Increase Confidence and Success With Simple Power Poses

I know there is a fairly neegative stigma around the idea of judging others these days, but whether you realize it or not, you are judging people all the time. People are constantly making inferences about others based on the postures that they display.

In fact, when I'm teaching about inferences at school, I usually start out with a simple game where I show students pictures of different people and have them make guesses about those people based on what they see. Posture plays a huge role in the kinds of guesses that my students make.

I'm sure that you can look at a person and quickly determine from their posture whether they are feeling confident or intimidated. You can tell whether they are feeling sick, tired, or weak for some other reason. You can tell whether they are angry and confrontational or laid back and easy going. You can tell whether they are happy, excited, scared, or sad.

You make these quick judgments about people all the time based on the way that they carry themselves, so whether you like it or not, it's probably safe to assume that people are making those same kinds of judgments about you.

That leads to an important question. What does your posture say about you? Do people look at you and see someone who is confident and in control or do they see someone who is weak and scared?

Do they see someone who is optimistic and knows that they can conquer whatever challenge lies ahead or do they see someone who is negative and will give up as soon as things get hard?

Do they see someone who can calmly handle even the most stressful situations or do they see someone who is going to snap and lose their temper in a moment's notice?

It might seem unfair that a person's judgment of you strictly based on your posture could make the difference between opportunities to succeed and the lack thereof, but it's true.

There's a common phrase that you've probably heard a million times before that says actions speak louder than words, and it turns out that in a lot of cases your posture speaks louder than your words too.

You can tell people about your leadership skills and your great ability to inspire others as much as you want, but if your posture gives off a strong signal of weakness and lack of confidence, an interviewer probably isn't going believe the words that you are saying.

The more powerful, confident, calm, and collected you appear, the more often people are going to give you the opportunity to prove yourself.

It's interesting that when we feel powerful and confident, we naturally find ourselves using certain postures, but it might be even more interesting to you that when we put our body in certain postures called power poses, we naturally feel more confident and empowered.

I know that might sound crazy, but it's true that when you are in a power pose your body produces more of the hormones that make you feel good about yourself, and you can actually trick your brain into thinking that you are powerful and confident whether you really feel that way or not.

Are you starting to see how this could be a very useful tool for you? Not only do power poses make other people feel like you are a confident and successful person, they make you feel like you are a confident and powerful person.

When you feel confident and powerful, you are more likely to take advantage of opportunities that may have intimidated you before which can put you in a much better position to be successful.

Are you getting as excited about this as I am? Seriously, this is life changing stuff here! You can literally become more confident and successful, just by putting your body in certain positions that make your brain think you are powerful.

The video above talks about a few power poses as well as the science behind them, and I do hope you watched it, because it's amazingly empowering. It seriously rocked my socks off!

If you didn't have time to watch the video right now, I can share a few power poses for you to try. I'm not letting you off the hook though. Bookmark this page and watch the video later if you don't have time to watch it now. It could completely change your life!

You obviously won't always be able to do these poses right in the moment of an intimidating situation, but if you know that you are going to be encountering a difficult situation, it's good to do one of these poses for a few minutes before hand. Try it! You will notice a difference in the way you feel!

1. Stand in a tall and confident posture with your legs spread a little more than shoulder width apart and raise your arms in a V shape over your head. Picture the pose that gymnasts do at the end of a routine, and you've got the right pose in mind. It might sound cheesy, but just remember that "V" stands for victory, and you are on your way to success.
2. While standing, put your hands down on a table in front of you and then lean forward.
3. Lean back in a chair with your feet up on a desk and your hands behind your head.
4. Stand with your shoulders back, your chest held high, hands on hips and your feet about hips width apart.

Amy Cuddy mentions in her video that you may feel a bit superficial using power poses to get the things you want in life. After all, isn't it kind of fake to make people think you are powerful and confident?

She suggests that instead of faking it until you make it, you should fake it until you become it.

You see, as you continue to use power poses and your brain continues to receive messages that you are a confident and successful person, you will have more opportunities to prove yourself.

As you take these opportunities, more and more often, you will discover that you are a successful person which will help you to build up more confidence.

Pretty soon you will be doing power poses because you feel confident instead of the other way around.

It's a great cycle to get yourself into, so try out some of the power poses listed above, and see how it changes your life.

Don't be surprised if you find a new sense of confidence and discover that you are a lot more successful than you ever thought you could be.