Creative Confidence
How can you build creative confidence? What will help you to put your best foot forward? Can pretending really help give you more confidence? Remember how easy it was when you were a kid to make believe you were a super hero or a princess or maybe even a dinosaur? It never failed to bring smiles to people around us when my son between the ages of 4 and 7 years old insisted on wearing his green dinosaur costume with a scaled two foot long tail every where we went. He proudly wore his costume even when he could barely zip it, the knees were worn out, and the legs were 4” short. He was a dinosaur. Powerful PretendingThere is something powerful about pretending that can often begin to feel natural. I saw the last ten minutes of Dancing with the Stars the other night. The celebrities were talking about how nervous they were they go live on stage to dance. Even seasoned performers who are used to being on stage, in front of large audiences, feel anxious and jittery. They take a deep breath, put on a smile and act as if they are confident and having fun despite the terror they feel. Many of them said after a few moments they were able to get into the dance and their smiles became real. “I have often been afraid, but I wouldn't give in to it. I made myself act as though I was not afraid, and gradually my fear disappeared.” Costume Optional What could you do as a signal to yourself to act as if you are confident? You might stand straight, smile, and relax your shoulders. You could roll up your sleeves as a gesture of being ready to act.You might wear a particular outfit, sweater, jewelry or hat. Now get ready to make that phone call, speak in front of a group, write your book, or maybe dance with the stars! |