By Colleen Cuneo, Confidence Expert
www.cuneoproductions.com
I’ve lived a full and colourful 43 years, a decade of which was spent working as an international model. No doubt, my life appeared glamorous and even enviable at the time, but to be honest, I was learning how to deal with stress, the constant pressure to be thin and facing ruthless rejection.
For years I convinced myself I needed a great car, beautiful home, financially rewarding job and the perfect relationship to feel complete. I achieved all of those things but eventually the great car and relationship broke down and the money dried up.
By my 25th birthday, I settled back in Australia and was invited to teach people how to develop and build confidence. I can’t be sure exactly how confident I truly
was at the time; I was still young and finding my own way. Much of the confidence I felt was often clouded with bravado to compensate for my lack of self worth.
I learnt a very valuable skill from my work as a model; I could change my emotional state. I knew that if I focused my mind on feeling confident, it would bring about a positive change within me.
I set my sights on building my awareness of that power. I practised feeling it without the help of any external force or situation, simply sitting quietly and paying attention to it. I studied where and how I felt it in my body and I began to create a relationship with that part of myself that lay dormant for a long time.
I know now that anyone serious about becoming more confident, trusting and happy must start by paying attention to what they give most power to in their lives.
If you’ve learnt to focus on your problems such as, being poor, fearful or lonely rather than being abundant, fearless and loved, you’ve given power away to your problems, which in turn only serves to permeate them. The key is to practise focusing on what you want, not on what you fear.
Remember, that your intention to be confident and happy will be your most powerful ally. Behind it, sits limitless opportunity and without it, you won’t move into your power.
These techniques are the foundation of the confidence awareness work I do with people today. They’re easy if you’re prepared to stay aware and take the time to feel out who you truly are.
We live in a time where much of our lives are valued by material things. What we truly desire when we say we want more money, the perfect relationship or perfect job, is really to be able to trust and feel safe, and the only way you get there is by finding it within yourself.
Don’t let anyone tell you confidence only exists in some people. Anyone who tells you that has simply not found it within themselves. It does exist and it’ll change your life in a way you never dreamed imaginable.
