately, your success.  When you are a positive thinker, it doesn’t mean that you deny the existence of misery, failures, or problems.  You just have an optimistic outlook.

Who is a Positive Thinker?

When you are a positive thinker, you believe that you can overcome any crisis that life throws your way.  People who tend to think positively accept their shortcomings but know how to channel their weaknesses to something positive.  They do not let their weaknesses get the best of them.  Instead, they make an effort to focus on their strengths.  They also try to remedy their weaknesses.  This attitude comes with a positive mindset.  A positive thinker knows that if he lets despair and helplessness get the best of them, they will lose.

How to Start Thinking Positively

Once you start thinking positively, you start a habit.  You then equip yourself with the capacity to become successful.  How do you start thinking positively?

a.    Decide to have a positive mindset.  This means committing to a positive attitude, controlling negativity, and deciding to have a control on how you react to challenges and setbacks that life throws your way.

b.    Surround yourself with positive people.  Avoid those who exude negativity.

c.    Focus on your strengths.  How you perceive yourself consciously will affect your subconscious, and this will ultimately reflect in your actions.

d.    Be open-minded.  Do not allow yourself to be put in a box.  If you do this, you limit and restrict possibilities.

e.    Strengthen your knowledge and skills.  When you acquire more and more knowledge, you become more confident.  The more confident you are about your abilities, the more positive you are about your life.

f.    Have long-term goals.  When you have goals, you have direction.  You do not allow yourself to be defeated easily by challenges and setbacks.

g.    Do not limit yourself.  Believe that you are capable of reaching immeasurable heights.  Believe that you have capabilities that you do not even know you possess.

h.    Have faith.  Do not ever lose your faith in yourself.

i.    Constantly motivate yourself.

j.    Keep yourself healthy.

Is the office trying to kill you by boredom?  Do you have nothing to do on a beautiful summer morning?  You want to do something that could augment your income part time?  The management suddenly wants you to operate new software, a new product or implement a new process?  You could learn new skills to increase your productivity or maximize the use of your spare time.

Of course, learning something is not easy for many people like me who tend to settle on things that I could do better.  You need to exert effort and spend time to learn things as it happen.  While learning something can be quite fun, you should not waste part of your time, money, and effort in vain.  You should learn something new the ‘right’ way, i.e., forging what you know to attain what you want to learn.

Learn by using what you know

Learning can be a lot more fun and easier if you will try to learn by using what you already know.  If you’re fond of cooking, why not go up another level and learn to bake some cakes and pastries?  It would be lot more fun if you’re not messing up the entire kitchen.  If you know some techniques with some thread, why not try to learn some pattern making technique, like burlap and crochet?  With some basic knowledge on the things you do, you can forget about the hassles of learning it first and concentrate and doing it best.

Familiarity with gadgets and intricacies that comes with a certain skill would come handy if you want to learn another skill.  This is especially true for technical and scientific skills like carpentry and computer programming.  Save yourself from waste of time and save yourself from unwanted accidents by working on something that you can do without injuring yourself.

Do Not Be Afraid

Ultimately, learning something should give you the results you intended.  If you want to learn some bit of carpentry, you should learn how to make simple carpentry projects and not how sharp the saw would cut your fingers.  When you want to learn how to make cakes, you should learn how to mix a good batter, not how to spoil a good one.  By using a skill you have learned before, you can eliminate these and go straight on what is important.  Its important to make sure that learning process, while maybe difficult, is productive.

In an ideal world, we all want to establish good working relationships with people we have to deal with, especially those we have to meet on a regular basis.  But that will not always be the case.  In reality, we do get our share of colleagues who make it seem their career to make life just a little bit harder for you.  Unluckily for us, we do get pressures and stress from having to deal with the daily grind of life, and here, on one hand, we have to contend with these annoying colleagues.  So, how should you deal with it?

Stay Above Water

You can stay above office politics by not rising to the bait.  Many realize that these kinds of people already look foolish as it is, and calling other people’s attention to them will only be a waste of time.  Understand your job description and stick to it.  No one can force you to go over and beyond what is expected of you unless you do so of your own accord.  It may be for purposes of self improvement, but if it’s extra work for you that will cause you to lose track of business and other usual stuff, then don’t let them push you around.

Keep a watchful eye and ear around you for trouble that may come or has already occurred.  Be prepared with facts, logical reasoning, and figures, if necessary.  This is one of the reasons why one should keep important documents including emails in your personal file or folder.  You may need to reference these materials as evidences in case something like this comes up.  If you anticipate a possible issue or possible conflict of projects, make sure to procure your supervisor’s approval or let them know about your situation.  There would be times when you need someone to back you up when things get out of hand.

Need a Break

When you find yourself unable to keep your cool any longer, it might be time to get some time away from these people.  This is a viable situation especially when you have tried ignoring them and limiting your interaction with them.  But because the nature of your work requires you to keep in constant communication with them, you may want to rethink your options.  A person can only take so much at some point, and getting out even for a short while may be the exact remedy you need.

You will notice with most successful people that the one thing they have in common is that they are very passionate with what they do.  While the meaning of success is relative, it still does include the fact that people who consider themselves successful, regardless of material wealth, have a strong love for their chosen careers.

They are happy doing what they do, and because they have fun, it’s almost like not going to work at all; hence, work becomes a happy place despite the occasional pressures.  When work becomes a less stressful place, you will also notice that you and everyone you work with become more productive.

Less Becomes More

You’ve probably worked for or been around people who seem to work 24/7 and still end up not accomplishing much or failing at it that they always go back to square one, and the process starts all over again.

It seems that no matter how much hard work they put in, targets are not met, deadlines are not delivered, and they end up with more losses than profits.  However, people who are less stressed at work know how to designate.

Even if you’re boss or a regular staff member, designating or delegating certain tasks makes everything simpler and easier.  You not only end up doing less and avoiding overworking yourself, but you also have more time to do recreational activities.  After all, all work and no play is bad for your health.

Good Working Environment

One other thing that contributes greatly to people’s accomplishing more at work, or simply put, being more productive is a good working environment – literally, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally.

If your place of work is messy, hot, and such, and it makes you uncomfortable staying there for at least eight hours per day, chances are, you’re going because you need the money and nothing more, or you’re about to quit.

However, a clean and aesthetically pleasing work place is not enough.  A good working environment is more importantly dependent on the kind of people you work with and their characters.

A high-paying job isn’t worth much if you end up hating your boss at the end of the day, or you dread getting up each morning to go to work.  This will not only result in making you an unhappy employee, but there’s also a very big chance that you will not be as productive and creative as you should be.

In the end, to accomplish more without exerting yourself to your limits, your work and the work place should be something that you love.

Musicians, writers, and actors need it the way public officials, road maintenance workers, and teachers would.  It makes us strive in what we do, which, in turn, makes the output better.  What could be better to be inspired by and be an inspiration to others?

But finding your inspiration could be difficult.  Being an inspiration does not make life easier either.  For in the game of inspiration, where motivation and action are tossed in every manner and direction, it pays to know how much you are willing to throw.  Be a better inspiration for yourself and for others by following these tips.

No Need to Get Too Deep

You don’t need a huge brain to inspire others.  Accordingly, you don’t need to slave for hours in the library to get one.  Look around you.  The world offers a lot of inspiration not only for the masters of art but for also for people who enjoys it in a very different perspective.  It doesn’t take much to admire the things this world has to offer, and it doesn’t need much for them to push people to strive harder everyday.

Aim for the Better

Aim to change yourself and the world for the better.  People who continually inspire people are those who are willing to do what it takes to use one’s potential to change the world.  Think of Mother Theresa and others like her who, like her, do their fare share in making this world a better place.  You don’t have to do extraordinary feats just to inspire yourself and others.

Truth shall Set You Free

Truth guarantees a sustained inspiration, something that no lies and no cover-up could ever endure.  Truth provides you freedom that you couldn’t have when you’re telling a lie.  Don’t make others believe in something you are not.  You don’t want to believe in something that is built up on a lie.

You are Your Inspiration

If there’s one person who should strike inspiration to your soul, it should be you.  You should know better what’s in yourself that could make you and perhaps other people to strive harder.  Again, it needs not be something flashy or monumental.  Nothing inspires a common man like a simple act of good will in times when a simple act of good will is very much needed.

Be an Inspiration to Others

You don’t live for yourself alone.  You also serve your purpose to people apart from yourself.  If you can serve as an inspiration for other people, why not?

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So finally you realized that the money you earn is simply slipping through your fingers like water.  Now, you want to cut all those unnecessary expenses and put a curb on withdrawals.  It may sound scary but, in fact, it is not.  Saving money can be a lot of fun, and the rewards are just as great.  Let me show you how you can save some money.

Set Your Goals

Saving some money requires a reason why you have to.  It could be a short-term goal like: buying a nice dress, upgrading your furniture, or having that necklace you’ve always wanted.  It could also be a long- term one like having your new car, a new house, or paying all your debts.  By setting your goals, you have something to look forward to, something you could use to stop yourself from having another bar of chocolate.

It All Adds Up

A movie could cost you $30, a beer could cost you $2, a cup of latte could go around $4, a haircut bills you $20, and a lunch out averages at $15.  Watch a movie every week, buy a beer and a cup of latte every day, go to a barber every month, and buy your lunch for a year and see the receipts flowing in and your money flowing out faster than you expected.  Eliminate all of these expenses and save at least $9,000 a year.

Don’t Put Yourself in a Situation Where Spending is Inevitable

Many of the things we buy are bought out of impulse, not need.  A study, for example, puts impulse factor for buying confectioneries at more than 30%.  And there are more statistics.  Many of the products today hope that you would run into them, be attracted by the way it looks, and hand your cash or your card to the clerks.  Malls and casinos are constructed as a place for consumption.  If you want to save money, avoid luring yourself into places and purchases when you don’t need it.

Don’t Lose Your Job/Income Source

Don’t quit your job if you don’t have any alternative.  Losing money can be felt the greatest when no funds are coming in.
Live a Simple Life

Who says living frugally is not fun? Most of us who want live the life they can’t afford end up with a lot of debt or a lot of years’ worth of jail sentence.  Live within the folds of what you earn.  Living frugally doesn’t mean you take the happiness and entertainment out of life.  Rather, you just have to look deeper.  For example, you don’t need to go to expensive restaurants for a dinner date if you can cook good food and eat at home.  You don’t have to go to specialty shops to buy your veggies and fruits.  There are Farmer’s Marts nearby where you can buy your fruits cheaper and fresher.  Find creative ways to spend less money, and you’ll see the phrase “it all adds up” in a different perspective.

You’ve probably had a bad experience with stage fright at one point or another of your time in school.  True, public speaking isn’t easy, and it never was.  However, you know that simply being good at your job or skilled in your field very often isn’t enough to get you places.  That would require people to learn about what you can do and, thus, know about your skills and your expertise.  That, in turn, involves communication and, yes, public speaking skills.

The Person at the Podium

The issue with problem public speakers is most often confidence (or lack thereof), and you probably list that as one of your public speaking problems.  Talking in front of an audience, particularly one you don’t know, can be a very intimidating prospect.  You can get over that intimidation with a combination of the right mindset and proper practice.

Before you even step onstage, do some mental preparation.  Remember that you’re the one talking on that stage.  You have the floor and the microphone.  Assume the role of the expert, and, thus, assume that your audience cannot refute or challenge what you are saying (and this is most often the case).  That should help you talk in a flowing and uninterrupted manner. 

Confidence is Key

You can further build up your onstage confidence by practicing speaking in public.  How can you do this? 

For starters, you can try speaking to a small group of people that you’re comfortable with, such as close friends and family.  That should help you develop not only your confidence but a more relaxed and conversational way of presenting as well.  From there, work your way up to a small group of strangers, to a larger group of people you’re close to, and so on.  You’ll find that, after a while, you’ve worked your way up to a comfortable stance and style of speaking even in front of a packed auditorium of function hall.

If, on the other hand, you don’t have a couple of years to spare for public speaking training and have to get the skills in a jiffy, there’s another handy trick you could use.  Sure there’s an audience, but it’d be a lot easier for you to speak if you didn’t focus on all of them.  Ask a friend or a family member to sit among the crowd, preferably someplace where you could easily see him or her.  When you start speaking and you want to look in the direction of the audience, try focusing on your friend or family audience member instead of at random people in the crowd.  Think of it as a visual reassurance to help get you comfortable while speaking onstage, which is the same goal of all the other exercises above.