Confidence: Believe in and Trust Yourself

The word confidence originates from the Latin root fidere, meaning “to trust,” combined with the prefix con- meaning “with” or “fully.” Confidence, then, is the habit of self-trust—learning to trust your talents, abilities, beliefs, ideas, and vision. At its core, confidence is the decision to believe in yourself.

But how does one achieve a strong level of confidence?

Consider this example: John is not a confident dancer. Because he does not trust his ability to perform skillfully, he avoids dancing in public. John does not believe in his dancing abilities. How could John move from insecurity to genuine confidence? There are two common pathways:

1. Feedback and outcomes. People often lack confidence because someone once told them they were not good at something. Conversely, praise and recognition build confidence. Success reinforces self-trust: win a chess match, and you trust your chess skills; ace a test, and you believe in your reasoning ability.

2. Practice. Skills improve with consistent effort. If John practices dancing three times a week, he will gradually improve. Each improvement builds trust in his ability, which strengthens confidence. The same applies to reasoning, writing, leadership—any skill we dedicate ourselves to.

   
   

Confidence, then, often begins with specific abilities. But there is a deeper, more profound confidence that matters even more: confidence in yourself as a whole person. This is the belief that no matter the challenge, you can learn, adapt, and rise to meet it. It is the conviction that you are capable of growth, even when you begin at zero.

Without this deeper confidence, trust in particular skills will always feel fragile. With it, you gain the assurance that you can take on new challenges, embrace risks, and step into the unknown with courage.

Another important point is to distinguish between the skills that are essential for your responsibilities and those that are not. If you aspire to be an attorney, logic is essential—your clients will benefit from your strength in reasoning and suffer from its absence. But dancing, for most people, is about joy, not professional mastery. So you can dance freely without worrying about being perfect. Confidence includes knowing when excellence is required and when simple participation is enough.

Finally, confidence is not only about the person you are now, but also about the person you are becoming. True confidence allows you to act as your future self—to behave today in ways that reflect the growth you aspire to. A shy person who begins speaking in public is not being inauthentic; they are expressing confidence in their capacity to grow into a more courageous self. Confidence, therefore, is not only trusting your present self but also trusting your potential self.

Reflection:Think of an area in your life where you feel uncertain. What small steps of practice or feedback could help you build confidence? And more importantly, what does your future self—the person you are striving to become—already know about your ability to succeed?