“Confidence is key” is a phrase I’m sure you’re very familiar with. Confidence is having a strong sense of self-assurance and believing in your abilities and character. It allows you to experience life to your fullest potential and gives you more freedom from the constraints of social anxiety. Arrogance, on the other hand, is having an exaggerated sense of self-importance and superiority over others. The similarities between the two revolve around the understanding of your own self-worth. The difference is to what extent you take your self-importance. The importance of being aware and sure of yourself is something that should be and is stressed to everyone. But, if you get to a point where you think so highly of yourself that you begin to look down on others, you might need to swallow your pride. With self-worth, self-love and confidence rightfully being preached over social media now more than ever, it’s also important to touch on the subject of how to decipher between confidence and arrogance. Here are a few ways you can tell the difference.
Listener vs Know-It-All
Someone who can’t take constructive criticism or help from another can pretty easily be classified as arrogant. Although in certain situations it may feel like you know exactly what you’re doing, it’s always best to be open-minded and take new ideas and suggestions from others in order to optimize your potential. Someone who is confident can take advice from others because they’re fully aware of the benefits that come from being open-minded and adaptable. Contrarily, arrogant people see advice as a shot to their ego – an indication that they might not know something. The ability to accept constructive criticism from others shows that you’re confident in who you are and don’t place yourself above others.
Craving Validation vs. Knowing Self-Worth
Arrogant people definitely come across as genuinely knowing how great they are. There is some truth to that, but, generally, most arrogant people crave validation from others. They constantly need to be complimented in order for them to feel good about themselves. It’s hidden quite well, but deep down, arrogant people are some of the most insecure people. A key difference between the confident and the arrogant is that confident people find validation within themselves. This means that they don’t need to hear about how great they are from others. They accept themselves and are genuinely happy with who they are. Remember, the only person you need to impress is yourself!
Humble vs. Bragging
Constant bragging ties in with needing validation from others. It’s more than okay to be excited about an achievement and to want to share it with everyone, but when you feel like you need to share it with everyone and when it’s the only thing you talk about then it starts to become arrogant. Take your time to shine and embrace it because you deserve it, but don’t let it inflate your ego!
Empathy vs. Apathy
Last, but definitely not least, is the ability you have to empathize with other people. Being able to understand and share in someone’s emotions is something that humanizes you. Conversely, being apathetic further displays that you think the whole world revolves around you. There’s also an element of genuineness that comes with empathy. Some people are very good at playing roles and disguising their true selves, but the one thing that gives them away is genuineness. It’s easy to sense how authentic someone is by how genuinely they care for others!
At the end of the day, it all boils down to the golden rule – treat others as you wish to be treated. It’s as simple as that. Be the best version of yourself and be kind to others. Simply knowing you can do that is all you need to be confident!