Self Confidence versus Arrogance

Self confidence is the ability to trust your own decisions and instincts.  People that posses a great amount of self confidence are often successful, focused, and flexible individuals who can handle any situation life may throw at them.  A self confident individual know he or she has the potential to take on the world and come out on top.  Those that surround a self confident individual are made aware of his or her nature by his or her actions.  People that are self confident prove so by their actions, not their words.  If you find yourself constantly trying to impress friends, family, coworkers, or superiors by stating your self confidence, you have clearly crossed the line into arrogance.  The difference between these two attributes are tremendously different, but the line regarding the actions and attitudes of these attributes is not clearly defined.  Quite often, individuals who are usually remarkably self confident cross the line into clear arrogance without knowledge.

If your family, friends, coworkers, or superiors see you as arrogant, all the positive attributes of your self confidence has been thrown out the window.  Instead of trying to impress individuals through your words, impress them through your actions.  The old adage, “actions speak louder than words” is quite evident in this case and should be taken literally.  Who are you more likely to trust, an individual who makes outrageous claims and boasts or an individual who can prove he or she can successfully execute the task at hand?  Which one of these individuals seems more trustworthy and will be valued higher because he or she is able to get the job done without feeling the need to boast or brag about a completed project or a new conquest.  If you are unsure whether you come across as a self confident individual or an arrogant fool who makes lofty claims but cannot produce the end product, ask your friends, coworkers, or family members.  Carefully select your audience as choosing some individuals, a parent perhaps, will skew the results of your survey.

If you find that you come across as arrogant instead of polished and self confident, rethink your method of approach.  Instead of boasting or bragging about your personal victories, find a way to spotlight someone else’s work.  Take on a task that requires group input and begin working as a full-fledged team member.  Carefully think about your statements when speaking with a friend, family member, or colleague and do not bombard them with negative comments or critiques and speaks highly of yourself.

Begin the process of transforming your arrogance into self confidence.  Think of self confidence as knowing you can complete a goal and arrogance as telling everyone you will be able to complete said goal in a taunting or boastful manner.  Begin reshaping your arrogance into self confidence by electing to take on tasks or goals that you have not successfully completed before.  Instead of easily tackling the same project, branch out and try something unrelated.  True self confidence will allow you to begin and finish this project without worrying about your abilities in any area.  Spend more time on accomplishing goals than boasting about your successes.

Once you have successfully make the transformation from arrogant to self confident, you can have the opportunity to live your life in a new fashion.  If your arrogant ways has insulted or belittled individuals in the past, strive to make amends of the situation.  Turn over a new leaf and work to remain self confident without crossing over the boundary into arrogance again.  You will soon find possessing an attribute like self confidence will get you far in the quest to complete your goals.