The confidence or self-esteem has many connotations, some positive, some negative. Confidence can be defined as the state of being at ease in one’s own skin and mind. Self-esteem on the other hand can be defined as the state of being completely pleased with ones own self worth.
Both confidence and self-esteem are positive states of mind that have tremendous impact on performance and achievement. They are both essential to our psychological make up. Where one is low confidence, it is not uncommon for the other to be equally low. For example, a confident person may know how to perform a task, but if they lack in self-esteem, they may give up before they have begun. A confident person may have all the answers to a tough situation, but lack the self-esteem to ask questions or doubt themselves.
As children we begin to display self-confidence and are often rewarded for this at the end of a test. This leads to the false belief that we will also receive a prize for performing well. This leads to a pattern of poor self-esteem that continues into adulthood. While it may be natural for some of us to think in terms of competition, the reality is that competition is usually between ourselves and not others.
Confidence also helps us feel good about who we are and makes us feel confident when meeting new people. We know we look good and can perform well when our inner confidence is at its highest. It is therefore very important to build and reinforce confidence. Unfortunately there are many people who lack confidence, or have a low opinion of their own self worth.
It is very easy to convince ourselves to believe that we can do nothing right. Confidence boosters will help us stay motivated and focused as well as keep us positive. Confidence affects our entire being. When we have high confidence, we know that we can achieve great things. We are not distracted and are able to concentrate more effectively.
Having self-esteem also has amazing benefits when working in any business. It is vital that we realise that we are in control of our destiny and not everyone is going to like us for who we are. We can’t let other people tell us who we should be as if they do then we will never achieve our potential. It is amazing how changing your perception of yourself can have a profound impact on your level of confidence. In fact some studies have shown that those who have high self-esteem also outperform others in competitive events.
Another reason why having high self-esteem is vital is because of the effect it has on our productivity. People who are confident are more productive than those with low self-esteem. In fact research has shown that self-esteem and confidence to make the best workers. To sum up, there are many benefits of owning high self-esteem and confidence. We can enjoy them by applying them in our every day life.
Over time you can develop your own strategies to ensure that you remain focused, confident and in control of your self. However you can’t expect to have the perfect world with only one strategy. The aim is to build a solid foundation of self-confidence that is strong enough to survive any difficulty that might come our way. This article has provided you with an overview of the main factors relating to self-esteem vs. confidence.
Self-esteem and confidence can both be acquired and built over time. We must first believe in ourselves and then we must put our beliefs into practice. It is very important to constantly evaluate our self-image and see if our opinion of ourselves is correct. Only when we accept that we are imperfect but that we have tremendous potential can we ever hope to improve as people.
Confidence can be developed through constant reflection. We should never stop learning new things and trying to understand ourselves. By understanding what makes us tick we can apply this knowledge to our daily work. For example, if we know that having a good sense of humour is advantageous then we should make time to spend some time each day reading jokes. If we spend time building our self-esteem we will never begrudge a silly or even sometimes foolish joke.
Self-esteem and confidence must never be used as an excuse for failure. Confidence can be a wonderful ally but self-esteem must be used correctly. It can be gained by working at our own pace and not rushing to complete a project or meet a deadline. By putting in the time and effort to build up our confidence each day we can have a much more satisfying experience in our daily work. It doesn’t matter how great a writer you are if you fail to live up to your full potential because of low self-esteem.