Self-confidence can be explained as having a positive perception of one's self-worth and abilities. Typically, people either have a high level of self-confidence, or they experience frequent struggles with self-perception. People with a high self-image often report that they never really had to learn how to gain self-confidence. On the contrary, this positive attribute has been part of their identity almost as long as they can remember.

People who have high levels of self-confidence are often successful in both their professional and personal lives. They apply for and get the career positions they want. In addition, they often find themselves advancing rapidly up the career ladder without competing intensely or experiencing numerous professional setbacks. Finally, they are much more likely to take risks and professional and personal situations than their less confident peers (Zikmund and Scott, 1974).

In addition, they are often successful in their personal lives as well, and report less difficulty finding a mate than people who struggle with low self-esteem. Even when they encounter obstacles, they perceive them as inevitable problems to overcome. They don't perceive these problematic situations as occurring because they lacked the effectiveness to deal with certain events or interpersonal encounters.

In contrast, people who struggle with low self-confidence often report that they have tried many approaches to gain confidence and improve their self-image. These individuals typically feel that they are not good enough, or that they aren't capable of doing anything right or even succeeding in achieving life goals. They go through life wondering how to gain self-confidence, but the positive self-image they desire so much seems to elude them throughout their entire lives. They are, in fact, less able to perform tasks or duties under pressure than their more confident counterparts (Stolz, 2008).

The market is filled with self-help books that promise to build self-confidence. These books are available everywhere, and address nearly every area of a person's life imaginable. Popular authors offer a few rules that readers can incorporate into their life to try to change their current life situations. They can be purchased in the grocery store, in the drugstore, and even in airport kiosks.

Most of them sell for approximately ten to twenty dollars each. People expect to read these books, and be cured of a social phobia or boost self-confidence immediately. Unfortunately, however, building self-confidence is slightly more time-consuming than just reading a book or two on the power of positive thinking.

Sometimes, people struggle so painfully with low self-confidence that they join support groups focused on building self-confidence, or even pay a psychotherapist in the hopes that these professionals will be able to talk them through the process of gaining self-confidence. Often, these methods of trying to build self-confidence don't work either, and people find that they have spent thousands of dollars without any improvement in their self-image. In fact, some psychology professionals actually encourage people to merely accept their own limitations, without even trying to increase their self-confidence (Benabou and Tirole, 2000).

Although even these professionals find it hard to believe, most people can learn to gain self-confidence or even progress toward a cure for a social phobia in a few easy steps. This process of gaining self-confidence is not difficult to learn, and it does not cost hundreds or thousands of dollars. Too often, even professionals forget that improving self-confidence does not have to be expensive or time-consuming just to be effective.

Confidence hypnosis is a successful, innovative alternative that teaches people how to develop self-confidence and have a more positive view of themselves. This process, unlike many other treatment alternatives, is not expensive or time-consuming. Indeed, a trained practitioner can help a person learn to boost self-confidence and feel more positive about themselves in only a few short sessions.

This approach is a technique that, once learned, can be practiced at home as well. Tapes and CDs that teach clients self-hypnosis for improving self-confidence are available for purchase. Furthermore, once people have learned how to develop self-confidence, they often find themselves in situations that tend to further enhance this skill. This is because once they start to feel confident, they rarely decide to place themselves in situations that do not reinforce this positive experience.

Many people choose confidence hypnosis as the best alternative for improving self-confidence. They find that the technique is not difficult to master. Furthermore, it is not expensive or time-consuming. Finally, people experience results quickly; most clients report increased self-confidence after only one or two sessions!

Summary: People often struggle with self-confidence. They work to try to find ways to improve their self-confidence, but usually have little success with traditional methods. Those who try hypnosis for building confidence usually report that it is amazingly effective. For this reason, this inexpensive, time-conscious method is quickly becoming the preferred approach to helping people who struggle with low self-confidence.

A list of the common uses of hypnosis.

Alan B. Densky, CH is a certified consulting hypnotist and NLP Practitioner. His ecommerce site offers hypnosis CD's for self-confidence. His Self Confidence CD's were tested by Personal-Development.info in England. Visit him for Free hypnosis & NLP newsletters and MP3s.