Loss of Confidence

 

Confidence is a state of being that is generally described as knowing you have chosen the right course of action that is best or most effective for you. Self confidence on the other hand is being confident in one’s self, knowing that you possess the necessary skills to successfully complete a task. Although one may have the ability to perform a task, a lack of self confidence may cause feelings of fear (primarily risk of failure) and as such lead to giving up or not trying.

Myths:

• Self confidence comes from my genes, it’s inherited.

Answer: No, self confidence is not inherited, it’s something you can learn.

 

• Some people are confident in everything they do.

Answer: Self confidence does not generalise to all tasks or activities, instead there are differing confidence levels for differing activities.

 

• Self confidence remains the same throughout your life, if you are a confident person you stay confident despite changes arising (for better or worse) due to new events or situations.

Answer: No, self confidence changes with time and experience and events can shift, alter, or cause one to question their self belief.

 

• Self confidence comes from external factors such as being rich or athletic.

Answer: No, being successful does not equate to feeling confident.  Every situation is different and as such will bring with it differing levels of confidence.

 

Self confidence is when there is an acceptance of all the possible consequences of a particular situation, irrespective of whether they are good or bad. When confident, a person will not dwell on the negative consequences (i.e., worrying about failure or judgement of others) but rather focus on the actual situation. Such an approach can be learnt and practiced allowing one to enjoy the situation more openly and freely.