Confidence is a very influential component for getting lucky. Here is another simple technique taken from my book Get Lucky Now that you can practice to attract more confidence into your life. Think for a moment of a person who is nervous, or how you might look and feel when worried.
A nervous person trembles, adopts a withdrawn posture, and keeps the head held down. The eyes shift quickly, as does the rest of the body. This arousal is due to the physiological changes associated with the overstimulation of the autonomic sympathetic nervous system and the resultant effects of adrenalin and other hormones.
Fight Or Run?
This is known as the fight-or-flight response. If we hooked this person up to a biological monitor, we would record many other physiological changes, including an increased heart rate, increased breathing rate, increased blood pressure, sweaty palms, and dry mouth.
These changes prepare the body for instant action and, in the short term, are therefore valuable. In our modern society, however, much of our stress is due to emotional factors rather than causes that require immediate physical effort. The result is that we do not burn off the adrenaline and other hormones and so live in a constant state of stress and arousal. The medical consequences may be dire and include higher risks of hypertension, heart problems, anxiety, depression, and even cancer.
Brain Pain
The personal consequences are equally serious. You will find it difficult, if not impossible, to connect to your unconscious mind. You will not find the open doors and may even be drawn to the doors that are best left alone.
Stress is a killer. It takes life, it spoils life, and it gets in the way of attracting luck into your life. The good news is that there are several ways to eliminate stress or at least control it.
The autonomic nervous system was thought to be beyond our conscious control. Now there is clear evidence that a degree of control is possible. This provides opportunities to overcome some of the dangerous effects of stress. For example, Olympic archers and pistol and rifle athletes have learned how to control their heart rate to maintain a steady aim. Perhaps snooker and darts players have, too, as have many top golfers. In later postss, we will examine some of the methods they might use.
Fake It Until You Make It
One simple technique you can execute right now is to adopt a confident posture. This is the opposite of the previous nervous posture. Stand or sit tall, breathe deeply and slowly, move calmly, and smile.
Smiling is particularly important. If you don’t believe me, put a pencil between your teeth. This stretches the same muscles that are used when smiling, and so the pencil between your lips will make you feel a little bit happier.
These are examples of how the mind can affect our physiology, and the opposite is equally true. The mind and body are seamlessly linked, and by using these techniques, we can learn to use these to our advantage.
Confidence is a huge subject and therefore is included in my NLP coaching programs.
