What is Wrong with Being Confident?
Fixing the bugs
If there is a list of qualities greatly admired by almost everybody...confidence is going to make that list...and may even top it. Who doesn't appreciate it?
Walt Disney believed that any kind of height can be scaled by a man who understands and displays curiosity, confidence, courage and constancy. He identified confidence as the greatest of them all.
Being confident, especially in yourself is simply believing in your abilities, sense of judgement, including awarding a sense of worthiness to yourself. An interesting part is that self- confidence is not some kind of inborn gift that you can exhibit whenever you feel like it.
Our confidence level is usually as a result of our interactions with our environment, how much we have and how it affects us.
Have you ever been in a room and it's like every other person is confident except you? Or you've seen some persons express strong belief in themselves and you were left wondering how on earth they did they pull that off? Well, the good news is...they also, once, had their moments of doubts like you doing now.
In fact we've all been in that difficult position before, but the difference lies in how we respond. While you might not entirely lack confidence on a zero level there will be areas where you are more confident than others.
Take for example you work in an organization and there's an ongoing project. You've very great ideas and you are sure of the outcomes if implemented but, lack the confidence to share it with your boss and colleagues.
Improving your self worth, self esteem and self confidence will no doubt make you a bolder and better person.
Learning how to be confident is important in every part of your life.
So how do you know when you lack self confidence?
Since we all have different ideas of what being confident is and isn't, it varies. Thus what works fine for you may not do with me or anyone else.
Let’s say you were asked of ways to recognize a person that isn’t confident, your answers will likely include: stammering, shaking, excessive smiling, not maintaining eye contacts, etc.
While you may exhibit some of these strong signs, there are others that are subtle and may look like this:
- Avoiding assignments and rejecting delegation of duties.
- When you live based on other people's opinions and thoughts
- When you stick to your comfort zone as though life ends there
- Covering up your scars, and mistakes, so others never see them etc.
This can be a very serious struggle for you and can limit your chances of achieving a lot.
But it's okay if you don't feel or think you are a confident person. You just have to know how to turn yourself into one.
How to gain more self- confidence
- Feel you
- Be yourself and craft your own principles
- Speak well of yourself and about yourself
- Confront the things that scare you
- Think royal. Act regal
- Set out time to imagine
- When you need some help...Ask.
- Have a large room with a comfy bed for mistakes.
What if there’s too much salt in the sauce? What if you’re overconfident?
Salty meals no matter how good they look or appear will always ruin your appetite. Overconfidence is no different. If you’ve too much of it, you risk ruining your relationship with people.
Think of a time you were so full of yourself about something? How was the reaction from those around you? Did you like the outcome?
My bet is ….NO! You didn't.
More often than not, the "over" in overconfidence sets you up for a massive failure.
When you start expressing confidence with the ugly attitudes such as being selfish, arrogance, narcissism, and as far as giving deaf ears to the opinions of others, it's a sign that you're added too much salt to your sauce.
It also plays out as a result of insecurities which will make it difficult for you to relate with friends, neighbors, work mates, even strangers.
Overconfidence puts you in a position where you take things so likely — un seriously. You ignore practicing your presentations, you're unbothered about insights on a topic and blink away at major tasks and projects, choose not to take notes and so on.
Whenever you're convinced and confident in your abilities and judgements, because someday, it would happen, pick on something bigger that will challenge you to doing what you're aren’t used to. That way arrogance can't set in.
Finally...
Remember, getting your confidence right is a process. Give yourself time to develop and maintain it.
So... what's really wrong with being confident? Absolutely nothing. Seriously.
You may have heard this: put your best foot out there. But I'm saying don't just put your best foot, put your best self out there! Trust me, you'll be glad you did!
