Straighten up in 2015'
Here comes a new year and whatever you resolve to achieve in the next twelve months, you're going to need confidence. Trying to land a new job? You need confidence. Trying to land the man or woman of your dreams? You need confidence.
Maybe it's time we rethink what confidence really means.
An article titled The Ultimate Guide to Body Language, posted in 2012 by Psychology Today, describes in detail, many of the physical cues that can often undermine you're goals in many social situations. Things like keeping your shoulders back, not folding your arms, taking wide steps, smiling more, etc. Read the article and apply daily until you die. These are all active self-utilities and we've all heard them before, mostly from our grandmothers. Thanks Grandma, but a firm handshake only gets you so far. Try giving a firm handshake to that bombshell sipping her gin and tonic by the hotel pool. Maybe you both can talk about stocks or how to fix a leaky radiator...
Genuine confidence usually comes from having succeeded many times at what you're about to do. What if success has eluded you? What if you're still wet behind the ears? In reality, for those few seconds leading up to taking a chance, you may feel about as big as the period at the end of this sentence. So what can you do? For starters you can accept that you have no other choice. What are your options? Should you let fear overcome you to the point of inaction? Should you let regret consume you once the opportunity has slipped away? Depression?
Not this year. Not in 2015. Not if Project Bluebird has anything to do with it. "Speak your mind even if your voice is trembling." Write that somewhere on your person and keep it there for the next 12 months. Okay then, did you write it down? Well....hurry up!
It takes more than confidence and body posture. Looking the part only gets us so far. We might just need to look at others and the world around us with a bit more grit. Find a situation where you feel your chances of success are lowest and re-evaluate why you believe that. When you dig a little deeper you might find a missed opportunity. A classic example of this is when a woman is with her friends. Many men would be very intimidated by the idea of injecting themselves into this situation. Men often worry that they aren't up to a woman's standards. This is compounded in a group situation because now they must live up to the standards of her friends as well. However, with a little grit, a silver lining can be found. Courage is one of the most important traits women look for in a potential mate. So get some huevos and talk to all of them at once. You might find more sucess than you expect.
2015 is not going to be judged by your success. It's going to be judged by your failures. When you look back on 2014, do you regret failing at the things you tried or do you regret the things you didn't have the guts to try at all? Good luck everybody, and let us know how it goes. Resolve, straighten up, act, and as always, follow the bluebird.