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Overcome your Fear of Public Speaking: 11 Easy and Effective Ways

June 2, 2018 by Power of Positivity

Do you have a fear of public speaking? You’re in excellent company. Some of the most intelligent people can stand in front of a crowd and become numb. Finding ways to express yourself even with an audience is an important tool to have for life. Many jobs and ministries require public speaking as part of what is expected.

The fear of public speaking is not uncommon. In order to overcome public speaking fear, there are some things you can do. Putting these steps into practice will help you gain the confidence you need to stand and speak. It is possible to face your fears and conquer them too.

1. Get a Large Mirror

Purchase a large full body mirror that you can stand in front of while you practice. Practice speaking to yourself out loud every morning and evening in front of the mirror. Notice your standing position, your posture, and overall appearance.

2. Use Your Trusted Friends

Gather a small group of your trusted friends and practice speaking in front of them. Stand at the front of the room and make a short presentation. Ask them the give you two positive corrective criticisms of your speech. The more you talk about it, the more you will face your fear of public speaking.

3. Join a Local Book Club

Find a local book club that you can join. Watch the speakers and take notes of what works and does not work for them. Take a turn speaking to this small group. It is informal so the expectations are not as high. Openly share your opinions on the books you are reading together. Learning to share ideas in a small group will help you overcome your public speaking fear.

4. Use Cue Cards

Purchase some index cards and write an outline of your speech on them. They will help you stay on task when your mind wanders while speaking. If your main public speaking fear is forgetting what you are discussing, this will alleviate it.

5. Study Up

Before your public speech, study up on what you are presenting. Know the information to the point where you are comfortable with it. Don’t speak on a topic that you don’t understand.

6. Teach Something

Look for an opportunity to volunteer to teach. Speaking in front of a class about a topic you understand will give you confidence. You will learn different ways to help others understand your lessons. The fear of public speaking can be overcome by teaching others.

7. Choose a Comfortable Outfit

Choosing the right clothes to wear will make all the difference in your public speaking. You need to be comfortable at all times. You do not need to worry over something pulling, shifting, or riding up. Wear your clothing before the speech for a practice run. Practice walking up stairs, sitting, and standing for longer periods of time. You do not want to be distracted by a bad clothing choice during your speech.

8. Choose the Right Shoes

Wearing shoes that are presentable and comfortable is pertinent. If your toes are pinched or the heels are slipping in the back, you just can not concentrate on your speech. The fear of public speaking increases when you are physically uncomfortable.

9. Have Good Hygiene

You want your hygiene top rate when you are in the public eye. Self-confidence goes out the door when you have bad breath. Make sure you have breath mints handy. In order to overcome public speaking fear, keep up those simple things like your teeth brushed, and your nails presentable.

10. Remember to Practice

Nothing beats practice. Practice your speech in advance of the date it is due. Hold your cue cards in your hands while you practice. You will get to the point that you no longer need them. You can continue to hold them for confidence, taking away your fear of public speaking.

11. Realize the Worst Thing

Remember that the worst thing to happen to you if you mess up a speech is an embarrassment. We are all embarrassed at some point in our life. Give yourself forgiveness when you stutter or have a hiccup. Understand that this happens to everyone.

Standing in front of a crowd can be a scary thought. It can reduce a person no matter their status or job description. Knowing how to overcome it will increase your job earning potential and effectiveness as a leader.

The fear of public speaking can be overcome. Try these steps out and repeat them until you gain the confidence you need. You may even learn to love speaking in public over time.

7 Powerful Ways to Boost your Confidence Immediately

June 2, 2018 by Power of Positivity

Do your palms sweat at the thought of speaking in front of your class or giving a presentation at a big meeting? Does the fear of failure consume you? Are you uncomfortable in social situations?

Don’t worry. You’re not alone. We’ve all been there at one time or another. In fact, studies show that 85 percent of the population suffers from what bestselling author Dr. Joe Rubino calls a “self-esteem deficit.”

Luckily, extensive medical treatment isn’t required to tackle this problem. Instead, there are a number of easy tools you can use day to day to boost your confidence and lead a better life. Here are a few valuable tips to help you control your self-doubt.

Tips to Boost your Confidence

Daily affirmations make a difference

Sure, many of us have laughed at the Saturday Night Live sketches featuring the fictional character Stuart Smalley, a self-help guru. You might remember his catch phrase that he said to himself while looking in the mirror: “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.”

But these affirmations are more than just a punchline on a comedy show. Science shows that positive thinking about yourself and your life can rewire your brain chemistry and increase the feel-good chemicals released by your body.

If you find yourself swimming in self-doubt and unable to think of any positive affirmations to pull yourself out of it, you might want to make a list of your strengths to keep with you at all times. This will give you a quick and easy confidence boost.

Let’s get physical

Exercise is a great way to boost self-confidence. Whether you’d rather pump some iron or go for a run, physical activity helps you look better, improves your overall health and makes you stronger.

All of those physical changes are confidence boosters. But experts say there are also mental and emotional benefits to working out. Physical activity releases beta-endorphins that make you feel good, and also reduces stress by decreasing cortisol levels.

So the next time you’re looking to boost your confidence and your mood, hit the gym!

Try something new

A great way to boost your confidence is to challenge yourself by trying something new, something that you’ve never done before. It’s easy to fear the unknown, but the greatest way to face it is by tackling it head-on.

This can be anything from joining a Meetup group with strangers who share a similar interest or learning a new skill. Once you try something new and succeed, though, you’ll see an increase in confidence. Even if you don’t get the hang of your new skill or project at first, you’ll see a surge in confidence simply because you know you tried and didn’t let fear get the best of you.

Leaving your comfort zone can be scary, but it’s also exciting and can expand your world.

Visualize who you want to be

It’s difficult to overcome years of negative reinforcement, your brain telling yourself that you’re no good. Experts say that visualization exercises are a great way to overcome this negativity and to boost your confidence, though, and they can be done in your own time and space.

The visualization process will help you replace your negative thoughts about yourself with positive ones. Start with some notes about who you’d like to be and what you’d like to accomplish. With these traits and goals in mind, close your eyes and picture yourself. Slowly alter the picture of yourself in your mind to match the traits you wrote on paper. These could be anything from wanting to be a more outgoing person to landing a big sale at work.

Before long, visualization will lead to actualization and increased self-esteem.

Surround yourself with a positive support network

If there are friends, family or colleagues who are negative and tend to criticize you, limit your time with them.

Make it a goal to spend more time with people who are supportive. You can choose, however, to rely more on connections with individuals who are positive and help lift you up rather than tear you down.

Recognize your accomplishments

It’s easy to get caught up in a swirl of negativity. But everyone has both big and small accomplishments they can be proud of.

Write some of them down and keep the list handy for the next time you’re feeling fearful or anxious. Reading through a list of your accomplishments is a quick way to boost your confidence and remind you of how capable you really are.

Practice self-care

Your well-being should always be your priority. This means making sure you’re eating well, getting enough sleep and making time for the things that you enjoy.

Self-care is imperative to a happy and balanced life, which also helps you boost your confidence.

You have the power

With these tips, you have the power to improve your self-esteem and your life. Whenever you feel negativity get the best of you, turn to these practices listed above if you need to boost self-confidence.

10 Things to Let Go of Right Now to Be Happy

June 2, 2018 by Power of Positivity

It’s all too common to hang on to the pain and suffering we experienced in the past. We may pity ourselves and feel dissatisfied with our lives. We may dwell too long on lost loves, lost jobs, or lost friendships. How do we begin to let go and move on from these upsetting experiences?

Some people are so bound up in their past, they can’t let go of the pain. The pain has become part of their personal identity. The pain can even be comforting to some people. When you let go of past hurts and deceptions, you can begin to move forward with intention and peace. Here are ten things you can release from your mind and heart.

How to Let Go of Past Pain and Suffering

1. Give up control.

Many people are “control freaks” and only feel secure in themselves if they can influence how others think and feel. Control is an illusion and you can only hope to control your own feelings and reactions. You can’t change someone else, you can only change how you think and feel. If you can let go of the notion of controlling things and people in your life, you will be a happier person.

2. Stop feeling entitled.

Self-pity when things don’t go our way is a natural feeling, but it’s best to let this feeling go. We are not entitled to success and happiness, we must work our way toward them.

3. Let resentment go.

Resenting others comes at a price to our personal growth. Blaming others for our problems only leads to a hollow sense of self. Rather than resenting others, work toward forgiveness.

4. Don’t let guilt run your life.

It is hard to let go of past pain and suffering caused by guilt. When we spend time ruminating on guilt, we lose the ability to take responsibility for our actions. It is better to make amends and move on.

5. Try to hold back perfectionism.

When we push ourselves to be perfect, we lose sight of what is truly important. Pushing ourselves to an impossible standard only makes us unhappy. It is better to let yourself be “good enough” to get along in life. For example, let go of the idea that your home will always be perfect.

6. Let pride go.

Pride can restrict us from making amends in our relationships. Our ego can get in the way of emotional resolution. Pride can also keep us from admitting we have made a mistake.

7. Release yourself from negative thoughts.

We always have a choice in how we approach a situation. If we expect the worst to happen, it most likely will. If we have a better attitude, we may be able to create better things for ourselves. Negativity attracts negativity.

However, it’s important to allow yourself to feel your negative emotions. If you bottle them up, they will only be worse when they do come out.

8. Let go of bad influences.

Everyone has at least one person in his or her life that is draining to be around. If possible, let these people go from your life. If you have to continue dealing with them, try to distance yourself from their negativity. This is especially hard if the people who are a toxic presence in our lives are close family members.

9. Don’t fear failure.

Don’t restrict yourself from trying something just because you are afraid you will fail. This is a self-defeating measure and keeps you from taking risks and from experiencing all that life has to offer. Take the opportunity to do things that scare you and break out of your comfort zone.

10. Stop comparing yourself to others.

Envying other people’s lives only leads to trouble. We often see only the surface of our friends’ lives, and not the struggles they go through every day. They may be looking at your life in return and envying how easily you get along. If you can be honest with your friends, do so. It will open your eyes.

Final Thoughts

When you learn how to let go of past problems, your life will seem clearer and easier. Using these ten tips will help you learn how to move on and recreate your life in a more optimistic way. The people and events that have disappointed you will be easier to deal with if you can change the way you look at your life.

Peace comes from within, and can be uncovered if you take some time to release yourself from the burdens of the past. If you can let go of past emotions and events, you will feel happier and more satisfied with your life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=75&v=lVhLd8LiQDY

REFERENCES:
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HTTPS://WWW.ELITEDAILY.COM/LIFE/20S-THINGS-YOU-NEED-TO-LET-GO-TO-LIVE-HAPPY-LIFE
HTTPS://WWW.PSYCHOLOGYTODAY.COM/US/BLOG/YOUR-EMOTIONAL-METER/201708/IMPORTANT-TIPS-HOW-LET-GO-AND-FREE-YOURSELF
HTTPS://WWW.HUFFINGTONPOST.COM/FANI-STIPKOVIC/HOW-TO-DROP-YOUR-EGO-WITH_B_9263250.HTML

Best Breastfeeding Positions: How to Breastfeed Your Newborn Baby

June 2, 2018 by Power of Positivity

Breastfeeding carries with it the age-old pictures from nursery rhyme books, where the mother is sitting in her rocking chair, holding the baby, and breastfeeding it in both arms. Best breastfeeding positions always show this picture. This is such an idyllic picture that very few people think of the actual dynamics of this. Hold an empty glass jar out in front of you to demonstrate how tiring this can get. It can be a small glass jar, and it absolutely can be completely empty.

This is fairly simple, right? The jar is not heavy. It’s really no big deal. Now, continue holding the jar in front of you for ten minutes. After about four minutes, you’ll start feeling it in your muscles, even though it just an empty glass jar.

Try to hold the jar for twenty minutes.

Get the picture? As much as holding your baby in both arms while breastfeeding seems so perfect and sweet, the truth is, your arms will become very tired very quickly. Think you can give your arms a rest? Think again. Baby will need to be fed 8 or 9 times a day and 2 or 3 times throughout the night. What can you do?

The 2 Easiest Breastfeeding Positions of All Time

The Flat Reclining Position.

This position should be done with you lying completely flat on your back. Even sitting up in a lean-back chair can create enough angle to make it difficult for both you and baby. Instead, use your couch. Prop your feet or calves up on the armrest, lie flat on your back, and let baby find your breast. This is extremely easy because you don’t have to arch your neck down to check on things right below you, you don’t have to use your arm muscles in active engagement for hours of the day, and you can safely close your eyes and rest without having to worry about dropping baby if you get too relaxed. This is one of the best breastfeeding positions of all time.

The Flat Reclining Method.

This position is also known as the Biological Method because it is easiest for baby, too. Human babies are not designed to start straining their neck muscles right after birth. Instead, they can build these muscles up at their own pace by crawling around on your tummy. Trying to lift their neck and latch onto your nipple and then suck without getting too much stream going is incredibly difficult for baby. Instead, they can find your nipple, latch on, drink as much as they want, and then let go when they want a break. And they can do this every single time they want a break without fearing extra milk coming out. This is natural and organic for the way human babies are made.

The Side-Lying Position.

The side-lying position is perfect for couches, floors, and beds, as well as the Flat Reclining Method. You can actually lie on your side (with your baby between you and the back of the couch, just to be safe), and baby can latch on to either nipple while you watch or close your eyes for a brief nap.

Both of these positions are brilliant for sleeping, resting, joining baby on the floor, and for generally getting in naps throughout the day. The sleep deprivation caused by caring for a newborn is so intense that these two positions should be your go-to positions around the clock. This one is also at the top when talking about the best breastfeeding positions.

Cradle Holds and Side Holds

Cradle Hold and Cross-Cradle Hold. A list of best breastfeeding positions cannot be given without the standard cradle holds. These two cradle holds are virtually identical to each other but differ in the position of your hands. In the Cradle Hold, you hold your baby like normal, with your arms crossed underneath it. In the Cross-Cradle Hold, you hold your baby just as before, but this time you are using the hand closest to the breast they are feeding on to hold and manipulate your breast for baby’s convenience.

Side Hold (also known as the Football Hold). This is a great position if you have a pillow to put beside you for baby to lie on or if your baby is a small toddler now and can just sit beside, facing the other direction. You hold your baby under your arm (like you would tuck a football under your arm) and their head comes out and latches onto your breast.

All of These Positions Can Be Done in Public with a Light Blanket or Cloth Lightly Spread Over You

Just have a light cloth or blanket on hand, and you can do any of these breastfeeding positions in public by just generally spreading the cloth over your shoulder and breast. Do not tuck it in because your baby may get too warm or have difficulty moving around. All you need is a light covering. The best breastfeeding positions are perfectly natural, with a light coverup in public.

Breastfeeding is a bonding ritual and organic feeding routine which will be amazing for you. Get as much sleep as possible and Happy Baby!

8 Ways to Have A Better Work Life Balance

June 2, 2018 by Power of Positivity

If you find yourself unhappy with your work, putting in long but unfulfilling hours and having strained relationships with friends and family, it might be time to rethink work life balance.

A better work life balance will ensure that you are energetic and productive at your workplace without compromising on other areas of your life. Here are work life balance tips that will help you achieve more in life.

Tips to Maintain a Better Work Life Balance

Know your Priorities

Priorities vary from one person to another. For a newly married couple, priorities can be making more money and spending time together. For older couples, making money may not be the primary goal but to slow down and relax. Understand your goals and work hard to achieve them. Many people sacrifice family for work, and as a result, they never find fulfillment in life even if they achieve major success in their careers. You must always strive to prioritize both work and family to achieve a healthy work and life balance.

Create and Respect Boundaries

If you do not have a proper schedule when you should start work and finish or when to create time for other activities such as dinner with family or an exercise routine you are likely going to mix things up. Boundaries allow you to attend to what you have to at the right time. It helps you build a healthy culture and lifestyle where you can predict all your days’ activities. Building and sticking to boundaries is not easy because there is always something extra to attend to just when you want to call it a day but stay focused. As actress Betsy Jacobson said,’work is not better time management but better boundary management’.

Learn to say no

As much as you would want to help everyone and be there for them including your boss, it is not always possible. You will end up achieving less and getting frustrated in the end. Saying no is healthy and does not mean that you are selfish. Weigh every request and put aside those that will take too much of your time and energy or those that will interfere with your work life balance.

Learn to control Technology

Technology can be addictive. Learn to survive without your phone or laptop for a day especially when you are on vacation. If you have time with family, refrain from checking emails or attending to office work. You can set time every day when you do not check your phone, answer calls or reply to emails. Within this time, focus on a better relationship with family, friends or have time to yourself without distractions.

Work Smarter

Throughout time, the need to work hard has been oversensitized and those who work for long hours and sleep less are deemed as hardworking and high achievers. In the new age, it is working smarter that matters. Output or quality of work should be your focus and not the many hours you put in. For instance, if you get to work early, spend most of the day checking emails and chatting with friends then take care of your responsibilities later after working hours. You will probably achieve the same with a person who came to work on time, focused on the day’s duties and left early to unwind. The only difference is, you will be more tired and disoriented.

Delegate

Part of achieving a healthy work life balance is understanding that you cannot handle it all on your own. If there are tasks that can be taken care of by other colleagues, delegate. This will free up your time for other activities such as being with friends or taking care of yourself. At home, get someone to clean and take care of the shopping and other errands. It can be hectic coming from work only to continue with the house chores where you left off in the morning. You will never have time to relax or be with those you love.

Create your pace

There are days when you have to put in every effort or spare time you have on work projects, and there are days you need to take it slow. There are days your body will demand you slow down and relax while on others, you will be super energized. Knowing your pace will help you achieve a healthy work life balance.

Take Good Care of Yourself

To achieve a good work and life balance, create time for yourself. Eat right, exercise and have days when you reward yourself for the achievements you’ve had. When you are happy, the happiness will flow to all other people around you because it is infectious.

These work life balance tips can be adopted by anyone regardless of what state they are in life. It is never too late or too early to start. As Hillary Clinton said,’do not mistake having a career with having a life’. Do not throw away your life at the expense of a job.

How to Build Self Confidence in Less than 5 Minutes a day

June 2, 2018 by Power of Positivity

The word confidence is derived from Latin. It means with faith. Self confidence is the foundation of everything. We have different skills, but if we are not able to build self confidence, how good are these skills?

Choices made in our daily lives have a role to play too. A study has shown that we can control our thoughts. Thus, we have the power to build self-confidence and self-esteem by ourselves.

When you have self-esteem, empowered by positivity and courage, you will be able to face any challenge head-on. This article is designed to help you unlock your full potential and get over your short faults.

Some things influence your level of confidence. The genes you are born with impact the balance of neural chemicals in your brain, your environment, and the social pressures that come along with it as well as the choices you make on a daily basis.

Have an understanding that you are capable. Let’s go beyond the essential tips to look confident anywhere, anytime.

1. Picture your success before beginning any task

Listening to music with a deep base can give you a feeling of power. Music can lift your mood. Music is known to help the growth of plants. You can also strike a pose and even motivate yourself and help you build confidence.

2. Trust in your ability to improve

Be flexible in your thinking. Having a fixed mindset and thinking that you can’t improve your confidence wont help you. You will not be able to build self-confidence. Instead, have a flexible mindset that sees challenges as opportunities for growth.

People with a growth mindset have proved to be more successful and excel when faced with challenges and have improved grades.

3. Understand that you may fail sometimes

Face it. You need to fail sometimes; we ALL do. Joanne Rowling was rejected by 12 different publishers before one accepted Harry Potter; The Wright brothers had a history of failed attempts in flight before his plane experiment was succesful.

4. Stop comparing yourself

Anyone at one point falls prey to a feeling of inadequacy brought about by someone else’s achievements. Be your person. Learn to appreciate what you have to build self-confidence.

You don’t have to compare yourself to anyone. You are not competing with anybody, you are not above anyone, and you are not below anyone. Remember–you are good enough.

5. Use affirmations

Just list the qualities that make you feel good to be you. You can say to yourself:

I am a talented artist
I am strong, I’m kind
I’m capable
I am awesome
I am valuable.

Feel proud as you contemplate building confidence.

Focus on your positive qualities and not the negatives. We are perfectly imperfect. Everyone is good at something.

6. Nourish yourself with positivity

Think positive thoughts, especially when you feel down. Tell yourself life is short. Read books that stir your self-confidence. Watch funny and inspiring clips. Surround yourself with supportive people rather than relating to the people that make you feel dreadful about yourself.

To build the self-confidence you need to have a high opinion of yourself for others to reciprocate.

7. List your past accomplishments

Laze around in the light of your success. Celebrate your achievements.

8. Find your passion

Know your strength, know your talent, and know your skills. Use this to build self confidence and stay true to your character.

9. Be good to others

Be nice and care for others. Always make other people feel better about themselves. This is the greatest gift you can give to others and yourself. Loving others makes you love yourself thus you build self-confidence.

Anyone can build self confidence. You need to look strong and sure of yourself. Stand tall and be yourself. Know you are great and be the humble champion. You might need to work harder than others if you are committed to build self confidence.

With time, you will ultimately get there. Once you build the confidence you will enjoy it and when you are feeling down bring that feeling back into your mind and remind yourself this is a situation you can control.

We can all evolve and change for the better. You have to stop obsessing over whatnots and start focusing on what can. When you lose sight of yourself and your belief you become useless but with confidence no matter the odds, no matter the difficulty, no matter the adversity, you are able to accomplish any task. Have the belief that you can accomplish anything. Practice these life-changing tips every day and you will perfect it.

The Community

Our Free Community of Positively Powerful SuperFans

Every day is a day to shine. Shine on!

1. Get a Large Mirror

2. Use Your Trusted Friends

3. Join a Local Book Club

4. Use Cue Cards

5. Study Up

6. Teach Something

7. Choose a Comfortable Outfit

8. Choose the Right Shoes

9. Have Good Hygiene

10. Remember to Practice

11. Realize the Worst Thing

Tips to Boost your Confidence

Daily affirmations make a difference

Let’s get physical

Try something new

Visualize who you want to be

Surround yourself with a positive support network

Recognize your accomplishments

Practice self-care

You have the power

How to Let Go of Past Pain and Suffering

1. Give up control.

2. Stop feeling entitled.

3. Let resentment go.

4. Don’t let guilt run your life.

5. Try to hold back perfectionism.

6. Let pride go.

7. Release yourself from negative thoughts.

8. Let go of bad influences.

9. Don’t fear failure.

10. Stop comparing yourself to others.

Final Thoughts

The 2 Easiest Breastfeeding Positions of All Time

The Flat Reclining Position.

The Flat Reclining Method.

The Side-Lying Position.

Cradle Holds and Side Holds

Tips to Maintain a Better Work Life Balance

1. Picture your success before beginning any task

2. Trust in your ability to improve

3. Understand that you may fail sometimes

4. Stop comparing yourself

5. Use affirmations

6. Nourish yourself with positivity

7. List your past accomplishments

8. Find your passion

9. Be good to others

The Community

Our Free Community of Positively Powerful SuperFans

Rise and Shine On! Master Your Day with the Ultimate Positive Morning Guide + Checklist

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