In today’s guest post coach health coach Susan DiGiaimo shares some thoughts around confidence and how that is influencing her work.

My Weapon of Choice: Self-Confidence

by Susan DiGiaimo

Everyday you have a choice to make things better, make better choices and do something for yourself. Some days are better than others. On those particular days when things do not go as well we usually end up beating up ourselves. I have learned from my own experiences that you just have to keep on going, thinking positively and moving forward.

Where did I gain this self-confidence? My mother was an extremely powerful role model for me. She had and still has a very strong work ethic. ”You can accomplish anything if you put your mind to it.” She also helped shape me into the woman I am today and I am thankful for that. Strong, transparent, empathetic, these are just some of the words that describe me.

I know now as a mother of three that, if you do not take the time to take care of yourself, you are not going to do a good job taking care of anyone else. Self-confidence is not something we inherit, we don’t learn it in school like Algebra, and it is definitely a challenge for some of us to gain. Ask me if I ever used Algebra again in my professional career, no. I would probably have benefited from a class about how to gain self-confidence.

Health self-esteem is like our armor against the challenges of the world. Individuals who know their strengths and weaknesses and feel good about themselves seem to have an easier time handling conflicts and resisting negative pressure. As we try, fail, try again, fail again, and then finally succeed, we develop ideas about our own capabilities. Now for kids self-esteem fluctuates as they grow. It is every evolving based on their experiences and perceptions.

I have a daughter who is nine years old. Her personality traits are being fun, loving, smart, determined, confident, and huggable. She didn’t always know why she was unique and what she was passionate about. She is constantly changing and growing like all of us.

We need to appreciate our children as they are for what they are. As kids grow and develop, their overall sense of self-confidence and personal worth grows and changes too. Self-confidence is about how confident we feel about our talents and abilities, not just how others perceive us. Children with self-confidence feel secure about themselves, regardless of how smart or successful others say they are.

I initiated a Kids Fitness Program first focusing on girls. We know that a girl’s self-confidence is based a great deal on how she looks and how others perceive her. Unfortunately society, media, our child’s access to computers and different technologies makes them even more vulnerable to not having good self-esteem.

I wanted to give girls the opportunity to be able to express and develop their key personality traits and recognize what makes them special or unique. I also wanted the girls to learn proper exercise technique and to understand what it means to live a healthy lifestyle. I believe this needs to start at a much earlier age and my classes start with kids in Kindergarten.

There are different exercises and activities for each age group and we know that because we are motivated by others. Competition is healthy and it let these girls come out of their shells, speak amongst their peers and also get stronger physically. The entire purpose is so when they continue on into Middle School or High School they are very aware of who they are and how they can put their best foot forward.

I know these kids absorb information like little sponges. Armed with Monkey tape, journals, and mats I set off to teach these girls how to do lunges, squats, mountain climbers, and push ups. No question the Monkey tape was a huge success. I place this so-called Monkey tape on the floor for proper placement of their feet for squats and lunges. By the last week they didn’t even need it.

Class was not easy. Even a seasoned athlete would have found it to be somewhat challenging. ”You are almost there, (now all the girls are counting down with me), 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 high fives everyone!” ”Give me five more and then we can get some water.” Most of the time everyone would give me five more. You are much stronger than you think. I tell this to my adult Boot Camp class as well. Mind over matter. They have to understand that they are not going to get it right the first time, but if they continue to try, they will succeed. Things happen by choice not by chance.

I am very proud of my girls in my first class and I look forward to seeing some of them again and watching them continue to gain more and more self-confidence. More importantly let your child’s personality shine, love them for who they are, not what you want them to be. I want them all to keep that sparkle in their eye and never let it fade.

Self-confidently Yours,

Susan

About the Susan DiGiaimo

First and foremost I am a mother of 3 wonderful kids. I learned and not until much later in life that your family is the most important thing above and beyond everything else. Another thing is if you are passionate about something then go after it, take the CAN out of CAN’T and make it happen. You have to love what you do first then nothing else matters. I have also been teaching Boot Camp at 5AM now for almost 10 years. I teach that class 4 days per week and other 2 I teach an Xtreme treadmill class and Xtreme Spin. I love the reward of seeing someone’s life change for the better. This is my passion, incorporating health and wellness into everyone.

Read Susan’s blog at FitForensics

Connect with Susan on Twitter at twitter.com/susandigiaimo