Fear, insecurity, self-doubt and the like can be the biggest obstacles many of us face in life. In order to overcome that negativity, many people turn to unhealthy behaviors, such as overeating or alcohol abuse.
"Compulsive or addictive behavior may temporarily numb that negativity, but it won't put you on a healthy and wholesome path," says Darlene Hunter, a renowned speaker and author of "Win-Ability, Navigating through Life's Challenges with a Winning Attitude."
"While some people buy very expensive things to feel more confident, there's an affordable way to yield the same result – positive thinking."
The power of positive thinking has been well publicized. Recently, the Dove beauty experiment, in which women wore a "beauty patch," yielded multiple positive behaviors. Positive thinking gained scientific credibility in 1985 when Michael F. Scheier and Charles S. Carver published their seminal study, "Optimism, Coping, and Health: Assessment and Implications of Generalized Outcome Expectancies." Since then, hundreds of academic papers have been published in support of positive thinking.
"Confidence starts with your attitude; expensive purchases aren't required," says Hunter, who maps a path supporting the living-with-confidence lifestyle.
• Do what you love doing. What is that thing that you love doing? At the end of the day, would you miss doing it if you could never do it again?
You get a great sense of accomplishment and joy when you do what you love doing or, as some say, what you were born to do. It could be baking, cooking, taking care of children, writing, drawing, dancing, anything at all that makes you happy as you travel through your life.
• Pursue your passion. Your passion is what you will do even if you do not get paid for it. Following your passion allows you to gain skills in areas that you are already strong in, and will push you to become better. You will gain a great sense of accomplishment, satisfaction and joy in doing what you love and doing what you were born to do. Once you discover what you are passionate about, it generally connects with your purpose.
• Be true to yourself. Do not set your career path in a certain direction based on what your friends or family members want for you. If you dream it, you can live it. Do not let fear turn you around. It is also important for you to be honest about your resources, skills and abilities, what you have and what is needed to help you move forward. Do not think that you have all of the answers. Be open to suggestions and advice from others who are already doing what you are trying to do.
• Stay the course; be resilient; never give up. No matter what you might be facing at the current time or the challenges that are ahead of you, as you move forward in your quest to accomplish your goals and dreams, you must stay the course. As you set forth to achieve your goals and your dreams, you cannot be thin-skinned. You must be durable, strong with a determination that you will get to where you want to go. Quitting is not an option and failure is not a word that you should use when you are seeking to reach your goals and dreams.
Darlene Hunter, (www.darlenehunter.com), is president of Darlene Hunter & Associates, LLC, a motivational / inspirational speaker, author, life and business coach, and award-winning radio talk show host. Her new book, “Win-Ability, Navigating through Life’s Challenges with a Winning Attitude,” is her fourth on the theme of perseverance.