TRAITS OF CONFIDENCE

“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Never give it.” – Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

IN THE introduction of my book Winning with Confidence, I broadly define a confident person as one who is strong-willed, independent and God-focused.

STRONG-WILLED
TO BE strong-willed means you are unbending. I like to explain it in these three terms:

1. Conviction: To have conviction means to be certain and unwavering about your dreams, beliefs, principles and values. Lack of conviction would produce inconsistencies and instability in your life. To have crystal enduring results, it is useful to be firm in your heart. You must be sure of what you want and live your life in pursuit of it.

2. Commitment: When you are confident about something, you sell yourself to it. There is no better way to express confidence than to commit yourself to what you profess to be confident in. being merely aggressive is not as solid a sign of commitment as proving that you are committed. You show commitment by devoting your talents, time, intellect and other resources to what you believe in.

3. Character: Character is who you are at all times. Your conviction would dovetail into your personality. For you to be the same person at all times requires that you have conviction. Your confidence gives you the nerve to hold on to your values and moral principles in the midst of the most tempting situations. When you have a consistent personality, you earn the trust of people.

INDEPENDENT
TO BE independent implies that you are in charge of your life. Three qualities define an independent person.

1. Sense of responsibility: Every human being living on earth has a divine task to perform. It’s up to us to recognise this task and spend our lives fulfilling it. Once you discover your assignment, it must become imperative to you. People who grasp their purpose in life would not be tossed by every new wave that hits town. The main thing that should drive your life is your purpose.

2. Self-motivation: A confident person knows what they are about in life so they are able to initiate action. They develop the capacity to launch themselves into their dreams. They don’t wait to be told what to do. Internally-motivated people acts out of their own conviction and understanding.

3. Sense of security: Here, I am talking about emotional well-being and liberty. One of the most basic needs of humans is to be accepted by others and be treated with respect and dignity. When people accept and respect you, it boosts your confidence. Nevertheless, not everybody would accept you at all times. That is why you must be content with yourself. Really, when people’s high opinion of you is contrary to how you feel about yourself, they will eventually be empowered to abuse you. If the abuse persists, you are likely to lose your sense of value. I agree with former US First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt that, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. Never give it.” To ‘never give it,’ you must learn to accept yourself.

GOD-FOCUSED
THERE is no better confidence booster than having God as the ultimate reason for your existence. To be able to do this, three conditions must be fulfilled.

1. Deliverance from sin: This kind of deliverance is known in Christian circles as salvation. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, “salvation of a person or their spirit is the state of being saved from evil and its effects by the death of Jesus Christ on a cross.”

Sometimes, people do not radiate confidence because of their personal inadequacies. No matter how hard you try, you cannot obliterate your imperfections. But Jesus offers a solution. By His crucifixion, our sins are taken care of. He shed his blood to wash away our imperfections. If you admit your weaknesses and offload them to Him, you will be liberated from their hold

2. Delight in God: By taking pleasure in the things of God, your deepest needs and aspirations will be met. With such needs met, confident is what you will be.

3. Desire to please God: Anybody who truly desires to please God is 100 per cent assured of peace, prosperity and blessings.

IT IS my hope that your journey of life will be a confident march; one that you would really relish.


© March 2012 Terry Mante
PEDNET
Accra, Ghana