“Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.” Dale Carnegie
11 Qualities of Truly Confident People
1. Confidence is not bravado, or swagger. Confidence is the foundation for everything in life. Courage flows out of confidence.
2. Confidence is quiet – it’s a natural expression of ability, competence, and self-respect.
3. Confident people make you feel comfortable.
4. Confidence is power under control. The Bible has a term for it: “meek.” Meek isn’t weak. Meek is “power under control.” Western culture has morphed the meaning of meek into something never intended.
5. Confident people listen more than they speak. Truly confident people are quiet and unassuming. They already know what they think; they want to know what YOU think. Truly confident people realize they know a lot, but they wish they knew more… and they know the only way to learn more is to ask questions and listen more.
6. Confident people let the spotlight shine on others. Truly confident people don’t need the glory; they know what they’ve achieved. They don’t need the validation of others, because true validation comes from within. So they stand back and celebrate their accomplishments through others. They stand back and let others shine – a confidence boost that helps those people become truly confident, too.
7. Confident people take a stand because they are not afraid to be wrong. Confident people don’t mind being proven wrong. They think finding out what is right is a lot more important than being right. And when they’re wrong, they’re secure enough to back down graciously.
8. Confident people ask for help. Too many people feel that asking for help is a sign of weakness. Confident people are secure enough to admit a weakness. So they often ask others for help. They also know that when they seek help they pay the person they ask a huge compliment.
9. Confident people don’t put down other people. Generally speaking, the people who like to speak badly of others, do so because they hope by comparison to make themselves look better. The only comparison a truly confident person makes is to the person they were yesterday – and to the person they know they can become.
10. Confident people aren’t afraid to look weak. When you’re truly confident, you don’t mind occasionally being in a situation where you aren’t at your best. Stretching is all about living on the edge.
11. Confident people can laugh at their own mistakes. Insecurity tends to breed artificiality; confidence breeds sincerity and honesty. When you’re truly confident, you don’t mind occasionally “looking bad.” You realize that when you’re genuine and unpretentious, people don’t laugh at you. They laugh with you.
APPLICATION: Why not give a shout-out to someone you know who epitomizes confidence. Share an experience or behavior from your interaction with them.
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