Learning attitude: positive thinking & confidence

We all feel the need to be good at something, be it at a hobby or sport. When we are good at something we feel great, we have confidence and feel proud of ourselves even if we only won a game of trivial pursuit! We can feel so much more independent through learning. But how do we get to that stage? How do we break through the learning barrier to become good at something in order to feel great? How do some people seem to be able to do anything they set their mind to when we fall at the first hurdle?

It’s all down to our learning attitude! We are living in an era of impatience, where we all want faster internet connections, faster food, and happiness NOW! But hang on a minute we’ve all got to start somewhere, and some things take time to master! So how do we go about calming the impatience inside of us to allow us to learn new things, and why should we even bother?

We should because of that confidence to be gained through being good at something, and the independence of having learned and earned it. Positive thinking is the key to lifes success!

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘patience is a virtue’ and it’s true! Now I don’t mean to learn and gain confidence we must all sit around and wait, because the best way to become good at something is to practice, but what I do mean is we must be patient with ourselves while we aren’t so good yet. We WILL improve if we practice, because we can learn to do ANYTHING if we practice!

So where does attitude come into all of this? Just remember that positive people attract positive results, so make sure you change your negative ‘I can’t’ attitude into a positive ‘can do’ attitude! Say it out loud if you have to, affirmations are powerful things ‘I CAN become good at this!’ ‘I CAN DO ANYTHING!’. See, positive thinking!

We humans need to be challenged regularly, physically and mentally, and we can do this by taking on new hobbies or trying a new technique at whatever it is we do enjoy. If you want to gain more confidence you must test yourself by learning something you never thought possible, but all the while practicing positive thinking! It’s all too easy to settle into our so called comfort zone, and to never dare try for fear of failure, we waste years of our lives convincing ourselves that we’re doing OK as we are. It is to avoid this type of personal stagnation that we must try to learn! By doing so you will awaken that powerful little voice inside that says ‘if I can do that, I can do anything!’

Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living Your Dreams

My personal example is that I may have been good at art and crafts and good at speaking on the phone to my customers at work but I was never very good at dealing with people face to face. My confidence and self esteem was low, despite my being good at other things. So what did I do? I decided to challenge the fear in me, and joined a voluntary organisation that gives First Aid cover at public events! This meant that I had to not only get to know a whole group of other people in the organisation, but also deal with crowds and help complete strangers! I now have a new level of confidence, many new friends and also that warm fuzzy feeling you get from helping others as an added bonus!

Think of something that you have always admired but never thought you could do, it could be that you can’t swim, or like me are uncomfortable in crowds, or perhaps you have always wanted to be able to draw or paint! Go ahead, buy a book, join a group or enrol on a course on the subject! Arts & crafts hobbies are excellent little learners as they often can be done with only a few scrap materials and just a book or tutorial to guide you. As I mentioned, whilst trying not to toot my own horn, I am good at drawing and painting (toot, toot!) but it is a subject that I can always take further as there are so many techniques to try out, new subjects or styles and different paints or media to use. I have been drawing since I was a child and I don’t think you can ever lose that pride in your work, or the satisfaction of finishing a new painting. I have recently been inspired, after coming across some wonderful fine art websites, to take my talent up a level and learn how to draw and paint realistic pictures like the perfect ones I saw. I’ll let you know when I can, note the term I used was WHEN not IF!

My artwork and crafts have become what they are due to my own practice and perseverance throughout my life, and I still strive to do better each time and try new techniques. Feel free to browse my website www.sarahhamerartist.weebly.com for some more insight and perhaps some inspiration for your own ventures! I have also written an e-book called ‘Learn to Draw’ for beginners which you can find at www.learntodraw.weebly.com.

So go ahead and find that subject or challenge, and master it. Just remember, don’t beat yourself up and throw in the towel because for instance you want to draw a cat and it looks more like a pig in your first week! Just absorb the lessons to be learnt and gently push yourself to improve. YOU WILL IMPROVE because YOU CAN DO ANYTHING!

Thanks for reading, and best of luck with your new endeavours. Just remember that if you practice positive thinking then success and confidence will surely follow!

Infinite Possibilities: The Art of Living Your Dreams