 By: Coach Pam Wills For many of us, confidence is kind of like the Holy Grail. Like most people, I struggle with confidence issues once in awhile. Am I good enough issues. Do they like me issues. Can I do this / is this possible / am I crazy issues. You know, the usual.But sometimes, instead of those issues appearing as fleeting doubts that we combat and vanquish fairly quickly, if we let them take over, they can and WILL affect everything we do. I know this firsthand because a few years back, my confidence hovered at a very low point. It was a painful place to hang out, but it definitely taught me that I was the only person in charge of my Self — AND my self-confidence. “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Eleanor RooseveltFor instance, if your confidence level is low, you might end up letting opportunities pass you by on a regular basis. You might unwittingly let friends, family members or your spouse tell you what to do. You might find that your business is suffering because you don’t put your Self out there to speak and network. Guess what — I wasn’t born confident, either. I went through these scenarios my Self. Since then, I have done a lot of work, a lot of studying and a lot of practicing. The result: I figured out how to raise my confidence level through the roof! Now, I get up and speak with confidence all the time. And I LOVE it! So how can YOU lift the heavy weight of low confidence off your shoulders and step forward into being fully YOU? I will be honest with you — I would not recommend doing it alone like I did. My advice? Ask for help! Hire a coach to lean on. Trust me, an experienced coach’s objectivity and action-oriented guidance are the best gifts you could ever give your Self. I wish I had done it years ago! Meanwhile, until you gather your courage to reach out, here are a few steps you can practice daily to jumpstart your confidence: 1) Replace the negative chatter in your head with positive Self talk.*** Practice makes perfect. Diligence doesn’t hurt, either. Every time you catch your Self saying something mean about You, stop! Take a breath. Rewind. Now replay it, but this time, be nicer to your Self. For instance, instead of saying, “I’m so stupid!” say something like, “Okay, I made a mistake, so now how can I learn from this mistake ***If you do nothing else, DO THIS!!! Every day. All the time. Without fail. No matter what anyone else says to you. It WORKS. 2) Tell yourself 10 Good Things. Every night before you go to sleep, maybe while you’re brushing your teeth, repeat after me: I am strong. (That’s one.) I am smart. (That’s two.) I am confident. (That’s three. See how easy it is?) And keep going! What other good things can you say about your Self? Are you a good parent? Are you a reliable friend? Do you have great hair?? The first time you try this, it will feel weird. You might only make it up to six Good Things. But keep practicing. Eventually, you will not want to stop at 10! Trust me on this one. It WORKS. 3) Make an “I AM” Scrapbook or Vision Board. This might be a bit more advanced, but it is also quite relaxing and exhilarating at the same time. Kind of like yoga! Whenever you have some alone time, cut out pictures and words from magazines that reflect who you really want to be. It’s never too late to be the person you’ve always wanted to be, don’t you agree?  You can draw and write words directly in your book or on your poster board. Any book, notebook, scrap cardboard or corkboard will do. Make this an ongoing project if you like. Once you’ve finished, put it where you can see it or take it out and look at it regularly to reinforce that calm yet exhilarating feeling of I AM. Yeah. This WORKS. Confidence CAN be yours. If I can do it, you can TOTALLY do it, too! To help you get the ball rolling, contact me for a quick chat. Usually, I charge over $150 per hour for private coaching sessions on the telephone. But I am so sure that I can kick your confidence up a notch or two RIGHT AWAY that I am willing to give you 30 minutes of my time, no charge. What have you got to lose? About Pamela
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By: Coach Pam Wills Since my April “Be Your Self” theme has ended, I decided to share my updated playlist of fave inspirational, motivational, get-up-and-go tunes (in no particular order). I’ve linked the song titles to corresponding YouTube videos (not all of them are official music videos by the artists, but the tunes are there and sometimes the lyrics are, too). Lyrics are worth looking up for great inspirational quotes, just Google them.  1) Reach, Gloria Estefan Motivational fodder for pushing beyond the limits, this was an official theme song for the 2008 Summer Olympics 2) Try to Fly, Eva Great tune from a super talented songwriter and great friend of mine who creates her magic in Germany 3) Polka Dots, Kami Lyle I am so lucky to count as friends not one but TWO super talented singer/songwriters! Kami spins her magic right here on Cape Cod 4) Free and Right to Be Wrong, Joss Stone This hippie chick knows the real deal and how to express it with her crazy hot soul music 5) Brave, Jennifer Lopez I don’t think this song is well known but it really hits the spot 6) Respect and Think, Aretha Franklin Enough said 7) Free Xone and What Have You Done for Me Lately, Janet Jackson Love the dancing in the “Free Xone” video… “Love your Self” is a great line!… And let’s not forget the quintessential, classic Janet song 8) Just Fine, Mary J. Blige THE way to rock the joy of being YOU, this song is my newest anthem!!! 9) Express Yourself, Madonna “Don’t go for second best, baby”… Words to live by  10) Strength, Courage & Wisdom, India.Arie Just the tip of the iceberg from this singer and her incredibly deep soul 11) King of Anything, Sara Bareilles “Who cares if you disagree? You are NOT me!”… This song is everyone’s theme song who decides to stop putting up 12) Born This Way, Lady Gaga Cannot make a list like this without this tune! 13) I’m A Survivor, Destiny’s Child Beyonce’s antidote to hater poison 14) Shine, Estelle All about being her Self, this woman knows exactly who she is 15) Brand New Day, Sting Wait for Stevie Wonder to come and play his harmonica around minute three 16) Hope, Shaggy “Never give up”… Super cool and inspiring tune by the man him Self 17) The Climb, Miley Cyrus I know, I know, what am I doing putting a kids’ song on this list??… Just listen, it’s really a great tune about pushing through 18) When You Believe, performed by the late Whitney Houston and Maria Carey (from Disney’s The Prince of Egypt) Inspirational at its best, sung by two powerful divas 19) Girl On Fire, Alicia Keys ft. Nicki Minaj Caution, super hot video! Lots of fun, too 20) Fighter, Soar and Beautiful, Christina Aguilera Fabulous tunes, all of them! Thanks for listening with me! I hope this list: 1) made you smile 2) made you DANCE!!! 3) made you want to forward this to a friend. Why keep a good thing to your Self?? Have a great week! About Pamela  By: Coach Pam Wills Here are a few ideas to help move and shake you out of that comfortably numb state we all slide into now and then… Try a few! 1) Get up on the opposite side of the bed 2) Brush your teeth with the other hand 
 3) Wear a different color than you usually do (shirt, earrings, lipstick, socks, even pj’s!) 4) Take a different route to work 5) Try a bite of something you’ve never eaten before  6) Look up a new word in the dictionary and use it in conversation as often as possible during the day 7) Have a salad for dinner if you normally eat meat and potatoes 8) Read instead of watching TV 9) Take a walk or do some other physical activity for 20 to 30 minutes WITHOUT music or TV or reading materials to distract you — give your mind some space to just BE 10) Call a friend — don’t use email or Facebook, call! Do at least three of these things TODAY and see how you feel… pay attention, you might just come up with your next big idea. =) The BONUS 3 1) Write a poem 2) Move your furniture around 3) Create a mind map (a free-form diagram) of something that’s on your mind or a project you want to complete Good luck and have fun! About Pamela  By: Coach Pam Wills Are you feeling a little too comfortable lately? Like you never want to leave your boring old, painful old, draining old comfort zone? Well, that is all well and good if you are all set with your job. Your relationship. Your home. Your education. You KNOW what I’m talking about. However, if you are thinking about using your creative juice, making plans, setting goals and otherwise getting out there and on the move, you know that comfort equals death. As in comfortably numb (thank you, Pink Floyd…). If this sounds like you, then it is time to get up off of that overstuffed sofa and out onto the open road. Get ready peeps, we are leaving the comfort zone now… #1 – Decide No worries, this first step may still be completed from the comfort of your sofa. Just don’t take all year already! Give yourself a deadline to consider your options. What happens if your plan works? What happens if it doesn’t work? Is this the right step, in the right direction? Decide. #2 – Get tougher Trust me, what makes you tougher won’t kill you. (Um, if you choose to leave the C-zone for something that could actually kill you, well, that’s another area altogether, one that I am not trained to help with. We are NOT talking about dangerous, life-threatening actions here!) Really — doing something different or differently will not end the world. Just enjoy the ride. #3 – Dig deep What will you miss out on or give up if you continue to just sit there on your comfy sofa for all eternity?? Might you bore yourself to tears? Miss out on a chance to take the spotlight? Never experience love again? Think about it. Is remaining in the C-zone really all that great in comparison? #4 – Put your Self first As women, we hear this all the time. We know it makes sense. But do we really take this advice to heart? It is NOT selfish to take care of your Self, get enough rest, exercise and good nutrition. It does NOT make you a Bad Mommy if you go out with the girls one night a month, or have a date with your partner once a week. It does NOT make you a bad person if you say no to the fifth or sixth or seventeenth person requesting your precious volunteer time. There is only so much of you to go around! When you put your Self first, you start to hear your own voice. Not your mother’s voice. Not your partner’s voice. Just yours. What are you saying? What do you REALLY want??  #5 – Take baby steps No need to take extra giant leaps here, not if you are out of practice and not if you are looking to make small changes. Decide on tiny increments and make your road a gentle path rather than a speeding rollercoaster. It’s okay. We can’t all be Lady Gaga. #6 – No excuses You heard me. #7 – Do something Anything! Anything related to whatever it is you are shaking up. Want to go back to school to be a nurse? Contact some local schools and request info packets. Want to renovate your bathroom? Get thee to the hardware store and pick up some paint samples! Want to change your career, or maybe the world? Get online and start digging for possibilities. See what happens! 
Ready to get up off that comfy sofa now? Give me a call, I can help you get |
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