Clebrity Night Shot

1. Take a few moments each day to really appreciate yourself
One of the first things you can do when you wake up in the morning is to think about what makes you the special and unique person that you are. Now it might not be easy to come up with a long list at first, but as you get used to noticing some of the nice things people say to you and about you, it will get easier. It doesn't have to be big stuff, it can be small things such as remembering that people often tell you that you have a lovely smile or nice eyes or that you have a fantastic sense of humor.

2. Remember the times where you have been successful in the past
Think about all the times when you've been really good at something. Make a list in a little book (get yourself the prettiest little notebook you can find) and keep it with you all the time, so that you can keep adding to it. Look at it to remind you how good it feels to be successful and look at it often. When you feel your confidence is disappearing in a moment of panic, take a quick look in your 'success book' and read about all the times you have overcome your fear in the past. Whatever is eating at your confidence, know deep down that you can do this!

3. Mix with positive happy people
I truly believe it makes such a huge difference to our lives if we mix with positive people. Not only will their lightness of mood be good for your soul, you can also model their positive behavior to get great results yourself. So when you are in need of cheering up, go out and spend some time with an energy angel, someone who makes you feel happy. Make a mental note of the positive words they regularly use and the positive outlook they have and include it in your everyday life. And if you don't much feel like being positive, you know the old saying, fake it 'til you make it - you can't keep a smile suppressed for long!

4. Listen out for any negative self-talk and stop it - fast!
You know how it is, you make a little mistake; spill a drink on a friends cream carpet, forget to post an important letter... and you call yourself a silly cow or something equally offensive or worse. Would you actually talk to a good friend in the way you talk to yourself at times I wonder? Probably not - or they wouldn't be a good friend for long. Keep a check and be mindful of the amount of times you talk negatively to yourself and instead of saying "silly cow" say something like "I didn't expect that to happen!" and smile about it instead - after all, you are probably past the point of being able to change what has happened, so what is the good of calling yourself names to make yourself feel even worse?

The more you tell your subconscious mind that you aren't any good, the more it will become a reality for you. Remember, what you think affects how you feel. What you feel affects how you behave and how you behave affects how you think about yourself. Break this destructive cycle, be kind to yourself for a change!

5. The gift of words
Giving and more importantly receiving compliments is crucial to increasing your self esteem. OK, I know how hard it is when someone says something nice to you and you really don't agree with them or you simply don't believe it. But trust me, a simple thank you is all you need to say to acknowledge what they are telling you. It will make them feel happy that you have accepted their gift - because that is exactly what it is - a gift of words. More to the point, if you insist on rejecting compliments, sooner or later people might stop paying you any.

6. Affirmations
Now some people are quite embarrassed at the thought of using positive affirmations. But in my experience, if you use them every day it really is very effective at tapping into your subconscious mind to alter the way you feel about yourself. Pick out a negative belief which you hold to be true such as; "I'm not a confident person, I'm no good at anything anymore" and change it to say "I am a confident person who is has many skills to offer and I look for ways to learn something new each day".

It's a good idea to focus on just three areas of negative belief to work on at a time. Practice positive affirmations every day and you will soon find it gets easier to feel more positive about yourself. It is worth persevering for at least 30 days and then you will find that it becomes an unconscious habit.

7. Be a lion!
You are a unique and wonderful human being so celebrate the fact that you are different to other people. It really doesn't matter how others see you, it really doesn't matter how you compare to anyone else. What really matters is how you see yourself. Make sure that when you look in the mirror, you welcome the lion that's waking up inside you!