1976: Born. Don’t remember much. I had jaundice. Was put under a yellow light. Got better.

1976-1984: Lived in Germany,  Brunei and England. Earliest memory, having a tantrum in a supermarket. Mother embarrassed. Sorry Mum.

1984: Won the school maths cup.  At the age of eight I was a maths genius. I may have peaked a little early.

1985: My first computer: After a whole year of saving I have enough to buy my first computer. A Commodore 64. Bank wouldn’t give me two fifty pound notes. Gave me five 20s. I had never seen a £50 note at that age and was most disappointed.

1986: Broken Computer: My first program does not work. Convinced computer is broken. After a rewrite it works. Maybe I made a mistake. Not sure. This has happened several times since.

1987: Micronet:  My first venture online. Dad allows me two hours a week online.  Make my first sale…a Commodore 64 Classic game: Marble Madness. EBay this was not. Micronet was ahead of its time.

1988: First  business. With a friend, started and published  a school magazine.  Banned after running a poll on popularity of teachers. Headmaster, the decision maker, scored zero.

1989: Second business. Decided to start a skateboarding club (I was ace at skateboarding). Total fail. One person turned up for the launch! Lessons learnt: publicity and marketing are vital. Not enough people read ads in shop windows. And football is more popular than skateboarding.

1990 1994: . Living in a bubble. Cut off from the world. Regimented life does not suit me. I’m sure some things happened.  Nothing of any note though. Unless you count secret rendezvous with girls at the A.P: the Adventure Playground. A.P sounded way cooler. And you had to be cool to know that the A.P. stood for.

1992: Snakes and Ladders. Complete GCSE Computer studies project. A game of Snakes and Ladders! Teacher  impressed by my program. Not so impressed with my secret eating of sweets and sends me out.  Banned from computer room for a week.

1993: A levels: I choose History, French and English Literature.  Half way through I realise History is in fact useless. Change to Business studies I am one year behind everyone else.  Catch up time!

1994: A Level results.  I get an A for Business studies. An early lesson: Always trust in your own abilities. Don’t listen to people who don’t think you can do it.

1995: Go to University. At Glasgow University. A few drinks perhaps.

1996: Still ay Uni . Studying English Literature and Language.  Discover I like writing.

1997: Final year at Uni. I studied, took exams and partied. Some of the best years of my life.

1998: Leave University: No money. In debt. Can’t stay and do computing course straight away. : (

1998: Model for FHM magazine. I star in this popular magazine. As a junkie. Sadly floods of modelling contracts do not materialise.

1999:  Estate Agent: In a moment of insanity take first job offered and hope to make enough money to return to Uni for MSc. Note: if an estate agent says something like “in all honesty…” Stop listening. It isn’t. Tip: to shut them up when looking at a house. Look them in the eye and say “I used to be an estate agent..” they go quiet after that : )

2000: New start:  At the estate agent I find I can sell. I’m good at it. This proves useful in later life. I have enough money saved.  I resign. Try to stop smiling while saying it. I know I will never be back,,

2001: Go back to University. Embark on an MSc in Computing.  Specialise in Websites.

2002 – 2004: Doug’s Freelance years.  I built websites for various companies. Listened to nay sayers saying I should get  a proper job. I look for one. Biggest regret of my life. Lesson: Always listen to what’s best for you even if no one else thinks so. It’s YOUR life not any one else’s.

2005: Doug’s 9 -5 years.  I work for WestFocus a consortium of seven universities in south and west London. I am responsible for requirements, building and maintenance of website. Meet my future wife.  She’s a babe :

2006: “Career Progression” Like a good nine to fiver I leave WestFocus to advance my career in another 9 -5 job.

2007: Become Web Content Manager. At King’s College University. Complete overhaul of website is met with general approval form all parts both staff and students. I bask in the glow of making others money.  Oh and I got married : )

2008: Working. 9 – 5.  Sigh.

2009: Is this it? I think I need to make my own money. I need more freedom to do what I want. I learn some new skills and update old ones

2010: One Sevenoaks is launched! A community website for the Local area of Sevenoaks. The town I live in. www.onesevenoaks.co.uk

2011: DP Web Development is launched!  www.dpwebdevelopment.co.uk  I remain at King’s out of fear. Decide I need to conquer fear. My first child is born It’s a boy.

2012: Doug makes the leap.  I leave King’s to concentrate on my passion: my own business. Contracts start to trickle in. My website moves up the ranking in Google (and other search engines), Number 1 on some terms!

2013: DP Web Development goes international! Well, location independent. I work on some contracts from South America. Learn some Spanish.

And that’s about it. So far…..

It’s a well-known fact that a confident person is more attractive to the opposite sex. Said with the right air and confidence “Get your coat, you’ve pulled” does work.

But there are other benefits of having self-confidence:

•   Health. Studies have shown that positive self-esteem and confidence are indicators of good mental health. And this starts in childhood! Children growing up with confidence in their own abilities tend to do better in school, take better care of themselves than their peers with low self-confidence levels, and excel in sports and socialization. This trend continues into adulthood.  So give a little praise for f****s sake.

•  Happiness. It is proven fact that people with healthy self-confidence are generally happier and more satisfied with their lives than people who lack self-confidence. This could be because they feel more able to cope with the stresses of life and can take on the world with more energy and enthusiasm.  This in turn leads to more success and satisfaction. A positive attitude results from feeling good about yourself and knowing that your place in the world is important and meaningful.

•   Increased Performance. Self-confident people don’t allow obstacles to tops them. Or even slow them down. They embrace them, tackle them, sure in their own abilities to come out on top. It is no coincidence that top athletes, entrepreneurs, public speakers, actors etc. all have an abundance of self-confidence.  Had they not they will not have the confidence to trust their own abilities.

• Social Ease. People who are self-confident are more relaxed in social settings and when meeting new people. Because their belief in themselves is internal and not reliant on the judgment of others, they can freely move about without fear of rejection.  They tend to have a more positive, energetic attitude to the future and people often gravitate towards them.

But…how do you become self-confident? 

Here are six tips:

• Take credit for good work you’ve done. Don’t be embarrassed or say things like “it’s nothing really”. NO! BE PROUD. ”yeah I did that” no one else. I am actually very talented at writing, talking, telling jokes, eating a vindaloo in 5 seconds flat. Take your pick. It’s a talent that makes you a truly great person. Don’t hide it..
  

• Stop trying to please everyone. It’s ok to say no. In fact you can shout it if you want to. NO!…Thank you. It doesn’t make you a bad person. It makes you a strong person. The most important person to please is you. Put yourself first sometimes. Give yourself the last Rollo. You deserve it.

• Don’t beat yourself up over past mistakes/ regrets. It’s past. It’s over.  Thank God it’s finished. I won’t do that again. So you will become a better person. You have learnt. No one is perfect. And I bet a lot of people have done worse. Forget about it. Move on.

• True friends support each other. Look at your social circle. Is it full of negativity? You need to break free of the nay Sayers. Find a positive circle that you believe in and in turn they will believe in you and you will believe in yourself. Cut the negativity out of your life. Harsh but necessary. It’s your life. Enjoy it.

• Take a risk/ challenge. Do something little out of the ordinary each day. Say hello to a stranger. Enrol in a sponsored parachute jump. Start and an evening class. All these little things, perhaps slightly out of you comfort zone will increase you confidence immensely.

• Work on it. Self-confidence does not necessarily come over night. It can take time. DON’T lose heart. Work on it, it’s like a muscle. It needs bulking up.  Push your boundaries a little each day and it will become a natural, habit. Self-confidence will soon be oozing through your pores

And remember. You are the best person to listen to. Trust you guts. You know what’s right for you. No one else knows you as well as yourself. People may think you’re mad. But it is your choice. Not theirs. You are living your own life not someone else’s.