You may have found yourself stuck at the edges of your comfort zone, trying to push through, but held back by your lack of confidence... does that ring a bell? Well, this is entirely normal, and actually a great place to be, in the sense that you are exactly where you want to be as you are aiming to achieve something new in your life.

Indeed, everything you want to be, have and do but haven't achieved yet, is just outside your comfort zone. So, when you reach that place, it's time to get excited as you are about to push through. Since this is something new that your brain has not experienced before, fear rises up, and it is at that moment that your lack of confidence pops up and can, if not tackled, hold you back.

Confidence is the conviction you have in yourself, and your skills and abilities. It is not something we are born with or without: it is something we acquire. Confidence is a state of mind, and one we can step in by thinking, feeling and acting confidently.

Think confidently

• Control your inner dialogue: your brain believes everything you think, which explains why your thoughts either ignite or extinguish your next action. It's therefore vital to learn how to become an expert at controlling your mind, not the other way around.
• Increase your awareness: knowledge gives us the confidence to move forward and change. Cognitively, you are consciously aware of 5% of your neural activity. Gaining more awareness about something makes it more tangible, thus increasing its reach and your ability to work on it. Awareness leads to change.
• Use mental rehearsal and visualise: your brain does not know the difference between the real and the imaginary. So, imagine having already accomplished what you want to achieve: be as descriptive as possible, and you'll fool your brain into believing you've done it, which will help you ease into it. It will reduce your fear, drop your stress levels and make you calmer.