Genuine Confidence | Part - 1
What it really looks like?
“A bird on a tree fears not the branch breaking, for its faith rests not on the branch, but on the strength of its wings.”1
“…only one who has risked the fight with the dragon and is not overcome by it wins the hoard, the ‘treasure had to attain.’ He alone has a genuine claim to self-confidence.… This experience gives some faith and trust…in the ability of the self to sustain him….He has acquired the right to believe that he will be able to overcome all future threats by the same means. He has arrived at an inner certainty which makes him capable of self reliance.” 2
True confidence does not mean being completely free from fear and self-doubt; these feelings are inherent to being confident. Being confident isn’t about not having these feelings at all but about trusting in your ability to move forward despite them.3
This confidence is not something you are born with or acquire simply by giving yourself a boost and having pep talks in front of the mirror, but through real-world actions and experiences. The belief is built through the real work.4 It’s remembering how you’ve faced and overcome challenges before, even when they initially seemed impossible and like the end of the tunnel, and recognizing that you can do the same even now.
Ultimately, true confidence is about choosing to keep moving forward and trusting in your ability to handle whatever comes your way—even when it feels overwhelming—just as you’ve done before.
(And if you haven’t had such experiences before, how about creating them now?)
Thank you for reading, and especially for investing some of your most valuable resources—your time and attention—in this piece.
I hope you found it valuable in some way. I acknowledge that I haven't figured it all out yet; therefore, feel free to reply with any thoughts you have. If you know someone who would be interested in reading this, please forward it to them.
However, even taking the time out of your day to read what I have to share means more to me than you can imagine. Once again, thank you for reading.
Recrafted using AI: The words “A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because its trust is not on the branch but on its own wings” which are originally attributed to Charlie Wardle. I came across these words through this reel quoting it by Jouplifts (Instagram), which emphasizes self-reliance.
Carl Jung, The Symbolic Life
This essay probably wouldn’t have been written if I hadn’t watched the video “What Real Self-Confidence Looks Like” by my favorite online writer,
. In this video, he debunks the myth that confidence means being fearless. Instead, true confidence involves facing fear and self-doubt and choosing to keep moving forward despite them. He emphasizes that real confidence is about persevering through challenges and focusing on what you can control, rather than never feeling fear or doubt.Inspired by the podcast episode “David Goggins - How to Build Extreme Mental Strength" on the Modern Wisdom Podcast by Chris Williamson.
Keep writing!