Four Myths About Building Self-Confidence

People who have self-confidence believe in themselves and feelnthat they are capable of achieving what they want in life, orndealing with any situation that they may have to face. They havenan aura of self-confidence and self-assurance, which is apparentnto others. People like to spend time with them; they feelncomfortable and secure in their presence.

In contrast, there are many people who are reasonably talented,nbut who lack self-confidence. These people are victims of thenseveral myths that surround self-confidence.

1. One of the foremost myths about self-confidence is that peoplenare born with self-confidence. It is a quality that cannot benacquired. Nothing can be farther from truth. Self-confidence,nlike other skills, can be built. All that you need is rightnguidance and a belief in yourself.

2. There are others who blame their low self-confidence to thei
lack of good looks and poor upbringing. They don't realize thatnself-confidence has nothing to do with their looks. It is anreflection of one's confidence. The only way they can overcomenthis myth is by learning to believe in themselves. In fact,ntalent and self-confidence are not inter-related.

There are scores of talented actors and actresses who do very nwell in their professions but whose personal lives are torn by nlack of self-confidence. It may sound contradictory, but this nis how life is.

Talent can be an important component of self-confidence, but itnis certainly not a substitute for self-confidence. So, don'tnworry about lack of talent. Harness the skills that you possess.

3. Another myth is that self-confidence is directly proportional tonthe recognition and praise that an individual gets in his or hernlife; the ones who are not so lucky wallow in self-pity. Oncenagain, there is little doubt that recognition and praise make younfeel good about yourself, and boost your self-confidence.

But you can't simply depend on the praise lavished by others.
You have to work hard to earn that praise, and you can do thisnonly if you are self-confident. The same applies to those who are notnsuccessful. They, too, can earn praise if they work hard and winnpeople's respect.

Such people should look at children. Children believe innthemselves, and this gives them the self-confidence to try to donthings they have never done before, be it learning how to cyclenor how to swim.

In fact, no child comes into the world knowingnall the skills. But it does not take long to teach children mostnof the basic skills. Then, why should it be difficult for adultsnto learn new skills or brave new challenges?

4. Another myth is that only self-confident people can afford tontake risks. This again is not true. In fact, self-confidentnpeople are more realistic about their capabilities. They knownwhat they can do, and what they can't do. More importantly, theynknow how to deal with failures.

In contrast, people who lack self-confidence are afraid of failure.
This fear prevents them from taking on new tasks. They constantly npine for the approval of others, and when they don't get it nthey end up losing their self-confidence.

What is apparent is the lack of understanding. People mustnrealize that self-confidence is a state of mind. It is notndependent upon a person's beauty or looks. It flows from anperson's self-belief, and this belief can be built.

All that a person needs to do is to debunk myths that self-nconfidence cannot be acquired or that self-confidence is a nbyproduct of exceptional knowledge, skills and luck.
Once they do so, they will find it easier to acquire the nsame magnetic powers that self-confident people have.