Confidence is key

I remember the first time I was on stage and it was in primary school. So we had this tradition whereby every Friday, a class would perform a play they had been practicing for  the previous week. I had cleverly avoided taking part in any of these until one day when the head of the school personally selected the participants and I was among the crew. So the very reason why I had been avoiding taking part is because I was terrified of being in front of the whole school with al those eyes on me. 

What will people think?
What if I mess up?
What if people don't like our play?
What if I forget my lines?

All these questions were running through my mind minutes before we went on stage and I was terrified. The funny thing is the moment I went on stage and said the first line from my script, everything just melted away. All the fear and nervousness just subsided to the joy of the moment and that is when I realized the power of confidence. Confidence means that you are sure of yourself and your abilities but not in an arrogant way though. Confidence is being completely convinced that you are the right person for the job and that you can complete it. Confidence opens a lot of doors because once you believe it yourself then it becomes possible.

Here are ways in which you can build your confidence:

1. Take action
   Much like the story I shared about my first time on stage, the best way to overcome that fear of judgement and build confidence is to just do what needs to be done. If public speaking is your weakness, volunteer to do a class presentation or to speak at a family gathering. The trick would be to start with a small group of familiar faces then work your up. So no matter what your fear is, just take action and you will slowly build permanent confidence.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Be yourself
   One of the main reasons why we may feel a low sense of confidence may be because we are looking at how awesome and great other people are and wishing to be like them. I was not the coolest kid in primary or secondary or even university but after my high school I was tired of trying to become other people. I decided to just focus on me and what I am good at instead of comparing myself to others. Confidence is not "they will like me". Confidence is "I will be fine if they don't".
3. Be consistent
   Consistency is a huge contributing factor when you want to build your confidence. If you are consistent at something, people will start trusting you to do that one thing and you will start trusting yourself to do more things and remain consistent at them as well. So the more consistent you are, the more confidence you build.

It is a new week with new possibilities. Ask yourself how you can improve your self-confidence this week and truly become who you are. Have a blessed week and Thank God it's Monday