From confidence to action

Philip Brophy
Mar 27
3 min read

So close, I can taste it!• 3 min read

#PsychFact

A study from Kings College, London, looked at 102 subjects with anxiety disorder to determine whether positive visualisation could eradicate negative thoughts.

It concluded that, upon intensive practice in generating mental images of positive outcomes, all participants showed significant reductions in both negative thoughts and anxiety.

Introduction

We’ve seen that by taking positive, deliberate steps, involving practice and self-reflection, we can construct enduring levels of self-belief.

We’ll now look at some further ways to build on these tactics.

Visualise to realise your goals

Ever heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy? — When you start a new job thinking you’re an imposter and that everyone will see through your lack of ability, you’ll set the negative cycle in motion and behave in ways that reflect this.

Try to actively change these thoughts by visualising the positive outcomes you want, e.g., being able to confidently command a room with your ideas. Practice visualising it. See a bolder version of yourself voicing your ideas.

Let’s take actor Jim Carrey. When he was starting out, he would think about his future accomplishments and visualise them on his drive home every night, telling himself that he did in fact have these things, “I just don’t have a hold of them yet, but they’re out there.” Carrey wrote himself a cheque for $10,000,000, to cash at the end of five years. WIthin five years, he made exactly this sum on Dumb and Dumber.

Loss avoidance can influence everything we do. We worry far more about losing what we have, rather than getting what we want, and Carrey is a case in point for the “law of attraction,” only attracting the positives into his life, over the negatives he was trying to avoid.

Positive thoughts for success

Aside from visualising your goals for success, how about trying this approach to realise the law of attraction: ask→believe→receive

Ask

Be specific in the request you send out to the universe. Write down what you want in the present tense (similar to Jim Carrey’s approach) and from a grateful perspective, e.g., “I’m grateful to have [INSERT goal].”

Believe

By having unwavering belief in this goal, you’ll exude confidence (without being smug!), inspiring those around you to support you in your beliefs.

Receive

Focus on what you’ll feel once you achieve it. By visualising it, this will channel your actions in the right direction.

Key takeaways

When you set yourself up to fail, odds are that you will. This can be a self-perpetuating journey where you behave in ways that reflect this mindset.
According to the “law of attraction” principle, if you focus on the positive, you’ll attract all positive elements, feelings, and people towards you.
To realise your visualised goals, send out your request into the universe and have unwavering faith in achieving this, consistently visualising how you’ll feel when you achieve it. This will set your actions on the right track.

Think big, act small

Through self-affirmation and positive thinking, we can increase our levels of self-belief to feel more at ease in performing with confidence in the workplace.

Why not try realising your goals, by setting your aim, visualising its success, and focusing on imaging how you’ll feel when you receive it.

Content sources

Forbes, 2020, Caroline Castrillon, ‘5 Strategies To Build Unshakable Self-Confidence’
Forbes, 2020, Scott Hirsch, ‘The Power Of Positive Thinking: Staying Motivated During Trying Times’
Harvard Business Review, 2021, Ann Howell, ‘How to Build Confidence at Work’
Science Direct, 2016, Claire Eagleson et al., ‘The power of positive thinking: Pathological worry is reduced by thought replacement in Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Behaviour Research and Therapy’