Confidence plays a huge role in success. If you project confidence, you can achieve a lot. It is one of the most basic things you need and sometimes it can be really tough too.

Around 1-2 years ago, I must admit, I really lacked in confidence. Now, at age 15, I have boosted my confidence considerably by following some very basic pointers. Earlier I was shy of meeting new people and I used to be very quiet, but that has changed now. Confidence is really a big deal for everyone, especially entrepreneurs.

It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else’s eyes. -Sally Field

A successful person is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that others throw at him or her.  -David Brinkley

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So here goes:

Just do it! - Taking action and doing your work immediately will cut down on the backlog. Besides that it will reduce your stress levels. And as you know, if you do you’re work and achieve targets on time, people will appreciate and acknowledge, which is a great confidence booster.

(And you may like to read this post on managing time)

Maintain a good posture – The way you carry yourself can make a huge difference. Not just to yourself but others too. People with drooping shoulders and lazy movements show a lack of confidence.

Look into the past – Have a small flashback and remember all your past achievements. Keep in mind all those happy memories and re-live those moments.

Face challenges – Life is a battlefield. Gear yourself up to face big challenges and give your very best and take a plunge at them. Never be afraid, consequences are very temporary but the feeling of overcoming these hurdles can make a big difference.

Speak up – During discussions, the majority of people never speak up as they are afraid of saying something that will be construed as stupid. This fear is a big downfall. By speaking up at least once in each discussion you will project yourself into more limelight and you will improve your confidence.

Think Big – Look at the future, look at the bright side of things. Dream big.

Help others – Make a difference in people’s lives and try and help out as much as you can. Not only will you learn something but your confidence will go up.

One last point, if someone runs you down, keep in mind they are not perfect too.

Over to you:

Hope you enjoyed the post. Any points that really work for you? Any points you would like to add? Please feel free to share your thoughts by commenting below.

Go confidently in the way of your dreams!

©2009 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

I started Let’s Sermo over a year ago and it has been a great year for the blog. In terms of statistics, there have been months with 38,000 visitors and the comment average is rocking with almost 1,800 comments in 46 posts.

According to Youngest Blogger it is the 9th best blog run in the world by an under 18 blogger.

And a big thank you to all my amazing readers and friends for their support. You guys rock! I decided its time to revamp the blog.

So here is the new look! The new design has been conceived by, Rockstah Media.

Over to you:

Any thoughts you wish to share? And if you have any specific posts you want to read on Let’s Sermo, let me know!

©2009 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

There are many posts around on the web saying that school is a waste of time and entrepreneurs should avoid it. I strongly disagree with their point of view and here are 5 reasons why all budding entrepreneurs must go to school and take their education seriously.

Learn to deal with people

Working with people is a crucial skill all entrepreneurs must have as it forms the basis of their success. At school you will come across scores of people who you have to deal with- You may or may not like most of them. You learn to adapt to the situation and it improves your networking skills.

Competition

In life there is competition everywhere. There is absolutely no field where success is a piece of cake. In school there will be healthy competition in academics and sports. In school, you learn how to face people, work hard and even accept failures.

Learning the importance of time

Time is something that can be never recycled; it is a lost jewel that once gone is gone forever and also remember- Time is money. At school we have projects to complete and deadlines to meet. We learn how to cope with these parameters set up.

Handling criticism

Every one is criticized once in a while. Some people just cannot take it in the right spirit. At school you will get criticized many times for the smallest of things. Thus you will learn to handle it and take in the right spirit.

Combating failure

At school, you may have failures and not be successful at all times. The same is going to happen in the future. 98% of all start-ups fail in the very first year, chances are yours will too. So school will teach you how to handle failures and start afresh. One quote that comes to my mind right now- “Failure is the stepping stone to success”

The article is short but I hope I have got my point across clearly. My message to all budding entrepreneurs is, please take your education seriously and never think of giving it up. Schools and all education institutions play a very vital role.

Hope you enjoyed reading this post. Have any more points to share? What do you think? Please feel free to comment below.

©2009 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

This one is really very easy – and you can win with just win with one comment. Now over to the prizes.

The 6 most interesting ones I like:

- Best suggestion wins $25 via PayPal.

- The next 5 best ideas will get 1 year domain registration and 1 month of hosting. (I am planning to use WPWebHost.com for this)

I am looking for ideas and suggestions only related to ‘Life‘. Basically how to improve our life etc. Just have a look at the posts to get an idea.

Just one comment can get you these prizes.

Good luck!

Results:

Cash winner:  Dan

Hosting and domain winners: Kris, Rajeev Ranjan, TechFreakStuff, BAS, Benjamin.

I will be mailing the winners right now.

©2009 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

I’m going to be honest – I’m terrible at working with others. It might be the trumpet player mindset, or maybe it’s just me, but when it comes to cooperating, I have serious reservations. Nevertheless, when you work online as an entrepreneur and avidly participate offline in the band, you have to learn how to work with others effectively. Otherwise, you won’t get very far.

How do you manage to pull yourself out of your “me” shell? It’s partly about courage and trust. You first have to learn to get rid of the “everyone is going to cheat me feeling” that comes with the territory of being human. After that, it just takes a bit of practice and determination. Oh, and you should follow these tips:

Open Up to Good Friends

I’m not going to lie, I have only one close friend. By “close,” I mean we hug on a regular basis and I can actually tell her embarrassing things in person (as long as its dark and I can’t see anything). Nevertheless, she never lets me get away with anything, and forces me to open up. While I hate this at times, it’s beneficial. Why? Because you have to open yourself up to trusting people.

Cooperation is all about trust, and to build trust, try working on talking more openly with your best friends. They’ll help you out with whatever is going on, and you’ll learn how to work with people comfortably. After all, what are friends for?

Work with Positive People

If you’ve ever taken an easy class with group work, you know that nothing is worse than working with lethargic, unmotivated people. It’s a serious irritation, and you find yourself just as uninspired as the people around you. This is the kind of environment that makes me absolutely dread group or partner work.

Next time you have group work, be the project geek. Get involved, and work with people who also want to put effort into what you’re doing. You’ll find yourself having a lot more fun if you simply go with the flow and let the creativity flow. In addition, your stuff will be a higher quality. Be enthusiastic, and results will follow.

Compromise – It Won’t Kill You

There are times when you really, really want something. A lot of times. However, to get what you want, you sometimes have to forfeit something else. Learning how to compromise effectively will bring you more success. If you want to see a scary movie, but your girl doesn’t then don’t fret about it. See the movie she wants and call up your best friend to go see the gore fest. Compromise allows you to cooperate and put yourself into better situations.

Working with others is pretty essential to success. If you want to be able to reach your true potential, you’ll have to learn to accept help from time to time.

How do you feel about compromising? Are you as anti-social as I was? Share your thoughts and experiences.

This was a guest post by Corey Freeman, a 16 year old entrepreneur. Read more about her here. You can follow her on Twitter – @CoreyFreeman

©2009 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

You just cannot afford to crumble under failure. Most probably failure is a result of our decisions. Remember, no one makes mistakes in life. There are never any mistakes, they are just experiences. We have to learn from these experiences and make sure we do not do the same stuff again.

How to tackle failure:

You must understand that failure is there to bring you wisdom

Failure never comes without a reason. You must take up some wisdom from failure. Each failure you encounter brings you one step closer to success. Keep this mindset and you will see failure differently.

Failure is the stepping stone to success.

Do not make failure stop you

Sometimes, you can be really close to achieving your goals but a small failure can set you back. Edison failed thousands of times to create the light bulb. If he would have not continued, despite his failures, he would have not created the world’s greatest invention.

Keep confidence in yourself

Remember, failure is just a temporary period. Keep confidence in yourself and move on in life. Look forward to the future. Failure is not here to stay, good times lie ahead.

It is always darkest before dawn.

Give some time to yourself

You need to spend some time alone and analyze things. Try and figure out what you did wrong. Listen to some soothing music. Go out for a walk alone, this will surely help.

Also, writing in a diary is known to help many people.

Believe in yourself

Have faith and trust in yourself. There will be one day when you will emerge out and will be in a world of success. You just have to stay strong and keep faith in yourself, even in the toughest of times.

Learn to plan things. If you plan things as much as you can, failure will not disappear but reduce.

Failure is an event, not a person

Always remember that you only get one life and one chance. Make the most of it. Stop defeating and limiting yourself.

Hope you enjoyed reading this post. How do you overcome failure? Anything you wish to share? Please feel free to comment below.

©2009 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

Here are some tips to utilize your time and put your best into everything you. Basically, it is like adding hours to your day.

Maintain a things to do list – You can plan your day the previous night, so when you wake up you know exactly what you have to do.

Wake up early – Sometimes, if you are all alone early in the morning you just feel like taking off.

Never multitask - Research has proved that multitasking is not at all productive. For best productivity results, focus on one thing at a time.

Calculate your personal efficiency ratio - Efficiency Ratio = (Time Doing “Real Hard Work”) / (Time Spent Totally). This will show you really how much you are working. So you may buck up if this number is low.

Use a nice bright desktop wallpaper – This is the first thing you may see before starting your work, it will give you a boost.

Learn to say “No” – We can’t do everything and therefore we must learn when to say a ”no” in order to save not drain ourselves.

Create a sense of urgency – Life is short. Once you are finished with your task, start something else. Always make sure to cultivate the desire to make things happen.

Avoid being idle for long - Eliminate the negativity and the idleness in your routine. Idleness definitely hinders progress and personal growth.

Get rid of time consumers – This includes Instant Messenger, video games, YouTube, Flickr, checking your stats a billion times a day, television, and unnecessary Internet surfing.

Maintain your focus and take action - It is better to spend your energy getting things done instead of complaining and making a fuss. Take action! Actions produce results and also .  The more you think of how you can yield better results, the more remarkable answers will come to your mind.

Use JDarkRoom - This application allows you to write more efficiently by removing all possible computer related distractions. You’re given an entirely blank page on which to type. This way, you’re not distracted by e-mail’s, or IM’s. When you’re done, you can save your work as a text file.

Just do it – Sometimes, starting is the hardest part and it always the most important. Once you get going, you will quickly get into the groove and  that momentum could last for hours.

Organize your workspace – The piles of unwanted paper around your desk can be a huge barrier on your productivity. It may just spoil your mood. Optimize your time by organizing your setting things up and dumping the junk.

Make sure you get some good sleep – Sometimes your body just cannot perform without the good much-needed sleep. Do not stress yourself too much.

Leave your workspace for a while – Go out for a short walk, have some coffee or just do some small exercise. This can do wonders, but remember do not prolong this as it can break your momentum.

I would like to thank Gaya Kesseler for helping me out with the title.

Liked reading this post? Have any other tips? What works best for you? Feel free to comment and share your thoughts below.

©2009 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

There are many ways you can help the situation when you are confronted with the person and their negativity, especially if you can’t avoid the situation all together, which is what many of us wish to do. Try to take control of the conversation when it starts to take a negative turn. Keep things from your end on a positve note.

Whether we know it or not, the office gossiper is a negative person, and the family member that calls you on a regular basis with who is doing what lately within the family is also. If one is too persistent, and continues to try and suck you down to their negative level, you can whip the situation real fast by just being honest. Tell the person that you have no intentions to discuss others lives that don’t pertain to you and that you would much rather be left alone to form your own opinions of people.

Realize, that the person just may have no concept of what they are doing and how harmful it can be to themselves as well as others. Handling negative people and their comments about anything, everything and everybody, is not an easy task, but can be handled if you know how to stop the negativity before it has time to start. Always, if you are willing or planning to confront the person and their motives for being so negative, do so with kid gloves. Sometimes, we are not aware of others and their reason’s for being negative in the first place.

But, there will always be people that no matter what we do, is just set on being negative no matter what. For these people, sometimes you may just have to be a bit stern with and tell them that you will take no part in their negativity or comments, and it is best they steer clear of you. Seems kind of harsh doesn’t it, but some people just have to be handled in such a manner, in order for them to understand where you are coming from.

One must also make sure that it is indeed negativity coming from the person and not constructive criticism. Make sure you are not the person that has the negative outlook on things. If someone is telling you something about yourself or how you are doing things. That may be all that it is. Many people are meaning well, but do not know how to go about giving the constructive criticism and can come off as a gloom and doom sayer. Make sure to assess the situation and person you are dealing with as this will make for a better way to handle them if they indeed are.

©2009 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

Well I think one needs to find time to analyze the cause of the weight gain, and first start thinking of being healthy, and that does not just relate to eating but thoughts too, you must think healthy to feel healthy. A positive approach is the key, to look beautiful it is necessary to feel beautiful , yoga has a lot to offer and it can be used to give us a healthy mind and body if practiced with dedication. When the mind is tranquil, the energy’s are conserved and utilized well, once your body is pulsating with positive energy one feels and understands health and how to follow it to ones advantage.

Yoga helps us in positive thinking which is a key to lot of happiness. Yyoga helps one handle and bring down the stress level which otherwise can cause a lot of damage. (You may want to read-> “Beat The Stress“)

Yoga also gives us health within which is reflected on the outside too. It tones the body and makes one look fit.

It is a lifestyle and on following it, one tends to achieve peace and health within and ability to fight ill health and be and feel more healthy. It takes a little of our time and gives us a lot by way of health.

Below I have mentioned instructions for a simple yoga exercise that you can try out:

Yoga Arm Raises:

• Stand up tall.  

• Inhale deeply through the nose as you swing both your arms up with palms facing forward.
• Now swing the arms down and powerfully exhale through the mouth. The exhalation is brief and powerful. Just throw the air out of the system.  

• Continue at a fairly brisk pace, swinging your arms up and down in this fashion in conjunction with the breathing.

Duration for Yoga Arm Raises: 1-5 mins

Benefits of Yoga Arm Raises:

• Very effective in getting your energy going.
• Expands your chest cavity and lung capacity.
• Throws all negativity out of your body (toxins, negative emotions, stress, negative thoughts). Assist this process by visualizing any negativity that has been troubling you being expelled from your system as you exhale.  

• Works on your shoulders, promoting flexibility and strength.   

Practice Tips for Yoga Arm Raises: As you develop mastery over this exercise, try to work through the discomfort in the shoulders this exercises produces. You will notice that after you get past the initial points of resistance, the energy pathways open up and the exercise gets easier.

Hope this article will help you. Do you pracice yoga? Gave this exercise a try? Feel free to share all your thoughts by leaving a comment.

©2009 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.

Tara S. Dickherber, M.Ed, CPC is a Certified Professional Coach and Certified ScreamFree Parent Leader specializing in helping people create balance for life, self-confidence, and healthy parent child relationships. To learn more about Tara you can visit her blog at www.mylifecoachtara.com and follow her on Twitter at @Myifecoachtara.

©2009 Let's Sermo. All Rights Reserved.