Self confidence is a psychological and emotional state which responds to the individual's need for self-acceptance and recognition. It is one of the oldest and most discussed concepts in psychology and is used to describe a positive albeit realistic perception of oneself and one�s abilities. As such, self-confident individuals usually have a better knowledge of what they can achieve and are more likely to succeed in what they attempt. They are also more likely to accept and understand their mistakes.

On the contrary, a lack of confidence might deter you from believing your actions or decisions will eventually work out as you had planned. It can thus hinder the development of decision-making aptitudes, planning and management abilities all of which are essential and sought-after skills in today�s business world. The pre-occupation with how others will judge your work can also cause you to become overly self-critical which can distract you from tasks you would otherwise be perfectly capable of performing.

Low self confidence will also affect your social life, as people with low self confidence tend to stay in their �comfort zone� and fear the risk of rejection. This is called social phobia and presents a high degree of co-morbidity with low self confidence, as well as other psychological conditions such as depression. People with low self confidence fear the judgment of others and will avoid talking to new people, which can in turn lead to isolation and even lower self confidence. Low self confidence is a vicious circle that is hard to break.

On the other hand, because they are able to trust their own abilities, self-confident people can do what they feel is right and do not feel the need for the approval of others. They also inspire confidence: your friends, relatives, boss, employees or customers are most likely to believe in you or in what you are saying if you appear self-confident.

Several experiences can lead to low self confidence. Recent research shows that parenting style has an important impact on the development of a child�s self confidence. Physical and psychological abuse in childhood are for example the most damaging to a person�s self confidence, as well as family conflicts or divorce. Overprotective parents can also contribute to a child�s social phobia and discourage the independence necessary to build self confidence. Successes and failures, for example at school or in one�s professional life, also play a significant role: failing a class or losing a job are among the numerous experiences that will negatively affect your self confidence.

There are however ways to overcome such bad experiences and build self confidence. The first step to develop self confidence would be to learn to know yourself and your strengths. Acknowledging the fact that you can not be perfect and can not be good in everything you do will help you gain self confidence. Accepting yourself as you are is the key to building self confidence. But improving self confidence also requires that you start taking risks and giving yourself credit for your achievements. This is very basic advice that will help you develop self confidence. You might also find plenty of books that will tell you how to gain self confidence, but not all of them are reliable.

Many people have low self confidence or are only able to gain self confidence in one or some areas of their lives because they constantly seek other people�s approval and are afraid of failing. Several factors, such as childhood traumas, can explain why people are not able to enjoy the wholesome life of a self confident person. These people also do not always know how to gain self confidence. However improving self confidence can now easily and effectively be achieved through hypnosis and NLP.

As we have seen low self confidence and social phobia can stem from traumas or unconscious fears which can be hard to overcome through sheer self persuasion. Confidence hypnosis and NLP on the other hand can reach the unconscious part of the mind and modify belief systems to boost self confidence. They are powerful tools that will help you address your fears and believe in yourself to develop self confidence.

Confidence hypnosis has been used for several decades and has shown significant results in building self confidence. In a hypnotized state, accessing unconscious thoughts is much easier and, through hypnotic suggestion, you will be able to replace your negative thoughts patterns with positive ones to boost self confidence.

Alan B. Densky, CH is an NGH certified consulting hypnotist. He offers effective hypnotherapy CD�s for self confidence and social phobias. His hypnosis for self confidence CD�s were independently reviewed in the UK. Visit his Neuro-VISION self hypnosis site and enjoy free hypnosis videos.