Confidence is my anti-drug

Before you can do any thing worthwhile, you have to have an impenetrable, unshakable belief in yourself.  This is what people call swagger, presence, panache if you will.  With it, the world is your oyster.  Without it, you are just another face in the crowd.  I, like most people, did not always have true confidence.  I, yes even I, the illustrious Caviar Jones, was full of self-doubt, anxiety and fear.  What was I afraid of?  Mainly three things: rejection, criticism and failure.  Through trial and error, I eventually banished the fear and emerged reborn as the confident and functional individual I am today.  So, I want to share with you how to attain some swagger in a hurry. 

Step One: Know who you are

This is a process.  Knowing the truth about yourself, what you do well and what you do not is key.  Why?  Because if you know who you are, then you will not believe what anyone says to the contrary about you.  You will not worry about rejection.  It is like the saying goes, “the truth shall set you free.” 

Step Two: Accept who you are

Most people spend their time trying to be like other people, at the expense of losing themselves.  Caviar has never tried to be anyone but himself.  From an early age, I knew I was different and I embraced that.  I was not always comfortable in my own skin, but the more comfortable I became, the more comfortable it made others.  A natural grace flows from just being who and what you are.  Now you can turn the volume up or down on your personality, but it is still the same.  So do you. 

Step Three: Demand excellence in every area of your life

This comes from believing you deserve simply the best in life and you are disciplined enough to work for it and patient enough to wait for it.  This comes from knowing your value as a man or woman and taking nothing less.  You will not accept no for an answer once you have this mindset planted firmly in your head. 

Step Four: Self-confidence is your gift to the world

Insecure people are self-absorbed people.  When you are comfortable with yourself, you are free to listen to others and become a source of pleasure for others.  People like being around confident people because it sets them at ease and it gives them comfort that at least someone is in control of themselves and their lives.  Confidence is infectious. 

When you are in a social setting, be sure to project confidence.  Do this by starting a conversation with a stranger.  Confident people know about themselves, so they ask questions to find out about those around them, so to make a connection.  Remember, your swagger is in you, but you gotta work to bring it out. 

Signing Off,

Caviar Jones