The MONTHLY Motivator - April 2008

Confidence

Confidence is a golden key to achievement of your most treasured dreams. Confidence will open doors for you and will enable you to perform with excellence once you get inside those doors. Confidence will earn you respect and will get you results. Confidence will free you from countless hours of wasted worry. It will bring a priceless energy and enthusiasm to whatever you undertake.

When you are confident in what you’re doing, that confidence speaks for itself. There’s no need to announce it, or brag about it, or show it off. For confidence, when you have it, is clearly obvious for all to see.

Sometimes people confuse confidence with arrogance. Yet true confidence is not demonstrated by arrogance. The two are completely different. Arrogance is a poor, pathetic substitute for confidence. Those who display arrogance certainly are trying to appear confident, hoping to give the illusion of confidence. Sometimes people are fooled by arrogance. But usually they’re not. Arrogance comes from a decided lack of confidence, and under scrutiny arrogance breaks down.

Confidence is evidenced by patience. Confidence is not loud. It is quiet, calmly persistent and effective. Confidence is not boastful. Rather, confidence is capable. Confidence does not change course with every shift in the wind. Confidence adjusts to the changes in order to remain on a sure and steady course. Confidence has the strength to be kind, and the courage to be truthful.

Confidence is genuine, and lives deep within you. Arrogance is a superficial, often vicious attempt to appear confident when there is really no underlying foundation for that confidence.

And confidence is irrefutable evidence of a strong and solid foundation. It’s something that is built and maintained, not something that can be put on and taken off like a jacket. To gain real confidence means putting in the effort and commitment to build the foundation for that confidence.

Confidence enables you to explore new ideas, to challenge the status quo, and to create real value in challenging situations. With confidence on your side, you can persist through all kinds of difficult situations. Confidence gives you the ability to seek and to follow the truth, even when that truth is unpopular or uncomfortable.

So many problems in this world would be so much less severe if more people would only have more confidence. Confidence can make an enormous difference in nearly every aspect of life. People who are truly confident do not have the need to attack or harm others. It’s only the arrogant, insecure people who do that. People who are confident are self-reliant, productive, compassionate, loving, caring and generous. On a personal level, confidence can make the difference between being stuck in a dead-end life and living each day with joy, purpose and fulfillment. Confidence can eliminate the wasted time of worrying. Confidence gives you an infectious energy and enthusiasm, and brings you the sincere respect of others.

So how do you get confidence? Confidence is not something that you acquire by seeking it directly. Rather, confidence accrues to you as the

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--Ralph Marston

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