Today I am flying to California for meetings and strategy planning at the PAP main office prior to CAP Euro. Luckily for me, the circle of friends I associate myself with outside of affiliate marketing are also very successful individuals. My best friend Karl Ericksen is no stranger to success, or this blog as he has written a previous motivational message about making it happen.

I can relate to a great deal of this post. Over the past year I have made huge moves and big decisions. Having confidence in everything I do has attributed to much of my success. Great article Karl.

Confidence, A 3 Pronged Approach by Karl Ericksen

One of the most important things I have learned over the past 6 months is the importance of “Confidence” in your mind, your manifestation, and your words. Without this key component to our everyday being, we lack one of the most important leverages in the business world today. Lacking this component causes us to 2nd guess our decisions, or even present ourselves unprofessionally. However, too much confidence can lead to arrogance, and poor decision making in everyday business. With that said, it is up to each and every individual to find that balance by testing their confidence and how others around you react to it.

Simply watch 1 Episode of American Idol and you can seriously see the balance that is needed for confidence. Those who dress like characters and can’t sing for sh!t or those who possess too much confidence, to the point where it impairs their practical judgment (I look great, and I can SING!). Those who walk into the room, acknowledge the judges, belt out a tune, in tune, and then celebrate in a frenzy are the ones who possess the proper balance of confidence. Their uncontrolled celebration is simply their personal reward for being so focused over the past x months of preparation. Confidence must be balanced throughout 3 important aspects of your life: Mind, Appearance, and Communication.

The mind is a terrible thing to waste…especially with too much confidence. Allowing our mind to believe or perceive we really are something we are not can lead to dangerous results. Don’t allow yourself to believe you are 21 years old and single, when in fact you are 30 or 40 and married. Be confident and proud of the fact that you are 30 or 40 and married. Tell yourself and remind yourself of your excellence each and every day. Starting the day with a positive thought lays the tracks for the rest. These positive thoughts become contagious and help blend the recipe for your day to come. Don’t allow negativity into your mental vocabulary. Your business does not have time for this distraction. Above all, a confidently balanced mind, will automatically lead to confidence in the following 2 areas.

Your appearance is a direct reflection of who you are and how you would like to be perceived. Head down while walking or talking, slouched shoulders, loose eye contact or looking downward during conversation are all signs of weakness and a lack of confidence. Your appearance is public information to your opponents in the business world. When they see you for the first time, your appearance is telling them what you are and are not. Those who know how to read these traits will assign appropriate weaknesses to you due to your lack of confidence, and will eat you alive. Key components here are stand proud and tall, shoulders back, and chest out.

Walk with a purpose and direction every time. Eyes forward at all times, as if you are reading the future. Proper hygiene and a certain sense of style will finish this attribute off. If there is someone you look up to in the business world and you know they posses the proper balance of confidence, study their appearance, it will tell you a lot.

Communication has to be one of the most important aspects for many of you reading this blog, as emails, IM’s etc. are a dominant part of your business day I have to believe. With that said, the words you choose to type or speak dictate who you are and what you want to be. The other day I was typing a report to summarize my trip. I reviewed the previous trips notes 1st, and noticed a lot “if’”, “when”, and “maybe”.

When I was typing out my recent action items, I caught myself typing with confidence. Instead of saying, “Follow up with customer on large quote”, I typed, “Review quote w/ customer and get order”. Each and every word and letter we convey is a direct reflection of who we are and how we feel. Be sure the recipient of these words and letters understands who you are and where you are coming from, while not exuding over confidence. Use phrases that are matter of fact, yet somewhat future predicting with success in mind.

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 20th, 2008 at 9:03 pm and is filed under Motivation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.