"Confidence, not cockiness. Knowing who you are is confidence. Cockiness is knowing who you are, and pushing it down everyone's throat." - Mila Kunas

I hear people repeating the words, "Be confident, not cocky." But honestly, do we all know the difference between the two?

Confidence is defined as "a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities."

Cockiness is defined as "conceited or arrogant, especially in showing no respect for another person."

Confidence is inside. Cockiness is outward.

There has been many times in the past where I have heard someone who is confident get called cocky. Honestly, I'm not sure why the two get mixed, but it is too often construed as one in the same. There is a fine line between knowing who you are and bringing others down due to who you are.

I've been called cocky many times to count in the past, just because I was confident in myself and my abilities of leading a team. It bothered me for a while, but I learned to not care. That's how I knew it wasn't cockiness; I was confident enough in my ability that I didn't need to prove it to anyone. They could categorize me as cocky all they wanted, but I knew who I was and I didn't have to outwardly prove it to anyone.

So, next time you consider calling someone cocky, think about how they're showing their confidence. Is it outwardly obvious? Or do they use their confidence to build confidence in others?

But, frankly, if they are confident, they probably won't care what you say, anyways.