While I was shamelessly trolling on Facebook, I found a few different articles that really got me thinking. Nothing bad, in fact, it was very eye opening. These Buzzfeed articles (this one and this one), although funny, made me think about our individuality in relation to our confidence. I try to live in the mindset that I’m fine just the way I am, but that there’s always a little room for improvement. But if there’s room for improvement, then why should I be confident with who I am? I’m obviously not being the best version of myself, right?
WRONG.
Being the best version of yourself means you’re doing the best you can do at any moment and you recognize the need for change and adaptations in life. With that being said, it dawned on me- all the times I was feeling beyond insecure it’s because I compared myself to another person.
I’m not the same as you; you’re not the same as me. Does that make who we are wrong? No, absolutely not. It makes us individuals. I believe that there is a reason we question ourselves all the time. But it’s not a logical reason. Logically, we question ourselves to find more of ourselves. On the other hand, we question ourselves because the media (print, social, news) tells us that we aren’t good enough. We shouldn’t be happy with who we are because we have so many improvements to be made.
That sounds melodramatic, but think about it. Make-up commercials, “Buy our product to make your skin look flawless because you’re not pretty unless it is!” Fitness commercials (sometimes diet pills/programs), “You’re fat, I was just like you! Use this product!” And those are just a few to get the ideas rolling. Believe it or not, these messages are being subliminally integrated into our brains simply by having exposure to them. It’s hard to believe that it could happen to you, but I promise we are all exposed.
The intent of saying those things isn’t to make you think you can’t watch TV or that you have to be on hyper alert all the time about subliminal messages. The point is to have you understand that there are so many different ways to be the person you want to be.
I’m very confident when it comes to my ability of many different things, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to shove it down your throat. I know plenty of people who are shy, but more confident than people who speak to hundreds of people daily. It’s not about what everyone else is doing. It’s about how you feel about what you’re doing. Life isn’t something you can compare because there are endless circumstantial differences between every single person. Just because someone is extremely extroverted and makes it seem like he or she is the most confident person in the room doesn’t mean you can’t be introverted and be confident in your own abilities.
Know what you can do, appreciate it, and use your strengths to make your life what you want it to be. Confidence is not just being able to talk to huge crowds or make new friends in every situation. Confidence is feeling that you can rely on or trust something. Self-confidence is the feeling that you can trust yourself. If you know you can rely on yourself, then you’re confident enough. Allow your newfound confidence to take you to new heights, collegiette!