How My Confidence Skyrocketed While Abroad
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

How My Confidence Skyrocketed While Abroad

It's so easy to lose your confidence, but why is it so hard to gain it back?

96
How My Confidence Skyrocketed While Abroad

I've always been the one to boost someone's confidence. I'll always empower anyone to be the best person they can be and never give up on what they want for themselves. I'm even one to make a person cry just by telling them how proud I am of them and that they deserve so much more than they are receiving (happened in a club bathroom lol). I love helping raise someone's confidence- and I feel this is because I lacked it in myself. Everything I would tell others was what I wanted to be told... yet it rarely occurred.

I remember being at my all-time low after my divorce. I had to start all over with my life, which was the hardest thing I have ever done. It wasn't until I decided to do something entirely out of my comfort zone when I realized I was still the bad bitch I once was. I decided to intern abroad, and it turned out to be the best decision I have ever made in my life.

With any job, one has to fake it to make it, especially if you aren't as experienced as others. When you're in a different country, that saying is 1000x more effective. You get to rebrand yourself completely, become a real-life version of your Instagram self. Not only are you giving your best self-representation, but you are representing your school and your home country, which is a big thing. I couldn't be weak and shy. I was representing good ole 'Merica! I was also representing the Gilman Scholarship program. Whom, without them, I wouldn't have interned abroad in the first place.

So I did what I had to do and acted like I was the most confident person in the room. I made myself feel like I had years of experience but was still willing to learn. When I didn't know something, I was confident enough to ask for help, which is something that many people would never do. When I did know something or had a different idea, I spoke up and helped my team. I realized my coworkers appreciated a new perspective even if they didn't use what I said, and it helped them see a different scope of the problem. I realized that every time I "faked" my confidence, I became confident and used that outside of work.

I would go out more and talk to new people - even with the language barrier. I tried new clothes that I would never wear at home but that showed me a different perspective on beauty. I walked the streets with confidence and a smile on my face because I was genuinely happy, and I wanted everyone to feel this way. My confidence had skyrocketed because I had faked it, but over time, it became a permanent thing.

Being confident wasn't acting better than anyone else but being the best version of myself. That is what I lost, but what I got back while interning. I once heard that if you fake a smile, then you can trick your brain into thinking you're happy. The same thing applies to your confidence. Being confident can open so many doors and lead you to new opportunities that many wish they had. Confidence is a big part of being a Gilman Scholar, and I wanted to show that I was worth holding that title.

Don't think you have to do something drastic to regain your confidence. Sometimes faking it is the way to go.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

Waitlisted for a College Class? Here's What to Do!

Dealing with the inevitable realities of college life.

59024
college students waiting in a long line in the hallway
StableDiffusion

Course registration at college can be a big hassle and is almost never talked about. Classes you want to take fill up before you get a chance to register. You might change your mind about a class you want to take and must struggle to find another class to fit in the same time period. You also have to make sure no classes clash by time. Like I said, it's a big hassle.

This semester, I was waitlisted for two classes. Most people in this situation, especially first years, freak out because they don't know what to do. Here is what you should do when this happens.

Keep Reading...Show less
a man and a woman sitting on the beach in front of the sunset

Whether you met your new love interest online, through mutual friends, or another way entirely, you'll definitely want to know what you're getting into. I mean, really, what's the point in entering a relationship with someone if you don't know whether or not you're compatible on a very basic level?

Consider these 21 questions to ask in the talking stage when getting to know that new guy or girl you just started talking to:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Challah vs. Easter Bread: A Delicious Dilemma

Is there really such a difference in Challah bread or Easter Bread?

38114
loaves of challah and easter bread stacked up aside each other, an abundance of food in baskets
StableDiffusion

Ever since I could remember, it was a treat to receive Easter Bread made by my grandmother. We would only have it once a year and the wait was excruciating. Now that my grandmother has gotten older, she has stopped baking a lot of her recipes that require a lot of hand usage--her traditional Italian baking means no machines. So for the past few years, I have missed enjoying my Easter Bread.

Keep Reading...Show less
Adulting

Unlocking Lake People's Secrets: 15 Must-Knows!

There's no other place you'd rather be in the summer.

959605
Group of joyful friends sitting in a boat
Haley Harvey

The people that spend their summers at the lake are a unique group of people.

Whether you grew up going to the lake, have only recently started going, or have only been once or twice, you know it takes a certain kind of person to be a lake person. To the long-time lake people, the lake holds a special place in your heart, no matter how dirty the water may look.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

Top 10 Reasons My School Rocks!

Why I Chose a Small School Over a Big University.

196337
man in black long sleeve shirt and black pants walking on white concrete pathway

I was asked so many times why I wanted to go to a small school when a big university is so much better. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure a big university is great but I absolutely love going to a small school. I know that I miss out on big sporting events and having people actually know where it is. I can't even count how many times I've been asked where it is and I know they won't know so I just say "somewhere in the middle of Wisconsin." But, I get to know most people at my school and I know my professors very well. Not to mention, being able to walk to the other side of campus in 5 minutes at a casual walking pace. I am so happy I made the decision to go to school where I did. I love my school and these are just a few reasons why.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments