It is self-confidence that largely determines a person’s personal success. Do you manage to insist on your own, are you not afraid to express your interests, do you feel like an expert in your professional field - all these are the building blocks that make up your satisfaction with your own life. Patrick Forsyth's book is nothing more than training on developing confidence. Like all the other books in the “7 Day Results” series, it is distinguished by its brevity, specificity and the presence of a set of exercises for practicing useful skills in practice.

The dictionary gives us the following definition: “Confidence is a feeling of conviction or certainty, a feeling own strength; courage". We all consider confidence to be our own ability to do something. And this feeling is not necessarily associated with perfection. Let's say you need to give a presentation. You know that you cannot be called the best speaker in the world. But you also know that you are able to do good, decent work that will fully meet the requirements of the moment. Confidence is not just a feeling. It is something that actively works to help achieve a goal. Confidence does not eliminate the need for study, preparation and other work, but it greatly increases the likelihood of success. Moreover, a feeling of confidence can give you external confidence. You will look like a professional, an expert - in a word, as you should. And this also contributes to success. Sometimes just looking confident is enough for your audience to consider your presentation a success—before you even open your mouth.

In this chapter, we will discuss all types of influences on confidence levels, and decide how understanding them can help you. The book provides a practical approach to increasing confidence by focusing on work and work-related tasks. Therefore, we will not delve into the psychological jungle, although it will not be possible to do without psychology completely. Think about your situation and soberly assess what kind of person you are. This can be helpful, but finding meaning in life is not a panacea. You need to take practical steps that will influence your way of thinking and overcome and change other influences.

The workplace is your stage. The atmosphere at work can be depressing, but it can also be quite inspiring. It deprives some people of confidence and scares them, but for others it gives them a lot of different incentives. Realizing that work allows you to not only survive, but thrive, that you are able to cope - and cope successfully! - with a variety of tasks, you understand the nature of the work environment and find ways to use it to your advantage. In this chapter, we will discuss how the work environment provides us with opportunities to increase confidence. Some of them are related to normal everyday life, others require some effort, but in general the environment provides us with very tangible support. As already emphasized, the first step is a positive attitude. Sometimes we perceive the work environment as a source of our own insecurities. Yes, of course, at work we face difficulties, sometimes even threats, but the overall attitude should be positive. The work environment gives us real opportunities to “load” a positive balance - as they say, with the world by a thread.

Three main ways to increase self-confidence:• Way of thinking• Acquiring knowledge and mastering skills• Practical solutions to complex issues and problems

In this chapter we will talk about the latter path, which is related to the acquisition of knowledge and mastery of skills. If you are a sane person (why else would you read a book on such a topic?), you can say: “Okay, I’ll deal with the problems I can.” But at the same time, you most likely cannot make this process as efficient as possible. Joseph Jastrow once said, “All you have to do is believe in the theory, and the facts will appear.” The same can be said about confidence. You are convinced that a task is difficult solely for emotional reasons - “I just can’t do this." And this belief allows you to avoid any analysis and settle for any simple solution that in any way can change the balance. Let me reassure you: here you will find a purely practical view of things.

There is an old saying : If you look like a doormat, people will wipe their feet on you. Self-doubt can very well turn you into something that is perceived this way. People with low self-esteem often appear insecure, anxious, and preoccupied. As a result, a vicious circle arises in their lives: others mistake uncertainty for a lack of knowledge and skills. Such people develop a corresponding attitude, and it becomes even more difficult for them to overcome their own weakness. Since the attitude of others is very important for any person, I decided to include in my book a chapter on how appearance affects confidence - and therefore professional success.

Think about this: how quickly and easily can you tell someone who does not know how to tie a tie, how to do it? No, no, you can’t show it - only with words. Are you sure that this task is up to you? No? Well, many would agree that this is quite a difficult task that requires a lot of thought. We are all constantly communicating - and the work environment is no exception. Often everything goes well. Often we don't even think about it. It is so easy to say to the postman: “What time can you deliver this letter?” But it is much more difficult to ask for a raise, give a presentation to the board of directors, or write report. Such conversations are not only difficult, but if done incorrectly, they can give rise to the most serious problems. In most companies, you don't have to wait very long to experience the effects of poor communication: "But I thought you said... You should have said... What?!" Likewise, failing to assert your point of view in a meeting or business meeting , or not the most brilliant presentation can radically change the course of subsequent events - and not in your favor. Today we're going to talk about communication, recognizing that sometimes it can completely drain a person's confidence. This happens, for example, at presentations. And a lack of confidence makes even the most simple, routine tasks difficult.

Whatever you have to do, it is clear that the main condition Confidence is the awareness that you have all the necessary knowledge and skills. This can be shown with an example, although I am sure every reader knows this from personal experience. For example, driving a car is a complex skill. If you know how to drive a car, then there must have been a period of absolute despair in your life when you thought that you would never be able to properly coordinate your actions in your life. However, millions of people have overcome this period and drive their cars successfully - once they have learned what to do and mastered the skills through practice. Because self-doubt in your own abilities and skills can be overcome, turned into a comfortable state and even turned into a habit, you need to evaluate your skills , master the necessary others, and then maintain them in the required condition. This will require some thought and initiative. Let you be inspired by the thought that all this can make you an absolutely confident person.