Confidence

In the Oxford Dictionary, confidence is defined as a feeling of self-assurance arising from one’s appreciation of one’s own abilities. Building healthy self-assurance is influenced by both the individual and the environments in which they live.

Developing consistent opportunities for success is a major contributor to confidence. The secret is in the definition. I suggest defining success using terms that one controls. Measures that are significantly controlled by external factors may be included but minimized. This allows a person to appropriately build confidence, focusing on their own knowledge, skills and characteristics, while keeping an eye on what they impact. This also lets us be comfortable in failure, knowing that we can fall back on previous successes, learn from our mistakes, all in preparation for the next challenge.

Work, home and school, as well as the other places in which one lives, influence the development of our confidence. These distinct cultures and relationships provide opportunities to define clear and realistic expectations for success and feedback for improvement. How are you contributing to the healthy development of confidence in the people with whom you are in contact?

Confidence continues to be a challenge for many individuals. An acceptance of one’s own knowledge, skills and characteristics is critical for the development of appropriate confidence. Defining realistic and controllable success criteria is essential for building individual confidence.

Enjoy the journey!