" Whatever you’re afraid of, face it straight on. Move toward it, not away from it."

Tony Horton: "Some people seem to be born confident. They exude a certain power and grace. Others have to work harder for it. That was me! I won’t tell you that there’s any one way to build confidence, but I can tell you that I stopped hoping and wishing for it, and began to face my fears to build my confidence. 

Whatever you’re afraid of, face it straight on. Move toward it, not away from it. 

The more you do this, the more you can build your faith and conviction to build your confidence. This is how you learn to trust yourself. You will learn to see fear as the perfect tool to build your confidence. If you're afraid to fail, how do you expect to get better at something without taking action? It's important to know what steps to take. 

 So here are my top 5 tips on how you can start to Cultivate Confidence right now: 

 See the Good: life will always throw us lemons, rotten onions and sour grapes. This may sound cliche, but it's important that you see the good in every situation. Right down to what have you've learned from the "less than perfect" situation. 

Practice Presence: Fear and anxiety are future-based, presence stealers. The more you stay in the present moment, the less you will experience fear and the more confident you will feel. 

Be Grateful: Expressing gratitude for what you DO HAVE right now, will give you a boost, and help you to remember just how blessed you really are. STOP, close your eyes, and just breathe any time you can throughout the day. 

Question your thoughts and beliefs: Whenever you have negative or preconceived thoughts about yourself or others, question the benefits. Where are these thoughts coming from? How do they serve you in a long term positive way? Break down unproductive beliefs and create new ones with better, more positive thoughts about yourself, others, and your situation. 

Be Generous: Get out there and be of service. Give to those less fortunate. When you are kind and generous to others, you are often kinder and more generous to yourself. This philosophy will open you up to a lifetime of possibilities."