If you have a confident person in your life, you may be amazed as you watch them do the incredible things they do.
That person is self-assured, always ready, and seemingly unshakable in the face of anything.
You may wonder - how on earth did that person develop so much confidence?
The answer is that there are many sources of confidence.
All people are unique, and the sources from which their confidence derives can be quite different.
However, there are some common sources from which confident people get their confidence.
1. Their Upbringing
People who grew up in supportive environments where they were encouraged to take risks, learn from mistakes.
They celebrate their successes and are more likely to develop a sense of confidence in their abilities.
Children are incredibly mouldable and formative when they are young.
The confident people in your life may have learned to be confident in themselves from a very early age.
That is how they were raised, and they completely assumed that confident attitude from childhood.
Because this is the way they were raised, it was the “normal” for them in their lives during these impressionable years.
2. The Amount of Positive Feedback They Receive
People who receive positive feedback and recognition for their accomplishments are more likely to feel confident in their skills and abilities.
This particular source of confidence is environmentally-dependent. If the confident person isn’t making a point to spend time around more people with positive attitudes, this source of confidence is nonexistent.
For example, if your confident friend makes a point to surround themselves with support and positivity, then they are existing in an environment that helps bolster their confidence.
In contrast, if they spend more time around negative naysayers, they would likely feel far less confident in themselves.
3. The Personal Achievements They Have Made
People who have achieved personal goals and overcome challenges are more likely to feel confident in their ability to succeed in future endeavours.
For example, even confident people experience hardships and challenges.
Your confident friend may have had a truly traumatising and emotional experience in the past.
But because they were able to overcome and move forward from what happened, they have a high level of confidence in themselves.
Similarly, confident people who keep track of their progress toward goals are likely to become even more confident in themselves. They can see how they are succeeding and achieving – even when everything isn’t absolutely perfect.
Because these people consider all their accomplishments and all the progress they’re making toward an ultimate goal, they are able to feel confident in their ability to succeed.
4. Their Specific Types of Knowledge or Expertise
People who have expertise in a particular area or field may feel confident in their abilities due to their deep knowledge and experience. For this source of confidence, knowledge is truly power!
For example, if your confident friend is an expert in the medical field, they likely know quite a bit about their specific area of focus.
If your confident friend is a surgeon who has performed countless successful, life-saving operations, he or she probably has a lot of confidence in themselves to use their knowledge and know-how for good.
Confident folks with specific types of expertise can exist among virtually every professional field or recreational interest.
For example, you may have confident folks like the surgeon mentioned above. However your other confident friend who has a knack for sewing, sports, or craftsmanship can also derive levels of confidence from their knowledge and expertise, too.
Q & A
Q: I lack confidence - how can I acquire it?
A: If you lack self confidence consider the sources discussed above.
The number one way to become self confident is to start talking to yourself in a positive way.
Never put yourself down and praise every achievement, no matter how small.
As your confidence grows, your success will grow.
As you become more self confident, others around you will begin to give you positive feedback that will bolster your self confidence even further.
Q: When does self confidence become conceit?
A: Those who are conceited have usually experienced the above in an excessive way.
For instance, parents over-praising a child. If you catch yourself in this mode, don’t castigate yourself, but acknowledge to yourself that you’re human and fallible.
Becoming self confident is an exercise in balance: between lacking self confidence and having too much self confidence. What that balance is depends on you.
