The Journey to Confidence

How do you journey to confidence? Good question..

Each person’s journey to confidence will look a little different, as a result of our individual life experiences. Some feel as though they have ‘achieved’ confidence at an early age, some feel as though they never have.

I view confidence as a consistent journey, something that ebbs and flows, because there are so many variables. For example, someone in their 20’s who is young and fit may be confident in their ability to perform a seemingly ordinary task like walking. However, someone who has just undergone surgery or someone who is in their 90’s may not be going through a stage in their life where they feel confident in their ability to walk. In different stages of our lives we may or may not feel confident in our body and how we look, in our mind and our intelligence, in our varying capabilities. So for something such as confidence, it is not a matter of we have it or we don’t.

All this said, are there people that you know that are pretty consistent with their confidence as they go through life?

What this leads us to are certain characteristics and practices of confident people.

So, what makes a confident person confident?

1. Mindset

In order for you to be truly confident, it is imperative that you possess a growth mindset. Understanding that your talents and abilities can grow and progress with effort is a game changer. This means that you are not stuck wherever you’ve gotten stuck forever. You can grow and you can change. Adapting this mindset will shift your perspective.

2. Self reflection and understanding

When we do not feel confident, it’s important for us to ask ourselves why. The habit of self reflection and understanding ourselves is a priceless one. Sometimes it is important to question what we have learned, and why we believe what we do. Is it because someone told us we should, is it a reflection of media influence? When I was a child, my friends and I thought people that wore glasses were smart. We also thought that glasses and braces were considered “nerdy.” When my daughter was growing up, she wanted glasses and braces because it was considered “cool.” Reflect on these questions and figure out what it is you really believe and why. Once you understand what you think, decide what this means for you and how you will act on it.

3. Self acceptance

We are constantly changing as we go through the different stages of life. Some things we have control of, and some things we don’t. This is where self acceptance comes into play. When we can learn to love ourselves through our successes and failures, through our strengths and faults, we learn to not be too hard on ourselves and to be satisfied.

4. Humility

In my opinion, truly confident people are also humble. Though it may appear that the loud and showy person is confident, I’ve realized that every single person I’ve met that is this way, is putting on a show to mask their insecurities. Humility, on the other hand, does not mean timid, it means free from arrogance and pride. It shows an openness to progress and imperfection, which brings us to our next point…

5. Continuous growth and learning

A truly humble and confident person will never feel like they know everything. Part of the reason many confident people are confident is because they grow from strength to strength through continuous growth and learning.

And there you have it!

I hope these points will help you progress on your confidence journey. Like all worthwhile journeys, it is filled with challenges and accomplishments, but I cannot express enough how worthwhile, how important and how fulfilling it is.

Until next time, stay blessed and lead with love!

Your coach,