The Primoridial Confidence

Dear viewers,

Welcome back, this week, Hemal will be writing an article for you guys. Before we get into the specifics let us think about the topic we are going to discuss.

Confidence.

It is a trait that a lot of people want to have but it is a trait that a lot of us also lack. We must ask ourselves why confident people are held in such high regard, and how someone who is not naturally inclined to be confident can become more confident.

Let us look at the first point. Confidence is held in high regard since it is the ideal quality in a leader. Being confident means that you are able to voice your opinion, direct and organise other people – all of which are needed in a leader.

We must bear in mind however that it is not just leaders that need confidence. If you are not inclined to be a leader or Manager, even a good team member needs to have confidence to voice their opinion and contribute to discussions and plans.

Normal human society is organised into people in positions of perceived power i.e. leaders, and others who follow and carry out tasks. Conventual wisdom would suggest leaders have all the ideal qualities and have a higher rank, however this could not be further from the truth. Leaders may be better at organising others, but often the people carrying out the tasks will have greater knowledge and technical ability. In fact, they also need to be confident since they can influence the leader’s decision making.[1]

Now let us look at how to become more confident. I am sure by now you understand the importance of being confident.

We will not discuss confidence in the context of posting pictures on social media here since that is an entirely different kettle of fish and far more complex. Instead, we will discuss how confidence could apply in the workplace or social settings.

Confidence can be cultivated firstly by introspection. You must understand that most opinions (apart from the very extremes) are valid and most questions are also valid. Hence, someone who is not confident should abandon the fear of being judged and voice their opinion. Secondly, they should understand that most people are in-fact not judgmental, they will on the contrary, be interested in what you have to say or contribute. It is interesting to note that some of the most impactful ideas that are brought about by people having the confidence to express them tend to appear daft at the start[2].

Having confidence in the most daring situations is a highly desirable trait. Whether you are going to speak up against injustice when everyone is silent or lead your platoon of soldiers to complete a highly important yet daring mission. Science has shown that when people are confident they activate nerves in the values areas of the brain- namely the striatum and prefrontal cortex.[3] If we activate these regions more frequently we will feel more confident and enjoy better mental health.

How could we apply this in our daily lives, however? The most common expression of where having a high level of confidence would be needed and is often beneficial is cold approaching people and starting a conversation. This is reference to meeting new people at university, school or at work—where such activities would be considered appropriate. Having the Confidence to do this can help you establish a large network of people. The first few approaches may be nerve wracking. But eventually they become easier when they are done more frequently.

I hope this article has illustrated the importance of being confident in the modern age. Why don’t you try and improve your confidence today with the tips that have been outlined?

Stay safe and stay inquisitive !

[1] Meter, Karl. (2014). Structures of Human Societies. Sociology Mind. 04. 36-44. 10.4236/sm.2014.41005. [2]https://www.quora.com/What-were-the-top-5-most-revolutionary-ideas-ever[3]https://www.forbes.com/sites/carolyncenteno/2018/04/18/your-brain-on-confidence/#5377add60cb6

Are you ready to make that new connection?

Stay tuned for more next week!