It’s been proven through research that people who are confident are more successful in all areas of life when compared to those who don’t consider themselves confident. Better career success, stronger relationships, and a greater sense of happiness are all likely to result from confidence.
However, becoming and remaining confident are no easy tasks. Some adults would go as far as to say that they’ve never truly felt confident their entire lives. It’s a sad but true reality.
One of the things you can and should do as you’re on the road to gaining confidence is changing your mindset. You can start by debunking the seven following myths.
1. You’re either 100% confident, or you’re not at all.
One of the biggest myths about confidence is that you must be completely confident at all times, and if you aren’t, then you can’t be classified as a confident person. This is completely wrong.
Confidence can come and go. And just because you’re feeling less confident than usual doesn’t mean that you aren’t a confident individual overall. However, this black and white thinking can make you feel that way and psychologically prevent you from becoming your most confident self.
2. Being confident means you’re conceited.
The more confident one is, the more likely they are to be called “conceited” by others. While many conceited people are confident, not all confident people are conceited. Being confident and being conceited are two completely different things. Unlike conceit and ego, confidence can be carried out humbly.
3. Confidence only has to do with how you feel about your appearance.
Wrong. You can feel confident about things other than just the way you look. Confidence can be felt within your career, your parenting style, your ability to perform a certain task, and so on.
4. You must be born with confidence.
In actuality, confidence can be something you can learn. Although some people are essentially “born” confident or are raised to be such, even decades into your life, you can still find ways to gain it, even with your own effort.
5. Only extroverts can be confident.
People often link extroversion with talking a lot, having many friends, being popular, and being loud. And in turn, they link the latter things with confidence. Although, even individuals who are considered introverted or more to themselves can be confident in their own skin. Personality doesn’t always link with confidence.
6. Becoming confident is very difficult.
It’s true that confidence doesn’t always come easy, and it’s not something you can just gain overnight. Although, even today, you can do little things to boost your level of confidence, even just a tad, like reciting positive affirmations in your head or doing something intimidating that you’ve never done before.
7. Only you’re capable of helping yourself become confident.
Although we should not rely on other people such as friends, family members, or a partner to help bring out our confidence, we still have the option to reach out to professionals who can assist us on our confidence journey. A therapist, counsellor, or even hypnotherapist may be able to help.
Options such as these are literally right at our fingertips. In fact, you can learn hypnosis today or even schedule your first therapy or counselling appointment right now. Just admitting you need this professional help is big progress.
Conclusion
Confidence doesn’t come easy but neither does anything good in life. It’s something that we must work hard for if it’s something we genuinely want. The first step is to eradicate the many myths surrounding confidence in your mind. Once you are clear of these, gaining self-confidence will be easier than ever before.
