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What if I fail?

What if I can’t do it?

What will everyone else think of me?

It’s easy to nurture insecurities and talk yourself out of taking action by contemplating questions like these. “Self-confidence” is not a buzzword of the new-age sect. Rather it’s the one factor that can make or break any action—it’s the difference between “I can’t” and “I’m willing to try.”

 

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Lack of confidence can be paralyzing, and that paralysis can augment the feelings of insecurity. You aren’t an “insecure person.” You’re simply someone who is feeling insecure. With practice, you can break out of that mindset and confidently make decisions and take action.

 

Here are seven actions you can start practicing today, that are guaranteed to give your self-confidence a boost:

 

1. Fail with enthusiasm.

 

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It’s OK to fail. A huge part of every success story is failure. Instead of fearing failure or avoiding it all together, try embracing it. Consider each failure a learning experience and expect to fail at new things. When trying any new thing, let failure be a part of the path and not what derails you. Fail enthusiastically and keep going.

 

2. Practice saying what you mean.

 

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Do you find yourself saying “yes” when you want to say “no?” Do you feel like you get walked on, or don’t get taken seriously, because you don’t stand up for yourself? Practice saying what you really mean. It can be scary. Start small if you need to. For example, politely let the barista know when your coffee order is wrong instead of walking away bummed about it. Say “no” to volunteering if you really don’t have time for it. Little honest statements make the bigger ones easier. Practice saying what you mean, everyday.

 

3. Dress the part.

 

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There is no “right way” to dress the part. However, feeling confident in your skin helps you feel confident in your life. For some that might mean putting on your power heels and red lipstick before a meeting. For others that might mean wearing your comfiest basketball shorts when going in for a new lifting PR. Whatever the occasion, and whatever makes you feel your best, dress the part as a way to tell yourself “you got this.”

 

4. Set a small goal.

 

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Big goals are overwhelming for most people. Break them into smaller goals that set you up to take the first step, and many more small steps, toward those bigger goals. This allows you to identify a starting point and gives you multiple opportunities to succeed along the way. If you want to run a marathon, set the goal of running three miles and go from there. Does running three miles still feel overwhelming? Start with a goal of running one mile. If your goal is to go back to school, start by researching programs. Just start. Accomplishing small goals offers large boosts in self-esteem.

 

5. Change your “worst case scenario” mantra.

 

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Instead of constantly looking toward “the worst thing that can possibly happen” with any decision or action, focus on your amazing ability to have made it this far. Whenever I find myself creating stories about all the bad things that can happen, I back up and change the story. I tell myself, “I am fully capable of handling difficult outcomes.” The stories we have made up about ourselves have so much power to either propel us toward action or paralyze us and keep us from moving forward with confidence. You have handled all the difficult outcomes of your life to date. Tell yourself you can handle hard things and move forward accordingly.

 

6. Give yourself pep talks.

 

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Talk to yourself the way you would talk to a friend. Instead of kicking yourself or second guessing every action, give yourself a pep talk. I recently had a scary phone call wherein I had to ask for something big from a company. The outcome of the conversation was to have major implications for my life. Before making the call I literally stood in my kitchen telling myself, “I am assertive, I am confident, I can ask for what I want.” I said this to myself over and over and then I made the call. The outcome was great, but most of all, I felt ready. I talked to myself the way I would a friend instead of the way I would an enemy. Friends are great for this, but you have you. You deserve pep talks from you.

 

7. Celebrate success.

 

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Celebrate any and all successes. Did you accomplish a small goal? High five yourself! Did you talk yourself through a difficult task? Congratulations! Did you try something and fail? Way to try! You have the courage to try again! How amazing of you! This may be borderline ridiculous, but I go so far as to give myself “gold star” stickers when I tackle my to-do list. No one is out here high-fiving me for doing laundry, so I do that for myself! Celebrate when you tackle something new, and let your confidence shine!

 

What’s next?

 

Not feeling confident can be frustrating, stifling, and exhausting. You don’t feel at home in your skin, and you feel like you’re missing out on life around you.

 

At Girls Gone Strong, our mission is to deliver high quality information about living your happiest and healthiest life to as many women as possible. That’s why we’ve worked with Erin to create a simple, yet powerful resource called Showing All The Way Up: A Guide To Confidence with Erin Brown — and we’re so excited to share with you!
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Our Confidence Guide does a fabulous job of addressing a key emotional piece in finding our happiest and healthiest lives, by presenting 24 strategies you can start practicing today.

 

The strategies in this Confidence Guide help you boost your confidence in every area of your life:

 

1) The way your body looks
2) What your body is capable of
3) Your relationship with other women
4) Your ability to make decisions
5) Your communications with others
6) How to pass that confidence on to your children

It even includes a short quiz to help you identify which strategy is the best one for you to start with.

 

Click here to learn more and get your copy of Showing All The Way Up: A Guide To Confidence with Erin Brown today.

 

 

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From Apartment Therapy → 5 Ways to Instantly Modernize an Old & Dated Apartment

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Frozen vegetables are one of my secret weapons for quick and healthy meals. Broccoli has been in heavy rotation lately – we take a bag out of the freezer, and in a few minutes, it’s ready to be used in unexpected ways in all kinds of dishes.

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The grilled cheese sandwich is a classic. Perfectly melted and oozy cheese, sandwiched between two golden, crisp, buttery slices of bread — it’s simple, comforting, and utterly timeless. It’s one of the first things we learn to cook, and one we carry with us through the years.

But as basic as this sandwich is, there are a few hang-ups that could stand between you and the grilled cheese of your dreams. Don’t let it happen to you.

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The Kitchn’s Baking School Day 1: Learn all about eggs.
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Welcome to Baking School! In day-to-day cooking, eggs can be scrambled, poached, or boiled to create easy, straightforward dishes all on their own. But when it comes to baking and pastry, the importance of their role changes from breakfast food to a vital ingredient for giving structure, texture, and flavor. The function and behavior of eggs can really vary depending on how we treat them in these recipes, and just knowing more about the different parts of an egg — the whites and the yolks — can help make even the trickiest pastries feel a little more approachable.

So before we dive head-first into all things pastry, let’s take a closer look at the mighty egg!

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Life was so much simpler when I didn’t know anything.

Happily eating fast food, occasionally exercising but not really. Going to work and living in an “ignorance is bliss” existence.

Then I learned all about how fat and cholesterol are bad for us. So I stopped eating eggs, cut back on meat, switched to low-fat cookies, fat-free muffins, margarine (boo butter!), and skim milk.

I soon read some research that gluten is bad for me. I think I have a gluten intolerance? My neighbor did, so I bet I do too. So I switched over to gluten-free pizza, gluten-free pasta, and gluten-free gluten. I still feel like garbage and everything I eat tastes like cardboard, but I’m healthier so that’s good.

But then I stumbled across this idea of eating like a caveman. Maybe that will solve my problems. And eggs are good again? And so is bacon? Great, those are two of my favorite things. Time to pig out (ha! get it?). Let’s load up on steak, chicken, bacon, bacon-wrapped steak, and vegetables that are also wrapped in bacon.

Because, bacon.

cook bacon

 

But then I read this article that said meat will kill you. And there was this one group of people in China who didn’t eat meat and they have less risk of heart disease than we do. I’m not Chinese, but I like the idea of living longer.

Okay, maybe going all-in on only meat was a bad idea. What about the people of Okinawa? They have the longest life expectancy apparently. And Mr. Miyagi was from Okinawa, and he was good at karate. Maybe if I eat like they do, I’ll live a long, karate-filled life.

karate

Shit, wait. Fish has mercury in it. And mercury kills people. Plus it was used by Tommy Lee Jones to make a bomb in Blown Away.

Okay, fine, it’s back to only fruit and vegetables. Blend that shit up! And now I’m a vegetarian. And guess what… donuts are vegetarian right?! So, donuts are okay. And so is fruit. Fruit comes from the ground, and the ground is nature, therefore I’m going to eat all the fruit.

Why did I get bigger? I thought fruit was good for me. Okay, 600 grams of sugar a day through fruit might have been a bit much. In fact, I just read that sugar helps cancer cells grow. Steve Jobs was a fruititarian, and he died of cancer. Ipso facto: fruit is the devil.

Got it. No fruit. Meat is bad. Fish has mercury. Thankfully we still have vegetables. Except that they’re genetically modified. Robo-vegetables! How long before they take over the planet? 

Okay, so let’s eliminate all of the vegetables that are GMO. Probably go ahead and get rid of any clothing that was made using GMO cotton or synthetic materials too.

Whew – this healthy eating this is exhausting. I need a drink!

What’s that you say? Wine has antioxidants AND resveratrol in it? WTF is resveratrol? Just kidding, I don’t care. I just wanted to an excuse to tell people wine is healthy. Another bottle please! I’m doing this for my body.

Damn you wine. This is the worst hangover ever. That’s the price of being healthy, right?!

Finally, I think I’m healthy. I found a place that stocks heirloom tomatoes, non-GMO asparagus, and water sourced from Norwegian glaciers, which is truly the only pure form of water out there.

Adventuring in the Valley (and a new NBC TV Interview)

Nothing beats a good book, a comfy chair, and a tall glass of viking water. Wait, what!? Sitting will kill me, now too?

I’ve been reading this article for five minutes, which means that took…approximately 30 years off my life? Eh, I was never good at math. Got it, I should be standing. Time to go buy a standing desk, and probably one of those treadmill things. Can one really put a price on your health? Well, it’s apparently $1,740 for a standing treadmill desk.

Oh boy, even the shoes I wear are killing me apparently. They constrict my toes’ freedom to move. Stupid shoes.

Perfect. I’m down to wearing a loincloth, made from an naturally raised cheetah named Chester (get it!), and only walking barefoot on my treadmill desk and working at my computer. I should probably start running, because I know fit people run. And so do cheetahs. And they’re fast.

Crap, shin splints. Maybe running 50 miles a week after years of doing nothing was too much. What about Crossfit? I saw them on ESPN and those dudes are ripped. Off to my local box to complete my WOD! Look at me, speaking the lingo. I even bought my Reebok Crossfit approved shoes, shorts, and shirt. I assume this will shave at least 10 seconds off my Fran time!

Crap, blown achilles. Maybe doing 100 reps of olympic lifts after jumping up and down on a box for 5 minutes and running half a mile wasn’t too smart.

Boy, this getting fit thing is tough. And painful. Literally anything and everything I eat can kill me. Any place I visit will kill me. Anything I do will kill me. I guess I have two choices:

  • Live life like the Bubble Boy in Seinfeld.
  • Use common sense. Do the best I can with what I have. And don’t take anything to the extreme.

I’m gonna go with option B:

  • Enjoy everything in moderation, even moderation itself.
  • Eat more to gain weight. Less to lose weight.
  • Drink mostly water. Occasionally drink other things. Even alcohol.
  • Pick up heavy things from time to time. Make running fun. Walk as often as you can.
  • Don’t eat only one type or category of food. Lots of veggies, some meat, fruit and nuts.
  • Focus on big wins, and stop stressing over the minutia.

And play some video games. Just kidding, those will rot your brain. My mom told me.

What’s the craziest thing you’ve been told or believed when it came to getting healthy, and how did you take it to the extreme?

-Steve

P.S. This post was inspired by The Tragedy of the Healthy Eater!

###

photo source: abdulla falz: Karate Kid

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With shorter days and crisper temperatures heading our way, having a warm, home-cooked dinner waiting for us when we walk in the door is such a comfort. With the help of a slow cooker, the prep and cooking don’t have to happen at the last minute, which frees you up to focus on other important tasks, like pouring that glass of wine!

From comforting soups to hearty braises, there’s plenty to choose from with these 15 recipes. Bonus: These recipes also make plenty of leftovers — perfect for lunch the next day!

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I have been cooking meals in my slow cooker regularly for the past 18 years (and writing about it for the past seven!). It’s accurate to say that I love my slow cooker. Err, slow cookers; I currently have 14 in the house, and try to use a slow cooker for our main meal four to five times a week.

I get emails every week with questions about slow-cooker cooking, and many of them are about using slow cookers safely. You have questions? I have answers! Here is a Top 5 List for slow-cooker safety — do you follow all these rules?

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