When you think of a confident person or even the word itself ‘confident’, you imagine someone that doesn’t have a care in the world and knows what they want in life or they’re probably an extrovert.
There have been studies by numerous people (don’t comment and say I'm wrong if you know how to use the internet) that state confident people are seen as more trustworthy.
When it comes to confidence, one thing is certain: truly confident people always have the upper hand over the doubtful and the skittish, because they inspire others and they make things happen.
I think Henry Ford said it best:
Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t — you’re right.
Ford’s notion that your mentality has a powerful effect on your ability to succeed is manifest in the results of a recent study at the University of Melbourne where confident people went on to earn higher wages and get promoted more quickly than anyone else.
Manz people often approach developing or learning confidence in a ‘fake it till you make it’, approach. By allowing yourself to be more out there in the way you express yourself, that is, through body language, more people will tend to trust you based on how you sound and how you perceive yourself.
Oftentimes, it is assumed confidence is something you’re born with or something only extroverted people have. I’ve come to terms that confidence is a skill and something you learn with time.
Yes, extroverts have the upper hand as their ability to talk endlessly and be in a room filled with numerous people allows them to develop confidence at a faster rate, compared to other people.
How to become confident?
There isn’t a formula for becoming confident. I myself am not an expert.
Many times some of my actions may have me appear as though I am confident, but I tend to be merely direct or rather impatient with things that can be said or done at that moment, and often people will see that as confidence for not beating about the bush.
I was never like this and it has taken practice, and slowly getting there. However, as an introvert, I often prefer to observe and node whilst in the presence of numerous people that are unknown to me and only answer when asked, otherwise I like to avoid talking about myself.
Simple activities like going to a cafe alone or traveling solo do allow you to grow your confidence at your pace as well as allow you to learn more about yourself without the influence of those who ‘know’ you but don’t.
My advice for people lacking confidence is the first step would be doing an activity you like by yourself; if it accommodates that of course, and slowly build up from there.
Feel free to leave a comment on some ways you think someone can grow their confidence. :)
