Confidence Is Key

We have all met someone who just exudes confidence. Whether it’s that salesman that just seems to say all the right words, or the woman or gentleman that just walks into a room and there’s just something about their sheer presence. They are well prepared, they say all the right words, and can answer all of your questions. We’ve all seen it, experienced it, and perhaps some of us possess it. It’s the X factor.

I didn’t always have the confidence that I have today. I was classified as the “stupid kid”. It wasn’t for the lack of effort, but I struggled with school. I was the youngest kid in my class. My teachers suggested to hold me back, but my mom pushed for me to move forward, as socially I would be fine. When I started first grade, it was a rough transition. The comprehension wasn’t clicking. In second grade they brought me to the “one and a half grade”, somewhere in between first and second grade. This destroyed my confidence. Looking back, I know it wasn’t personal, nobody intentionally put me down, but when you start being pushed backwards, it starts to wear on you. In third grade, fourth grade, and so on, I was given a tutor. I was labeled the “stupid kid”.

This started to affect my mental mindset and even my mom started to notice that I was lacking confidence. My mom had me stand in front of a mirror and asked me to say these three words; “I’m happy, healthy, terrific”. I remember standing in front of the three-foot, blue rimmed mirror, staring at myself, unable to say those three words. I wasn’t happy, I wasn’t healthy, and I wasn’t terrific. I was miserable, I was stupid, and my self-image was shattered. Then acne kicked in and now, not only was my internal confidence gone, but so was my external confidence. Life was horrible at that age.

Things began to change when I went off to college. I surrounded myself with people who taught me how to have confidence. I built my own internal confidence. I started working out and grew some muscles, grew some peach fuzz. I actually shaved and became a man. I had all these life experiences and was able to transition those negative experiences into positive outcomes. I now go by a million-dollar mantra: everybody loves me, they just don’t know it yet.

Confidence is key, and the great part about confidence is there’s no GPA, no SAT score, no prequalifications for it. Some of us possess it, and others will die to have it. It’s such a powerful tool that can be used every day in every aspect of our life. Work on building your internal confidence so that you can succeed in life.

Stand a little taller today and have yourself an amazing day!