The road of personal development will ask you to look at what you really believe about yourself. Life is continually asking us if we believe we are abundant, successful, and valued. Having an awareness of purpose, mission, and a meaningful message are all key. Confidence is the bedrock of growth and success.

Here are my favorite writing exercises that are sure to build your confidence and your belief in yourself:

1. Why I Will Succeed

It’s all too common to spend precious time thinking about what could go wrong or to mentally recite all the reasons why you aren’t qualified enough. This exercise helps focus your thoughts in the right direction.

Get a piece of paper and a pen and write this at the top. Why I Will Succeed As A _____________________.

Take a few deep breathes and bring your whole body into the present moment. Let go of what you desire that is out in the future and focus your attention on the talents, abilities, and experience you have right now.

Write down all the reasons why you will succeed. Read this list out loud, taking a deep breath in between each one and feeling the words in your body. Speak these truths daily until you believe them to the marrow in your bones.

“Every sentence I utter must be understood not as an affirmation, but as a question.” – Niels Bohr

2. Success Affirmations

Stepping into success is about finding a way to soothe our ego into what is beyond our comfort zone. It’s our ego’s job to keep us in more of the same and it values safety above all else.

Purchase a journal and write these powerful affirmations regularly.

• I am willing to be willing.
• I am willing to take the next step.
• I am listening and open to what is mine to do today.
• It’s safe for me to be seen. It’s safe for me to live wholeheartedly. It’s safe for me to put myself first.
• It’s safe for me to be as passionate as I really am. It’s safe for me to be vocal and expressive. It’s safe for me to be too much for others.
• It’s safe for me to show up full strength. It’s safe for me to be smart.
• It’s safe for me to receive large amounts of money. It’s safe for me to work with clients who light me up. It’s safe for me to say no when I don’t click with someone.
• It’s safe for me to show others what I want and need. It’s safe for me to be completely myself. It’s safe for me to find a way that works for me.
• It’s safe for me to play full out.

“Success is a process, a quality of mind and a way of being, an outgoing affirmation of life.” – Alex Noble

3. Capital T’s

A couple years ago I had my handwriting analyzed and what I learned was the one letter that is directly connected to our level of confidence is how you write the lowercase form of the letter “t”. I was instructed to raise the bar on every “t” I wrote in order to raise my confidence level.

As you can imagine, once you are in the habit of writing lower case t’s, it takes practice. Either in the morning right after you wake up or just before you fall asleep, write out 20-60  capital T’s on a piece of paper. It’s pretty amazing to notice how new neural pathways are formed and the affect they have on our lives and interactions with others.

So many think the secret to success in personal development is related to what you know or who you know. However, while these things have some importance, they are worthless if you don’t believe in yourself.

Get notebook and a pen that you love and start practicing these simple writing exercises today. What helps you with your confidence levels?

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com