I once interviewed a gentleman from the most prestigious school in Korea (Seoul National University) for a consulting position. While his credentials were flawless, his answers credible and his appearance professional he still lacked something. He lacked the ability to convince me he was capable. After three interviews, I gave the job to an individual with fewer credentials than this seemingly accomplished candidate. The former's downfall was as follows:

• First, body language - the hunched over posture and hands between his knees, the facial innuendos when he answered the proposed questions and the way he seldom looked at me when speaking. The conflicting messages between what came from his mouth, and what his body showed were clearly beyond any cultural difference.
• Second, the tone of his voice - the drawn-out pauses and the yielding softness of uncertainty, the lack of conviction or passion for his accomplishments or his future, and the deficit of assertiveness in his pitch. The signs all pointed in one direction. All his credentials and fancy clothes could not make up for the most fundamental quality a senior employee must have - confidence. How can anyone have confidence in a person who does not have confidence in himself?

It could be an isolated instance; perhaps this candidate had no confidence in interviews? Yet this one instance cost him a job. And how many instances are costing us success? The dread of public speaking, the fear of rejection, the panic of stepping into an uncertain future. How much more could we accomplish if we had the confidence to take any challenge? What differences would this make in our lives, in our careers?

There is a direct correlation between confidence and accomplishment. Personal and business success are directly linked to one's perception of ability. The cycle goes like this: our confidence (or lack of) determines our potential (or at least our perception of potential), the potential we perceive determines the action that we take, and how much conviction and certainty are carried with that action. The result we get from that action will in turn affect our confidence (a good result will increase confidence and bad resultÂmay decrease confidence).

But the cycle can be skewed in our favor Confidence is a state of mind; it can be cultivated just like any other talent and it is a conscious decision that we make to improve the quality of our life.

So how do we get confidence in the areas that we may be lacking? There are 4 methodical steps to unlimited confidence.

Step #1 The Body

The first and most important technique is the use of our body. Everything that comes into our mind gets filtered through our body. Notice how we breathe when we are happy, where our shoulders are when we feel powerful, and how relaxed our muscles are when we are depressed. Each is distinctive to its own emotional state. For example, if we are happy, our breathing is usually fast and deep; yet if we are depressed, it's usually slow and shallow. These are human recipes called "Condition Formulas" and every emotional state has its own. Consider the last time you felt confident, how were you breathing, was your body tense or relaxed, was your head up or down, where were your eyes, were your movements fast or slow, were you standing or sitting? The answers to these questions depict your physical Condition Formula for confidence. So the first step toward confidence is the implementation of this formula.

A study was done at Florida State University with patients suffering from manic-depression. When the patients were winding down from their manic state, in place of drugs (the usual treatment for this condition to balance emotions), they were asked to simply smile consistently. The results were astonishing. Nearly 80% overcame the depressive state without drugs and were able to maintain emotional stability. And all they did was smile. The study proved the direct correlation between the body and the way we feel. So the first step, remember your Condition Formula for confidence, and implement all the elements of the formula (i.e. breath, posture, movement, etc.) into your current body state.

Step #2 Focus

Our brain can only truly concentrate on one thing at any given time, we cannot read this article and watch the news at the same time. So as you continue to read, you process the information according to your own experience and values; then, YOU determine whether the information is true or false, good or bad, implementable or not. We do this with every occurrence, every situation and every action. Like a diamond, every circumstance has many sides, some are shiny, some are brilliant, some are dull some are flawed, and when we look at one, that's all we see. We often see situations that cross our paths, from the perspective of the dull or flawed and hence destructive sides and thus fail to see the brilliant or shiny constructive sides. But it is a choice, and we must make a conscious effort to decide which side to look at.

A haunting testament to this summons the memory of the first time I gave a presentation. It was in front of a group of attorneys. Before the speech I kept reflecting on how much more experience these individuals had than I did, and thinking to myself "What can I tell these people that they already don't know?", I was focusing on the fact that they were older than I was and how their age equated to knowledge. I failed miserably at delivering the information I was to present. Why? Not because of a lack of knowledge, not because of lack of preparation, but because I focused on all the reasons needed to consume my confidence - reasons that translated to loss of ideas, stuttering, and just plain poor delivery. In retrospect, if I had thought about the reality of the situation in the first place, my confidence level as well as the outcome of the presentation would have been drastically improved. They were attending the presentation because they believed they could learn from me, and the fact was, that I was speaking on a specialized topic that the average lawyer was only generally familiar with. I had more experience on this topic than any of the people in the room regardless of age. But at the time, it was easier to focus on the why not, giving me an excuse to fail. I set myself up and I did a disservice to the people that came to see me. It would have only taken a few moments to ponder the other side, to focus on the reasons why I was qualified, why I could speak well, and why I had a great deal to offer my audience. Confidence in any situation is a product of our body and then our focus. Both require a conscious decision to alter, and both make a huge difference in the outcome of our efforts.

by Arthur F. Carmazzi

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