I read a quote today in my morning journals by Helen Keller that said,
“Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.”
The question that followed asked,
“how do you develop your confidence and what gives you an extra boost of confidence?”
I thought about this and I figured it would be very appropriate to talk about it on my blog given this is a blog is centered around self-confidence and the ability to overcome insecurities and any socially inapt issues that one may have.
My journey and finding confidence really began in high school. It started off by realizing how intimidated I felt by almost everything and everyone. I didn’t know how to cope, which instilled in me hopelessness which grew out of it, anxiety and depression. College did nothing to change this either.
One day it all changed by realizing this dreaded reality. Then, doing something I should have done a long while ago, take action and do something about it.
The first step to my solution, knowledge of people. In other word, a little psychology.
Have you ever broken down an unfamiliar topic about a subject and felt confident about teaching it to others? Maybe you’re so engaged with the subject that you may even call yourself an expert and try to answer any question pertaining to it.
The psychology of people is no different than any subject or task you initially find daunting. Once you dissect the minds and hearts of others, intimidation dwindles.
It was the simple act of opening a book or reading an article, that lead me to dive deeper into profound knowledge of the human mind and heart. There was one particular theme of people:
We’re all imperfect.
It may seem obvious, but that statement comes with loaded implications. No one is better than the other, we’re not superhuman and we’re all flawed.
The saying that everyone is out there “winging it” is true. For years I thought that by a certain age I would have it all figured it out. When I was in middle school I thought that by 18 I would have it all set in stone or maybe perhaps at 25 things will go smoothly for me.
The fact is, it’s quite the opposite. There’s so much more that I don’t know because of the more of life that is revealed to me as I age.
I find that if you are a mature adult then you’ll realize that you don’t have it all together and you actually will be humble enough to accept this reality.
Moral of the story: Don’t be fooled by other and their position, status, or even their mere existence (for those who are extremely anxious when meeting others). No one has it perfect.
Now, go out there and hold your head up high and don’t allow people to intimidate you. We’re all in this together as a community. You can be confidence in accepting yourself and others.
The Quiet Onez 