Learn Your Trade: How to Prepare Yourself
- John Savage
- 14 minutes ago
- 6 min read
What is Self-Confidence?
Although self-confidence can mean different things to different people, in reality, it simply means having faith in yourself.
Confidence is, in part, a result of how we have been brought up and taught. We learn from others how to think about ourselves and behave—these lessons affect what we believe about ourselves and others. Confidence is also a result of our experiences and how we've learned to react to different situations.
Self-confidence is not a static measure. Our confidence to perform roles and tasks and deal with situations can increase and decrease; some days, we may feel more confident than others.
Low confidence can result from many factors, including fear of the unknown, criticism, unhappiness with personal appearance (self-esteem), unpreparedness, poor time management, lack of knowledge, and previous failures.
Often, when we lack confidence in ourselves, it is because of what we believe others will think of us. Perhaps others will laugh at us, complain, or make fun of us if we make a mistake. Thinking like this can prevent us from doing things we want or need to do because we believe the consequences are too painful or embarrassing.
Over-confidence can be a problem if it makes you believe that you can do anything - even if you don't have the necessary skills, abilities and knowledge to do it well. In such situations, overconfidence can lead to failure. Being overly confident also means you are more likely to come across to other people as arrogant or egotistical. People are much more likely to take pleasure in your failure if you are perceived as arrogant.
Confidence and self-esteem are not the same, although they are often linked. Confidence is the term we use to describe how we feel about our ability to perform roles, functions and tasks. Self-esteem is how we feel about ourselves, how we look, and how we think, whether or not we feel worthy or valued.
People with low self-esteem often also suffer from generally low confidence, but people with good self-esteem can also have low confidence. It is also perfectly possible for people with low self-esteem to be very confident in some areas.
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