Читать книгу Super Confidence: Simple Steps to Build Your Confidence - Gael Lindenfield, Gael Lindenfield - Страница 7
ОглавлениеWe often talk about confidence as though it were something that Fairy Godmothers bring. We may say, for example, ‘She’s lucky, she’s got loads of confidence’. But are we so sure that we know what we mean when we use the word ‘confidence’? Is it really up to ‘luck’ whether we possess this prized quality or not? If so, are some men and women just ‘born lucky’? If not, how do you go about getting more confidence for yourself?
These are just some of the questions which this book plans to discuss, and to answer.
When I first started running confidence-building workshops, I felt quite anxious. Would people expect me to be the supreme model of confidence? I was only too aware of a number of areas in my life where I was still struggling to maintain a feeling of confidence. I had to remind myself that being confident is not the same as being perfect! I had, once again, to look back at myself as I was in my twenties, in order to remind myself of the gigantic strides forward I had made during the previous 10 to 15 years, and I had to reappraise how this had been achieved. I am not prepared to give the credit for this achievement to Lady Luck because it rightly belongs to myself and to a number of other people who have guided and supported me through these years of growth. This book is an attempt to share what I have gained from this personal learning experience, as well as the knowledge I have acquired as a therapist in helping others to build up their own confidence.
This book is not intended to be digested at thriller-reading speed; it is essentially a workbook, so read it a chapter at a time. Give yourself time to think, observe, and discuss before moving on, so that you can relate its contents to your personal experiences. This book does not offer an instant miracle cure for lack of confidence, but it can guide you along a well-trodden path which has led hundreds of people to a more exciting and enriching life.
The Year 2000 and Beyond
Super Confidence is a very special book for me. It has changed my life. It brought so many new challenges that my own confidence flourished. I have used its success to take me through doors which I would never previously have dreamed of knocking on.
As the sales of my book increased and I was invited to talk and teach on this subject in many diverse venues, I began to realize that a lack of self-confidence frequently lay behind the masks of courage and competence of even society’s highest achievers. I then began to extend my theories into the world of work. There I met many men who demanded to know why I had addressed the first edition primarily to women!
I welcome this opportunity to update and widen the scope of this book. I hope it will now be a useful and practical tool to help anyone of any gender, any age and in any country! I know the skills of confidence-boosting can be easily learned, and when they are regularly practised can undoubtedly improve everyone’s life.
I hope you enjoy using this book to help you take yourself through whichever doors you feel like entering.
