15 - Self Confidence

"Our one and only weapon"

 The Dictionary defines confidence as freedom of doubt; belief in yourself and your abilities. Many people lack the self-confidence and self-esteem needed to live a happy and healthy life. Self-esteem is a confidence and satisfaction in oneself. These two things must be present in people’s daily lives in order for them to believe that they have the ability to do anything. At this point in my life I am trying to gain the esteem I need to truly be happy. The best way to gain self-confidence is to look deep inside of yourself and believe that you have the ability to overcome all obstacles and challenges that you are faced with, on a daily bases, because our self-esteem is one of the few things that we have control over.

 Self-confidence is something that cannot be taught. It is up to the individual to decide how much belief that they possess inside of themselves. I am at the point where I realize that I must first believe in myself before others will believe in me. Nobody teaches us to be happy or sad. They are natural feelings that come along as we develop mentally, physically, emotionally and psychologically.

 When you get to the point where you allow others to dictate how you feel about life, you have to stop and take an internal survey. Ask yourself if your lack of self-confidence and self-assurance is holding you back from being the best that you can possibility be. Most often these feelings come from people allowing the negativity of other people to overcome them. You have to be willing to take control of your life and whatever is holding you back. So often we, as a people, look for the validation from society before we validate ourselves. I have allowed society to determine how I should look, dress and feel. It is time for me to take a stand and be in control of my own destiny.

 Some people have so much confidence that they are not afraid to do anything. Others are the complete opposite, and are scared of being judged or ridiculed by others. Self-confidence cannot be taught, but is reached by the individual when they decide to believe in themselves. In order to attain self-confidence, one needs to believe that they can do the task at hand. It cannot be accomplished overnight, but slowly gets stronger and stronger over a period of time. One of the major ways to obtain confidence is acting like one is confident, even when not. Acting will transfer into truly being self-confident and having high self-esteem. Another way to gain confidence is by talking to others. My example of gaining confidence is a true testament that this works. Talking to people that care will lift one up by talking about one’s terrific skills, boosting confidence level immediately.

 In conclusion, confidence is a characteristic that everyone struggles with at one point, but can be achieved by trusting one’s abilities and speaking with others that are supportive. Mark Twain once said, “The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with yourself.” Being comfortable in one’s own skin is the key to achievement and enjoyment in life, so start with some confidence.