Get Your Swagger Back - How to Get Motivated and Have Self Belief on Demand

Swagger is a combination of motivation and self belief, resulting in a state of mind where you truly believe you can achieve anything you put your mind to.nnWhen you have swagger, you have an innate confidence to go after your goals - and you usually achieve them. You are energetic, focused and highly confident - and expect things to go your way. You feel like you're on top of the world, and almost forget any time in your life when you've felt anything but amazing.nnThe trouble is, self belief and focus tends to come and go in waves. One day you're feeling awesome and on top of the world - the next you feel lazy, lethargic and unmotivated.nnThe aim of this series of articles on motivation and self belief is to give you practical tips on how to get your swagger back - and keep it for longer and longer periods. Swagger is simply an emotional state - and can be replicated. If you've been really confident even once - no matter how long ago - you can get it back now.nnnWhy is Swagger a Good Thing?nnBefore we move on to some strategies for getting your swagger back, I'd like to go into a little more detail about the benefits.nnFirst, being in a state of flow gives you an almost unshakable self-confidence. You believe in yourself - and expect other people to believe in you too. You hold your head high when you walk, and project a feeling of belief and competence to everyone around you.nnWhen things go wrong - as they inevitably do - your swagger stops you from getting anxious and worried - and instead allows you to think effectively and choose the right way to proceed. It's like having a bullet-proof vest for your emotional state - you just don't let things get to you anymore.nnnnIsn't Swagger the same thing as Arrogance?nnNope. Arrogance is an "attitude of superiority" - whilst swagger is simply an inherent self belief, coupled with the motivation to go and get what you want.nnArrogance, for many reasons, is seen as a negative trait. Nobody likes an arrogant sod - and arrogance, more often than not, is merely a defence shield against deep rooted insecurities.nnArrogance is the opposite of swagger. Swagger is just a feeling of confidence expressed overtly. There is no feeling "superior" to anyone else - you just believe in yourself and go after what you want in life.nnnThis is a positive trait to possess. Arrogant folk don't tend to get very far - they upset too many people on the road to success. People with swagger - that is, people who truly believe in themselves, people who carry themselves like they are already the success they want to be, people who pick themselves up and dust themselves off after setbacks - they're cool people - and they have poise.nnnnFeel amazing NOW!nnI'll share with you with this little technique - I call it "Instant Swagger".nnIt helps you to generate the physiology and emotional state of belief - on demand. It's just a short term fix - the feelings are not permanent, unfortunately - but it's a great way to cheat if you need to feel confident right now!nnIt only takes a couple of minutes, and after reading through the instructions, you should attempt it with your eyes closed.nnn1) Take a minute now to remember a time when you felt so confident - so assured of success - that you felt on top of the world - and propelled yourself into taking on whatever challenge was in front of you.nFind a specific memory - it might have been a big deal you knew you were going to close, somebody you were going to ask on a date, or a presentation you had to give. All that matters is that you had that indescribable feeling that everything was going to go well...nn2) Go back to that great memory now... See what you saw, feel what you felt, and put yourself right back in the middle of that phenomenal time in your life... Shut your eyes for a minute or two and really immerse yourself in this great feeling of self belief and confidence...nn3) See the memory through your own eyes. Look around - get a real sense that you are back there now. Let the empowering positive emotions wash over you. Notice what you are feeling and thinking that makes you feel so good. Notice your posture and breathing - and just feel how confident you feel.nn4) Make the picture in your mind more vivid, brighter and bigger. Now, double the brightness. Double it again! As you make the picture brighter, double the size of it and then double the emotions you can feel! Now, double them all again!nn5) Really ramp up the emotions and try to pick up on every little detail of how you feel.... Make the sounds louder, closer and bigger and truly immerse yourself in the vibrancy of the memory.nn6) Finally, notice where the feeling of swagger is strongest in your body. Give this feeling of confidence a colour, and move that colour up to the top of your head and then down to your toes. Double the brightness and go up and down your body again... Do it again and again until you feel awesome!nnnnNow... come back to the present... Tell me that didn't feel good?! You've just borrowed a technique from NLP to make a past memory even better than it was the first time... and in doing so, proved that you can access this fantastic state on demand. This is big news - it's basically a cheat to feeling good whenever you like... Boom!nnnPersonal Development Planet Articles on Self Belief and MotivationnnMy site is full of "how to" articles that will help you get your belief back on track if you're going through a bad patch. Follow the link below if you're interested in increasing your confidence on demand - and all you need to do is use your imagination!nnIt's worth noting that motivation and confidence tend to be cyclical - particularly if in the past you've had a bit of self doubt. Don't fight this cycle, as I believe that the down periods are essential for rest and growth - but these articles will show you how to feel more confident and motivated when you choose to be.nnHaving swagger is very much like living in a state of flow - or being "in the zone" - things come to you easier, you genuinely enjoy what you do, and you build an unstoppable momentum that takes you tumbling towards your goals. Get your Swagger back and enjoy life to the fullest.