A Secret To Self-esteem and Confidence

Have you ever wondered what makes infomercials so successful? Exactly how do they keep people mesmerized long enough to whip out their credit cards?

I'm sure there are many key elements, and I'm no expert on infomercials, but I bet I know one secret. It's really kind of simple and I call it the "But Wait, There's More!" formula.

You know how it works. They describe what they're selling, going over the most persuasive details. They tell you the product isn't just fantastic, it's more than that, and they explain and demonstrate why.

Then, just when it seems like they're out of time and you're going to have to make a decision, they come up with "But wait, don't make a decision now, we're going to throw in something free if you act now."

They then tell you about the new add on.

You think it's over, but it's not.

"But wait!" they say. "There's even more."

And they keep doing that until you buy. Not you maybe. But enough of us to keep the infomercials rolling and very profitable.

Now, what does this have to do with self esteem?

In seminars and in working one on one with clients over the past twenty years, I've noticed one thing for sure.

Most people, myself included, haven't reached the pinnacle when it comes to self-esteem and confidence.

For intance, most people have a hard time coming up with fifty things they like about themselves or achievements they're proud of.

Sometimes, I'll ask a client to make such a list. They start making the list, and start feeling pretty good.

They come up with 10, 25 or 30 things and then they hit a wall. Try it some time and see how you do.

You can list anything you like about yourself, your body, your personality, your strengths, who you are. You can list achievements that make you feel good.

I usually tell clients to come up with a list of one hundred. But they have trouble with fifty.

What would happen to our self-esteem and confidence if every time we thought something good about ourselves, instead of stopping there, we said:

"But wait! There's more!"

And we noted one more thing.

"But wait! There's more!"

And...well, you get the picture.

If infomercials can do it to sell whatever it is they're selling, why can't we do it to sell ourselves on ourselves?

http://www.alanallard.com Alan is an executive coach, speaker and writer.