“Faith is a living, daring confidence in God’s grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times.”
– Martin Luther
You can have all the education and the best experience in the world and lack the confidence you need for ultimate success. Confidence is a catalyst which can make a real difference in the scope of your life and propel you to a kind of greatness you wouldn’t have without it.
- With confidence, you can turn the impossible into the possible – create success where others might give up. While you can gain buoyancy from education and experience, the confidence must come from inside, and you must project it in a way that others find inspiring.
- Confidence provides the power you need to step into unknown situations – unafraid and determined to succeed. Leaving behind the security and the known in your life may take incredible confidence. Without it, you may become stuck in a milk-toast type of life and never get out of a rut or a career that’s going nowhere.
- If you do lack confidence, it may not be evident to you until you get real with yourself. If you procrastinate or feel overwhelmed much of the time, it may be challenging to turn the tides unless you do address your buoyancy issues. It’s difficult for you to take action to get out of ruts and bad situations because you feel you can’t do it right or you need to learn more.
- Confidence can also help your decision-making skills. You may be hesitant to make decisions about even the smallest of issues because you lack confidence in your abilities to succeed. You may become paralysed with indecision and become isolated and withdrawn. Second-guessing yourself only makes it worse.
So how do you know you lack confidence?
As with anything, there are generally signs something is wrong, which might lead you to a particular conclusion. The problem is, a single symptom can mean more than one thing, so what you need to look at is the grouping of items as a whole. For example, having a stuffed-up nose might mean you have a cold. Or the flu. Or problems with allergies. It’s the other symptoms (like the presence of fever) that tell the whole story. Look at this list and ask yourself honestly if you’ve been experiencing any of these traits. If you notice you’re experiencing any of these regularly, then it’s safe to assume your self-assurance needs work.
You Apologise a Lot
When you start apologising for things automatically, whether they’re your fault or not, you’re making an assumption you’re in the wrong somehow, casting doubt on your actions.
You Overreact to Critics
A confident person can accept criticism. When you obsess over what someone else has to say, you’re showing you lack confidence in your abilities, especially in those areas where you are being criticised.
You Pull Away from Social Situations Social gatherings can be a nightmare for the person lacking confidence. If you’re staying home because you’re afraid you won’t fit in, think no one will talk to you, or worry no one will like you, then you’re having issues with self-assurance in this area.
You Are Defensive
We become defensive when we can’t come up with good reasons to support our position; implying that you’re not confident in what you’re saying or what you believe.
You Obsess About Your Problems
A focus on how things are going wrong, a victim mentality, or constant worry about your problems, all show you have no confidence you can control, accept, or eventually change your situation.
Sometimes you need to behave as if you’re confident and use that power to take action rather than merely waiting for something to happen to cement an idea or solve a problem. At least be confident in your determination to work on your goals. That determination will spur you on to take action(s) you need to succeed.
Soon, self-assurance can become a habit in your life – a good habit that you’ll welcome and want to cultivate. That ingrained habit will help you leave your comfort zone and take chances. Even if you fail, you’ll learn from the mistakes you make and have the resolve to go on to try the next idea or level of success.
Confidence provides the power you need to commit and work toward goals and know that your efforts are going to succeed in the long run. Not only does that increase your chances of succeeding – but it also creates a sense of satisfaction in your mind.