365 STEPS TO SELF-CONFIDENCE
Choose an event you shortly have to face, when you need to remain
calm, but you fear could bring on nervousness.
Start working on your anchor a few weeks before the event. Get into
the relaxed state and recall a time when you felt really calm and
confident. Relive it in as much detail as possible. If you can’t think of a
suitable time just pretend to be confident. If you have a good
imagination, your subconscious won’t know the difference.
When the feeling is strong, put your thumb and fingers together
and gently whisper, ‘Cool, calm and confident’. The stronger the
feeling, the more successful will be your anchor. Affirm that every time
you make this gesture and repeat these words, these same calm, confident
feelings will return.
This is called ‘installing the anchor’.179Practise anchoring every day until it comes easily to you. The more
practice, the better.180Just before the actual event you were rehearsing in Confidence Builder
179, and if necessary during it, take a deep breath, put your thumb and
fingers together and repeat your chosen phrase silently or aloud. Say it
with conviction. Allow the confident feelings to flow through you. This
is called ‘firing’ the anchor.181Alternatively, install an anchor when you experience good feelings as
you go about your activities. This is effectively what athletes do when
they raise their hands above their heads as they break the winning tape.
If they were to do this repeatedly they would find that simply raising
their hands above their heads would trigger those winning feelings.182