The Higher Self
Inside you is a place filled with joy, creativity, intuition, peace, power, love and all good things.
Call it the Higher Self. Whenever in this place, your confidence soars and all seems right with the world.
The Lower Self
Inside you is also a place filled with self-doubt, fear, anger, helplessness, scarcity and all negative things. This is the Lower Self. Whenever in this place, your confidence disappears and all seems wrong with the world.
Lower-Self Thinking is a Habit
Yes, Lower-Self thinking is only a habit. The good news is that habits can be broken. By practising a Higher-Self way of thinking, your fear diminishes and your confidence rises.
Become a Higher-Self Thinker
Your task is set before you … it is to take the steps necessary to become a Higher-Self thinker. Many of these steps are embodied in this little book of confidence.
‘It’s All Happening Perfectly’
Repeat this affirmation over and over again. It is a shortened version of: ‘Even if things are not going the way I want them to go, I will simply trust that all things happen for a reason and I will learn and grow from it all.
‘I’ll Handle It’
Repeating this affirmation can give you an enormous sense of peace when the frightening ‘What Ifs’ come up in your life. ‘What if I lose my money? I’ll handle it.’ ‘What if I get sick? I’ll handle it.’ You really can handle whatever life brings you.
Acting-As-If
Affirmations are a form of ‘acting-as-if’. If you act-as-if long enough, your mind lets in the possibility that it is so. And ultimately, it is so. Constantly tell yourself: ‘I am powerful and loving and I have nothing to fear.’ Then watch your confidence grow.
Repetition is the Key
As you use your affirmations over and over again, you will notice that little-by-little the voice of the Higher Self will get louder and louder while the voice of the Lower Self gets softer and softer.
What a relief.
Letting Go Sets You Free
If whatever you visualise happens, so be it. If it doesn’t happen, so be it. You will handle it all in a powerful and loving way. When you are able to think in this Higher-Self way, you have discovered the meaning of freedom in the highest sense.
‘Yes’ is the Magic Word
Right now, nod your head up and down and softly say YES. YES is more than a word, it is the essence of Higher-Self thinking. It says, ‘No matter what happens in my life, I’ll make something wonderful out of it.
Saying ‘Yes’ Means Focusing on the Positive
There is enormous power in looking for the good in any situation in which you may find yourself. It certainly beats looking for the bad.
Saying ‘Yes’ is Not About Denial
Seeing life in a positive, life-affirming way is not to deny negative feelings such as fear and pain. Bad times are an unavoidable part of life. To acknowledge our pain is very important to a healthy life.
There are No Mistakes
Don’t worry that the ‘wrong’ decision will deprive you of something – money, friends, status, lovers or whatever the ‘right’ decision is supposed to bring you. Remember, if you learn through your ‘mistakes’, there are no mistakes.
Make All Decisions ‘Right’ Decisions
Remember, as long as you learn and grow, you can’t lose. The No-Lose approach to decision-making guarantees that all your decisions will be the right decisions.
Accept Responsibility for Your Decisions
Do not blame others if things do not work out to your liking. Blame is a powerless act. If you see all your decisions as right decisions, it will be much easier to take responsibility for them.
Know When to Change Course
Commit yourself to any decision you make, but if you see it isn’t right for you, then change course. The trick in life is not to worry about making a wrong decision, it’s knowing when to correct.
You are in Control
Because you can learn to control your reactions to whatever life gives you, you have the upper hand. You can create your own misery … or you can create your own joy. That’s power.
Don’t Blame Yourself
The path to greater confidence and self-fulfilment is a lengthy process of trial and error. There is no need to blame yourself for your past, present or future behaviour. It is all part of the learning process.
Uncover the Payoffs
Once you can discover the underlying payoffs – the reasons why you remain ‘stuck’ in certain negative situations – it’s much easier to move on. Awareness helps us to take action.
Take Action
Complaining will not change things in your life; only action will. Make a list of all you need to do to change what doesn’t work in your life and, little-by-little, begin making those changes.
Choosing is Powerful
The words ‘I can’t’ imply that you are helpless, whereas ‘I choose not to’ implies confidence and strength.
The Vocabulary of Power
Eliminate negative words from your vocabulary. Replace ‘It’s terrible’ with ‘It’s a great learning experience’, ‘It’s not my fault’ with ‘I’m totally responsible’, and so on. Not only will your self-esteem improve, so will the way others treat you.
See the Gifts
Instead of seeing life’s obstacles as problems, see them as opportunities, opening the door to growth. Each time you have the opportunity to stretch your capacity to handle the world around you, the more powerful and confident you will feel.
The Comfort Zone
Most of us operate within a zone that is comfortable, outside of which we are uncomfortable. For example, you may happily initiate friendships with colleagues, but won’t approach the ‘higher ups’. Notice what situations in life make you uncomfortable.
Start Taking Little Risks
Each day take a little risk to expand your comfort zone. Phone someone you feel intimidated about calling. Walk proudly into a restaurant where you are uncomfortable dining alone. Not to worry … you’ll handle whatever happens.
Watch Your Confidence Grow
Each time you move out of your comfort zone, your confidence builds. Your world becomes larger and larger. Expanding your comfort zone becomes easier and easier with each risk, despite any fear you may be experiencing.
It Only Looks Like Others Have No Fear
You may think others – such as celebrities – are lucky because they are not afraid to put themselves out there. Not so! They had to push through a tremendous amount of fear to get where they are today … and they are still pushing.
The Fear Never Goes Away
As long as you keep stretching your capabilities and expanding your horizons, you are going to experience fear. It’s the human condition. But as your confidence builds, it will become easier and easier to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway!’
Feel the Fear … And Do It Anyway
Often we think, ‘I’ll do it when I am not so afraid.’ But in reality, it works the other way round. The ‘doing it’ comes before the fear goes away. The only way to get rid of the fear of doing something is to go out and do it.
Each Step Prepares You for the Next
You feel so good once you have felt the fear and done it anyway that before long you will discover something else you want to accomplish. And guess what! The fear begins again. A good sign.
‘Contribution’ is Important
We all have a deep desire to spread our love into this world. When we contribute to the well-being of the world around us, we become stronger. We become the giver, instead of the taker, and our confidence not only grows, it soars.
Affirm the Abundance
Whenever you feel scarcity and fear – about money, resources, beauty, love or anything else – repeat this affirmation: ‘My life is rich and full. I am focusing on all the beauty within and around me.
Do You Give or Do You Simply Exchange?
Most of us operate on a hidden barter system. Few genuinely ever give away anything without expecting something in return – money, appreciation, love or whatever.
The Paradox of Genuine Giving
When we give genuinely, with thought only for others, we often find that more comes back to us than we could ever have imagined.
Be Patient!
Be patient knowing that as you do your Higher-Self exercises, a greater confidence is building within you. Patience is knowing growth will happen … and giving it time to happen. Notice that a flower blooms when it’s ready to bloom.
Pat Yourself on the Back
The most negative thing you can do is to let your Lower Self berate you for not doing it ‘right’, or fast enough or whatever! The most positive thing you can do is pat yourself on the back for every little step you take.
