When asked if I could only have one wish for my children what would it be, I responded, for my boys to be filled with confidence.  Confidence can be the determining factor between reaching for what you want in life or simply letting each day pass hoping your dreams and happiness will simply fall into your lap.  The power of confidence can allow you to make the mistakes you need to grow, ask for the help you need to move forward or simply to back away when necessary.  So how do we cultivate more of this magic power that can continue to fuel our inner fire.

1.  Lean into the fear. Quite often the very thing we want can also be the thing we fear the most.  However, fear can be paralyzing and if we allow it to rule our actions we move further and further away from our confidence catalyst. That’s not to say that if you are afraid of public speaking you should instantly speak to a group of 20,000 people.  However, perhaps start with a group of 5, then 10 and so on.   But keep leaning into that space of speaking in front people or whatever might be holding you back.  The more you act and the less you sit in that fear, the more confident you will become.

2.  Be active, eat well, sleep. These 3 things are an incredibly powerful foundation for life and are no exception when it comes to confidence.  When we are active we release endorphins and other happy hormones affecting our outlook on life and our abilities.  Food is fuel.  When we are filled with nutrients that support our health and well being our body doesn’t have to work to find the energy that can be required to feed our confidence.  Sleep is well…sanity.  When we are well rested our thoughts are clearer and our ability to problem solve is that much stronger.  When we feel we have the ability to solve problems indeed our confidence grows.

3.  Be willing to fail. My eldest son was once asked “Tyler can you play the guitar?”  His response “Yes I can, but I think my guitar needs to be fixed because it doesn’t sound very good.  I keep playing it over and over as I am sure it will get better”.  In order to gain more confidence with something new we have to understand that at first attempt indeed we might fail.  However, when we eventually begin to strum a tune, land a job or accomplish a dream our confidence grows.  Each time we fall and pick ourselves up we either realize we have tools to overcome the obstacle or the ability to cultivate the tools necessary.  Of course one of those tools we connect with is confidence.

4.  Surround yourself with a healthy supportive tribe. Confidence is certainly a skill that is cultivated from within.  However, there are times when we all need help or a little push to help us take that next step.  Having a positive tribe to share ideas with or to simply practice taking that leap of faith with can have a powerful impact on our confidence.

5. Get out of your head and into you, better said, meditate.  Through meditation we can create a greater sense of connection to our own personal values and beliefs.  When we operate from a place where we can take the time to find a sense of personal meaning, confidence is a natural by-product.

A lover of life, yoga instructor, motivational speaker, wife and mother. Mieka’s passion in life is sharing her belief that choosing happy is a possibility for everyone and that everyone deserves to be happy. You will find her teaching challenging and inspirational yoga classes at Chrysalis Yoga studio in Burlington. Her choosing happy workshops have frequented yoga studios, health institutions and corporations. Mieka has her bachelors degree in Kinesiology, is a Certified Exercise Physiologist, Registered Yoga teacher and STOTT Pilates certified. She is also an ambassador with Lululemon Athletica. Mieka currently is studying positive psychology.  In her spare time Mieka, loves to travel with her family, do yoga, cuddle with her animals and regular kitchen dance parties are a priority.