Energies4Life Newsletter - Febuary 2009

How can we collectively re-build our confidence in these troubled times? Is this possible? Can our individual energies work to change current fears and doubts in the collectivity?

It seems that both fear and confidence can be contagious and tend to come in their respective cycles, but can we as individuals working on our own fears and doubts effectively make a difference or even succeed in turning around this current lack of collective confidence? And, if so, how can we do this?

Confidence is what puts money to work, what keeps our economy on the rails and yet money is a puzzling abstraction.

“There is nothing real about money” says British writer James Buchan, author of Frozen Desire. “On a computer screen you can’t even touch it. Confidence is the basis of all money and all financial transactions. You need confidence in the other party’s word, confidence that they’re solvent, confidence that the law of the land will be enforced. The final element is confidence that the person you’re doing business with knows what he’s doing. There hasn’t been so much of that recently.”

Confidence however is a feeling, a mental attitude of trusting in or relying on something or someone; trust, belief, reliance and faith. In order to have confidence in others we need to nurture a solid confidence in ourselves first and, in doing so, break away from what’s blocking us; the fear and doubt that keeps us stuck. Fear and doubt are actually as imaginary as money is. Most fear and doubt are simply our own projections of what might happen in an imaginary future; a future that doesn’t exist, a future that hasn’t happened. We picture the worst; vividly imagine it until it is virtually real and tangible in front of us. Another talent that we all possess is to focus on a past negative event and to transpose it, lock stock and barrel, into our imaginary futures. Looking at these techniques, which most of us have down to perfection, it’s hardly surprising that things are very grim for our collective confidence at the moment.

On a positive note, I believe that things can change, that we can make a difference. We all have the necessary power and positive energies within us.  If we each work on letting go of our fear and doubt and building up trust and belief again, then confidence will return, both individually and collectively.

Here are a few helpful strategies that we can all put into practice:

Go Within….Positive Visualisation

All of us spend quite a bit of time in our waking hours daydreaming; but is the content of those daydreams always useful to us? Instead of visualising or vividly imagining negative scenarios, as we so often do, try taking some time out each day to vividly imagine what it is that you really want and how having that would make you feel. It could be a professional goal, a long term dream or simply something like seeing yourself safe and secure in your current job. Use all of your senses to make your visualisation come to life. Remember, the most important thing of all is to focus on how having the object of your visualisation makes you feel. The more often that you make the time to do this (a few minutes several times a day is ideal), the more you will be attracting this into your reality and feeling the belief and confidence that comes with it.

Energy Techniques

When persistent fears and doubts rise to the surface of your thoughts, instead of repressing them try using the remarkable energy tapping technique called EFT, or Emotional Freedom Techniques. Often described as acupuncture without the needles, in EFT we gently tap with the fingertips on various meridian points on the body while focusing on the issue to be addressed. Through clever use of language whilst tapping, EFT provides an effective way to calm and relieve all those negative emotions that come up and leave the way clear to moving forward towards what you really want, with confidence.
Start with “Even though I’m terrified about what might happen to me in this economic downturn” whilst tapping on the meridian points and see where your thoughts take you. Tap on anything at all that comes up. For more details on EFT, including a map of the meridian tapping points, visit www.energies4life.com

External World/Internal World

Don’t always compare yourself with others and spend hours focusing on external events that are not helpful or useful to you. Instead concentrate on what you want and how you need to feel in order to achieve this. Your own internal belief in yourself and identifying what it is that is truly authentic for you is far more important than making external comparisons. Ask yourself “How do I need to feel in this particular situation?” “Is this useful for me?” “What can I do within myself to achieve the state that I want to be in?” The more you ask yourself these questions and go within, the more you will discover how important accessing your internal world really is. Used positively, it can change your perspective and ameliorate the nuances and colours of your reality.

Confidence Breakthrough

Accept that fear is sometimes a necessary part of the journey. In working towards the life that we want stress, fear and doubt are often essential experiences that will move us forward towards confidence, reliance and trust.

Work towards a confidence breakthrough! Yes, things are tough at the moment, but it’s often the most fulfilling time in our own personal journeys when we are forced to break through our fears, doubts and anything else that holds us back in tough times. Making self-empowering decisions under stress is what leads us to that inner confidence. Remember, it’s the challenges of your journey that offer hundreds of opportunities to develop your confidence muscles and gain trust and inner strength.

There is no failure, only feedback. Remember that every obstacle, setback or apparent “failure” offers us always new chances and opportunities to change direction, do things differently and to learn from the experience. In doing so you are developing the strength and resilience that you might have never known existed within you.

To quote Susan Jeffers, “Feel the fear and do it anyway.” Take the risks, trust yourself and trust others. Know that everything comes in cycles and that change is inevitable. Confidence will return and you can allow the sea change to start from within.