Confidence for Success

By Phillip Ramphisa

Is the lack of self-confidence holding you back from living boldly? Does poor self-confidence stop you from having the courage to make decisions that will help you achieve all your goals. Do you doubt yourself constantly and maybe find it hard to interact well in social situations or in business due to poor self-confidence? Are you constantly finding it hard to deal with criticism from others and blame yourself constantly? Do you constantly hesitate and second guess yourself?

Low self-esteem and poor self-confidence can cause pain in your life and stop you from living to your true potential. Your success gets limited when you are afraid to make decisions and are constantly unsure of which action to take and doubt your own capabilities. Living with poor self-confidence in social life or even in your career can be painful and limiting.

Imagine what your life would be like full of self-confidence. What would it be like for you to be self-confident on everything you do? Whether this is speaking well and interacting with others in social situations or making bold decisions in your life. Picture yourself believing in yourself, without self-doubt and becoming exactly who you want to be. You could be a successful man or woman who is happy doing things that he or she loves and has great relationships. No more would you have to suffer from second guessing yourself and taking the back seat, criticizing yourself or enduring the pain of those that criticize you and do not appreciate you...

No more would you have to watch other people that you are smarter than create better results than you because you are afraid. With a healthy self-esteem and the right level of self-confidence you will be able to create your own great results. Confidence for Success gives you the opportunity to do exactly that. Purchase and read immediately. Do not wait any longer to live life on a higher level. You only have one life to live.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Phillip Ramphisa
• Release date: May 13, 2016
• ISBN: 9780620700443

Phillip Ramphisa

What does it take for people to be happy and successful? Why is it that some people have the best resources in the world, yet are never happy and never really feel fulfilled? Why is it that some people make it in life, no matter how difficult the circumstances they face? What creates the Oprah Winfrey's and Nelson Mandela's of this world? These are some of the questions which Phillip Ramphisa has been obsessed with for the past ten years and has read myriad books to answer. Phillip Ramphisa has studied success and peak performance, found the answers to the question of what makes people succeed; and now shares this with individuals who want to change their lives and live life on a higher level. As a Life and Business Performance Coach, Phillip Ramphisa works with individuals and organisations. His understanding of the conditions under which people perform successfully and at their peak, equips him to assist businesses in creating the environment within which people thrive, where they feel connected to the organisation’s stated purpose and are committed to bringing about the organisation’s success. Phillip’s mission is to fuel people's dreams and help them reach, as he calls it, ’their acme of excellence’. He tutors individuals and businesses to contribute in making the world a better place through successful individuals and thriving companies. Phillip Ramphisa grew up in South Africa as one of 9 children in a family with an absent father and a mother wedged in poverty. He teaches application of the tools that he used in his life to gain emotional fitness and overcome difficult odds, as a result of which he holds two Masters Degrees, including an MBA degree. He has worked as a consultant for various multinational companies and has written a number of books to share his strategies with people who need it. Phillip regularly speaks at companies on business performance; and consults with individuals to help them gain clarity and perform at their peak.

Book preview

PREFACE

I WOULD LIKE YOU TO take a minute and think about yourself. For a minute, picture yourself as if you were on a television screen, watching yourself as you perform your daily duties and activities: getting up in the morning, taking a shower, eating breakfast, driving, attending a business meeting, delivering your ideas to a business partner or a colleague and interacting with others.

Maybe you are not a meetings person, are a stay at home mom, or work in your own small business. Whatever your life activities are, picture yourself carrying out your daily activities as if you are watching a movie. What do you see when you watch yourself? How do you feel about yourself? Do you see yourself as a capable individual who could achieve whatever you set your mind to, or do you worry and see yourself as lacking and incapable, whether as a career woman or man, a partner or a parent.

This is the essence of what your self-esteem is about: how you see yourself; your own evaluation of yourself and your self-worth.

In sociology and psychology, self-esteem reflects a person’s overall subjective emotional evaluation of his or her own worth. It is a judgment of oneself as well as an attitude toward the self. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs (for example, I am competent, I am worthy) and emotions such as triumph, despair, pride and shame. Smith and Mackie [Detail in references] defined it by saying The self-concept is what we think about the self; self-esteem is the positive or negative evaluations of the self, as in how we feel about it. Self-esteem is attractive as a social psychological construct because researchers have conceptualised it as an influential predictor of certain outcomes, such as academic achievement, happiness, satisfaction in marriage and relationships, and criminal behaviour. Self-esteem can apply specifically to a particular dimension (for example, I believe I am a good writer and feel happy about that) or a global extent (for example, I believe I am a bad person, and feel bad about myself in general). Psychologists usually regard self-esteem as an enduring personality characteristic or trait, though normal, short-term variations also exist.

Your self-esteem can be either positive or negative. It can also change over time, depending on circumstances. One thing however, is a constant: your self-esteem can affect your level of success and influence your level of happiness.

I say ‘can’ because there are people with low self-esteem who become extremely successful. However, being successful when you have low self-esteem could mean that you do not fully enjoy the level of happiness that your success brings.

When you suffer from low self-esteem you might be successful as a businessman, a sports star or a musician, but still feel empty and inadequate despite your achievements. When you are still working towards success, low self-esteem might cause you to doubt yourself and to find it difficult to believe in your ideas. Research shows that people with low self-esteem sometimes blame themselves when they do not succeed, even when they are not to blame.

Your self-esteem might affect your level of confidence as a leader in business, as a partner or a parent. Sometimes it is impossible to succeed without the right level of confidence, because there are goals that are unattainable if you lack self-confidence.

I know this from my own life. If you have read my book Young, Wise and Kick-S, you will know that I was born into a family of nine children. We were a big family. My father had two wives. My mother suffered from schizophrenia and she was never at home; she was always away due to illness. When I was 11, my father left us and went to live with his second wife.

So, when I entered my teens, I had neither a mother nor a father. The only support I had were my brothers and sisters. They were children themselves, facing the same situation I was facing.

I had to walk eight miles to school every day in torn shoes that exposed my toes.

When I was in class I wanted to communicate and be free to voice my opinion. I also wanted to enter school debating competitions - but I was always afraid. I was afraid that if I raised my hand everybody’s attention would be on me; that everybody would see how different I was. They would notice my torn shoes and my worn-out school shirt. This affected my self-esteem and my