Confidence

I want to write tonight about confidence, particularly self-confidence. I recently read this opinion article in the New York Times, which my sister pointed me to. This article spoke a lot about things that I have been thinking about over the last months. Self-confidence is the key to happiness and success and greatness. Those who have it have a lot. As the old grandmother said in the opinion article, it is very important.

How else does someone stand up in court or on the street and argue an unpopular opinion? How does someone stand up in front of a crowd and tell a joke? How else does one wear a crazy blue hat in a public place and totally pull it off, as if it's a fashion statement? If you believe in yourself, other people will believe in you too. The people in the opinion article moved mountains, and it started with confidence in themselves and their abilities.

Those without self-confidence question every decision they make. They feel guilt for things that they couldn't have controlled or foreseen. They view the past as far rosier than it really was. They worry what other people think of them. They can become crippled with these worries, hiding inside instead of going out and living and moving ahead. They become blind to themselves and the great parts of the life they're actually living.

How does one get confidence? Are you born with it? Do your parents give it to you? Do you somehow learn to believe in yourself?

Perhaps it's something that you have to work at. It comes to some people easier than others, but perhaps it's a decision that each person makes about themselves and how they will live their lives.