Many people view high self-esteem as a golden carrot, an unattainable goal, something that belongs to a charmed few. In reality, everyone can and should enjoy healthy confidence.

You have positive attributes, special talents and unique personalities, but these good points can be clouded over by negative feedback you’ve received from others and internalized. Recognizing one special feature is all you need to use as a springboard to raising your self-esteem. When a negative influence brings your confidence down, remember your key feature and remind yourself that you are good, better, best.

Sound too simple? A major cookie maker built an empire using this very method. This particular woman had reached rock bottom and thought that she wasn’t good for anything. Then someone asked the woman to state one thing that she was really good at. After careful thought, the woman answered that she could make one mean chocolate chip cookie. She started baking cookies for a few local caterers, and from there launched a major cookie company. As you can imagine, the woman’s self confidence soared right along with her cookie empire.

How you view yourself is paramount in determining what you can achieve, and where your life will take you. Perhaps leading a large, successful company isn’t what you want to achieve. Maybe you just want to be able to stand confidently before your coworkers to give a presentation without suffering immense fear. Or it could be that you simply need to feel comfortable in your own skin, and not inferior to others.

Raising your self-esteem might not be easy. Fortunately, there are a multitude of self- help books, tapes, CDs, videos and professional counseling services that can help raise your self esteem to a higher level, make you feel more successful, and lead you to achieve your dreams. If a voice in your head tells you there’s nothing you can do, start talking back. Say “Yes, I Can” rather than giving in. Address your self-esteem issues, find the resources you need and begin increasing your confidence today.

Reach for the golden carrot. Start today and soon you won’t recognize your old, lowly self. You’ll look in the mirror and see a brand new soul, glowing with self-confidence and ready to take on the world.

Whether you are looking for a new job or going on a first date, one of the most important characteristics that will stand you in good stead is your self-confidence. Increase your self-confidence with these tactics to help you through interviews, meetings, and more.

1. Stop saying “should”

Don’t make yourself feel guilty by thinking about the things that you should have done: if something is in the past, let it pass. Fretting over it will not improve your situation. Try using the word “could” instead of “should” for everything. This way, your actions become your choices, and you are empowered to make decisions. For instance, “I should mow the lawn,” becomes “I could mow the lawn,” which is a much more positive statement. Instead of allowing your tasks to hold power over you, take power for yourself by actively choosing how to spend your time.

2. Don’t focus on yourself

If you are stressed out in a public situation, consider how the other person must feel. Go out of your way to make the other person feel comfortable, or introduce two people who haven’t met. Set yourself small tasks. Just having a task to do will make you feel better.

If you are alone and feeling anxious, take a few deep breaths. You can try various techniques, from meditation to distraction to take your mind off of you.

3. Set realistic goals

Setting goals will help boost your self-confidence. You want to set goals that are attainable. Choose something that you can measure, rather than something that is hard to measure so this way you will have a way to chart your progress. For instance, rather than saying “I will become an expert on the Victorian period,” you could set yourself the task of reading the complete works of Jane Austen, or you could sign up for a course at the local university. Chart your progress. Keeping track of how you are doing will allow you to feel positive about yourself.

4. Surround yourself with positives

If there are things or places in your life that are bringing you down, avoid them. If there are people in your life who are constantly negative, it might be time to reconsider your friendship with these people. You want to surround yourself with people who are optimistic and caring, people who respect you and value you for who you are. It is easier to be self-confident when you know you have a network of supportive people around you.

5. Stop being critical

Stop comparing yourself to others with self-criticism. You will always find something that someone else is better at. You are an individual, and unlike anyone else, so comparisons are moot. Constant self-criticism can also turn into cattiness: to make yourself feel better you might point out flaws in other people. Choosing to focus on your positive traits and on other people’s positive traits will help you gain self-confidence.

6. Take the time you need

Take some time for yourself. Perhaps painting your nails or polishing your shoes will make you feel that much more empowered. Take the time to do small things that are often overlooked. This time you spend will help you gain confidence.

It is important to learn that you are worth making time for. You will never be able to adequately care for another person until you care for yourself, so take time to unwind and relax.

7. Think positively

If you find yourself thinking negative or critical thoughts, think “cancel” or “delete.” Your mind is like a computer, and you will be able to erase those negative thought patterns with practice. Then, once you have pointedly erased that negative thought, replace it with a positive one. If you were thinking “My thighs are too fat,” say, “cancel” and then, “My thighs are growing thinner every day” or “I love my body just the way I am.” Try saying these nice things to yourself in front of a mirror.

Write down your best traits, abilities, and skills on a piece of paper. Then when you are feeling down you can come back to this piece of paper to remember how wonderful you are. You can also write down five or ten things that you are grateful for each day. Remember how fortunate we are helps boost confidence because it helps surround us with the positivity that is required for true self-confidence.

Try visualization to help you with achieving your goals, and to help you think positively towards a sense of self-confidence.

8. Reprogram yourself

You might hold some beliefs which are limiting to you. It is time to take these negative thoughts and replace them with positives, as outlined in the previous point. Here are some thoughts you might need to re-think (literally!): “I can’t do that,” “I get scared easily,” “They don’t like me.”

Remember that even confident people get bummed out sometimes. Having occasional periods of anxiety is completely natural.

9. Fake it…and Smile!

If you don’t know how to truly be self-confident, then just pretend to be self-confident! Smile, too. Just the act of smiling will release endorphins to the brain, which will eventually make you happy. Acting confident will help build your confidence for when you truly are confident.

Remember: you are going to be fine. Start building your self-confidence today so that you can begin leading the lifestyle you deserve.

Do you struggle with a lack of confidence where the Law of Attraction is concerned? It’s a common problem that many people have – especially at the beginning when they’re just learning how to use their power as conscious creators!

However, a strong level of confidence is crucial simply because your confidence level is a direct reflection of your inner beliefs. Since the Law of Attraction is guided by your beliefs, low confidence means uncertain results!

In order to boost your attraction abilities and create better results, you need to have confidence in three key areas:

1) Self-confidence.

Do you believe that you are a powerful creator in your own right? Really? Or do you still see yourself as a victim, at the mercy of both internal and external factors that are out of your control? Do you often feel overwhelmed or frightened by your circumstances? If so, you don’t really believe in your own ability to change them!

To turn this around, begin working daily on affirming your own power as a deliberate creator. Remind yourself that your own thoughts, beliefs and emotions are what attract your circumstances, and you have the power to choose those – ALWAYS!

2) Confidence in a loving universe.

Do you often feel like the universe is working against you? Do you believe you have “bad luck?” Do you feel like you’re being punished for some forgotten karmic debt? The perception of an angry, judgmental universe (or “God”) is something that many of us received when we were growing up. The problem with this perception is that it keeps us feeling like we have to walk around on eggshells lest we trigger a wrath of punishment and suffering for our transgressions!

In order to overcome this limiting perception, begin changing the way you see the universe. Imagine that the universe is kind, loving and supportive of you and your dreams. Affirm that you’ve got a host of angels, enlightened beings, or simply a loving God cheering you on, wanting you to be happy. The more you work at shifting your perception of the universe to one that is loving and kind, the more confidence you will have that you can be, do or have anything you desire.

3) Trust the process.

Also important is having confidence that the Law of Attraction really does work. At the beginning of your conscious creation journey, you probably won’t believe this. You may WANT to believe it, but you won’t have a strong level of confidence yet. Once you begin seeing the proof with your own eyes, your confidence level will soar!

In the meantime, one good way to begin building greater confidence and trust in the process is to embrace a bit of “active faith.” Simply CHOOSE to believe that the Law of Attraction works. If doubts pop up (and they probably will), simply affirm that you are setting them aside for now and continue to choose to believe anyway. It may take practice, but the more you do this, the more easily you’ll start to TRULY believe.

Confidence is really all about believing. It’s about knowing, deep in your heart that you are a powerful creator with the ability to turn your life into anything you desire. The more you believe it, the more you’ll see evidence of it in every area of your life!