“Life begins when you do.” Hugh Downs

How true this is. So often we desire more from life, but aren’t willing to do what it takes to achieve what we want. I say, just take that first step and make it happen! Can we really justify complaining about our life and what we have, or don’t have, when we haven’t put forth any effort of our own? You may be thinking that you don’t have what it takes to achieve what you want. The truth is, you don’t really know all the abilities you possess until you try doing something new. For so many years I didn’t feel I had the confidence to do some things that were “outside the box” for me. And, I really didn’t until I began pushing my personally set limits and getting out of my comfort zone. Was this easy for me? Absolutely not! But guess what happened almost immediately. I recognized that I really could do what I didn’t think was possible. And guess what came with that knowledge. You are right – confidence! With each step outside the box, confidence grew within me.

Dr. David Schwartz, in The Magic of Thinking Big, states, “to think confidently, act confidently.” He says, “Psychologists tell us we can change our attitudes by changing our physical actions.” He mentions that we feel more like smiling when we smile. We feel better when we stand straight and tall than when we slouch. We can consciously make such small adjustments as these and make a difference in the way we feel. Additionally, when we show confidence in our actions, we feel more confident.