I know it’s hard, but please be gentle with yourself. Many of my friends, including myself, do or have struggled with self-confidence.
“Never be bullied into silence. Never allow yourself to be made a victim. Accept no one’s definition of your life, but define yourself." — Harvey Fierstein
Self-confidence is defined by dictionary.com as, “realistic confidence in one's own judgment; ability; power."
From the time we were small children, we were always told that we were capable of anything we put our minds to. As we grow up, life happens, meaning things aren’t always going to go as we plan. People may say and do things that alter the ways in which we think and feel about ourselves. They will label us, categorize us, and put us in a box. Some people will hurt us, bully us, and try to tear us down emotionally. How others define us isn’t our definition. We define ourselves. We can choose to let what they say affect us, or we can continue to grow and empower ourselves to do whatever we set our minds to.
“Get excited about all of the many beautiful accomplishments that you are able to achieve. Whether they are tackled step by step or conquered in a single shot, you are able to achieve whatever you set your mind to.” —Nicole Addison
There’s a fine line between confidence and arrogance. There’s nothing wrong with being confident in yourself, your strengths, and abilities. Confidence can help us in our interactions and achievements.
“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection” — Buddha
Not all of us are always confident, however, we all have the ability to be confident and radiate that confidence. Believe in yourself and keep a positive attitude. Whether or not you see it or someone else sees it, all you can do is try. Give yourself a start. We get to decide how confident we are. We alone have the power to make decisions about ourselves at any given point in our lives. We can also celebrate others, boosting their confidence. One action can start a chain reaction.
“If only you could sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person.” — Fred Rogers