Self-confidence can be described as the capacity to have faith in oneself and one's personal strengths and faculties. It is integral to high self-image, and necessary for life achievement. A significant number of people who exhibit a social phobia or cannot learn how to increase self confidence struggle to succeed. The absence of self-confidence is often destructive to a person's success. The lack of a positive self-perception sometimes prevents one in achieving the ability to take control over past battles and making actual progress toward controlling one's own future.

In contrast, self-confident persons trust in themselves and their abilities capabilities to accomplish their objectives. These individuals focus on success; can learn through mistakes made previously, and have learned to use those missteps to their advantage. These persons have discovered that weaknesses do not make them failures. Rather, they merely learned to consider the source of failure and avoid falling into the same difficulties. Self-confident people are aware of, anticipate potential obstacles to their aspirations, and tackle these hindrances with the surety that they are able to overcome these possible barriers.

Many issues cause an individual's poor self-esteem. Too frequently, people permit fear to become an obstacle, which stops them from achieving success in some area. At times, people are impaired by real or imagined guilt as a result of previous mistakes. Sometimes, a social phobia can interfere with people's self-confidence.

Another basis for low self-confidence is unrealistic aspirations. Perhaps an individual desires to succeed at a given task in a given time period. That aspiration may or may not be possible. Moreover, successfully accomplishing a desired task may often require more time than originally believed. Taking a longer time to accomplish a job or having to overcome unexpected impediments to achieve one's desires is not an indication of failure, despite the fact it may sometimes be viewed as such.

Frequently, persons who do not understand how to gain self confidence search for methods to boost self confidence. Then, they turn to therapists to aid them to build self confidence and manage these struggles. A number of treatment modalities center on building self confidence. One instance of this is cognitive behavioral theory, which instructs individuals to boost self confidence through goal setting for improving self confidence, such as looking people in the eye. Moreover, they record the progress of an individual's achievements by the attainment of smaller and then larger goals. Concentrating on these tasks does help people acquire behaviors associated with self-confidence; however, it does not alter their self-images or permit them to resolve the struggles that caused the negative self-image.

Positive self-talk is another way to boosting self confidence. A common topic in psychology classes is the self-fulfilling prophecy. This concept claims that individuals are most likely to achieve the goals that they believe themselves to be capable of achieving. Thus, if persons consider themselves capable of failure or minimal accomplishment, they will do exactly this. In comparison, if individuals view themselves as high achievers who can succeed, they will accomplish their goals. Professionals who structure their practice around positive self-talk focus on encouraging individuals boost self confidence, and assist them to value themselves as successful individuals who can pursue their aspirations effectively.

Hypnosis is another approach to building self-confidence. Through the process of building self confidence hypnotherapy, people can attain a meditative condition with or without a therapist present. They hear affirmative phrases and concepts that permit them to feel more self-confidence by encountering strong behavioral suggestions. This approach is quite useful for persons who are not analytical or critical thinkers. For those who are, however, this strategy for boosting self confidence is considerably less effective.

A newer alternative therapy that is used to encourage self confidence is Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). This original approach can even use self-perceptions that have resulted in a person's low self-esteem to trigger thoughts that will develop self confidence!

NLP strategies can permit a person to correlate prior memories of success to the present. By using the technique of anchoring, individuals can be assisted to find memories of positive self confidence in their past, and anchor those instances. In times when that person needs to boost his or her once more, he or she merely triggers that anchor to draw upon the strength of prior experiences to have faith in and anticipate the successful outcome of the current attempt.

NLP is distinctively easy and yet incredibly beneficial. Unlike other approaches, it eradicates the need for one to painfully revisit former problems or extensive counseling appointments to become effective. NLP alone is effective for almost every person who employs it appropriately. A high percentage of individuals who have tried NLP gain self confidence very soon after starting the treatment.

Summary: Poor self-image is a barrier to achievement that many people must overcome to pursue their goals effectively. A number of treatments are available to treat individuals increase their self confidence. I have learned that the most efficacious therapy is Neuro-Linguistic Programming, which allows a person to correlate memories of former successes to current feelings of self-confidence.

Author's Bio: 

Alan B. Densky, CH is a certified hypnotherapist and NLP Practitioner. His website offers hypnosis CDs for self-confidence. His confidence building CDs were tested by Personal-Development info in England. Visit him for Free self hypnosis & NLP newsletters and articles. http://www.neuro-vision.us/