Self-Confidence in 5 Minutes

What is self-confidence? The simplest, most effective and accurate definition is a state of inner tranquility in which you believe in yourself. In fact, the inner tranquility is the outcome of believing in yourself and in your ability to succeed. A simple example is an expert chef: he doesn’t suffer anxiety when he walks into the kitchen because he knows he’s capable of preparing appetizing food. An experienced pilot doesn’t suffer stress when he climbs in the cockpit, because he knows that he can effectively fly the plane.

That’s basic self-confidence. But, if you take the same chef and put him under the pressure of competing with a dozen other master chefs in an international cooking contest, he’ll need a higher level of self-confidence. Likewise, the same pilot who functions calmly in peacetime will need a much higher level of self-confidence in a situation of war when he must face enemy aircraft and anti-aircraft fire.

It’s the upper-level, cool-under-fire type of self-confidence that you’re about to attain in five minutes. Attaining is one thing; in order to maintain that level of self-confidence, you’ll need to review what you’re about to learn as frequently as possible.

To be confident in yourself, you need one lone primary spiritual resource: belief in G-d.

Without belief in the Creator, you can’t be truly happy or self-confident, especially under the type of high-level stress that we encounter in the modern world.

How does practical belief in the Creator give us the belief in ourselves that is the foundation to self-confidence? Here are the five basic explanations. The more we internalize them, the more we gain self-confidence:

1. The Creator created me, as He did every other creature, with a unique trait of my own that no one else has. Just as my fingerprints are unique, so is my soul. There is no exception to this rule.

2. The particular attribute, skill, or talent that Hashem instills in me enables me to capably and effectively accomplish my own very special mission on earth.

3. The Creator loves me and wants me to succeed. With that in mind, any setback I have is simply a message for me to shun complacency and strive for more growth.

4. I am a person of worth with virtually unlimited potential. To say or think otherwise is heresy, for it reflects negatively on the Creator Who created me in His own image.

5. I can and must always lean on the Creator and depend on Him for help. By seeking His help in everything I do, success won’t make me arrogant and setbacks won’t discourage me.

Boom, that’s it! When you know that the Creator created you with special talents, that you can perform your mission in life, that He wants you to succeed, that you are a worthy person with great potential and that you can lean on Him always, you can only have the utmost confidence!

By strengthening your personal relationship with Hashem and doing an hour of daily personal prayer and self-assessment, you’ll not only get to know yourself but Hashem will help you by illuminating your way and helping you find your designated path in life.

Please stop tormenting yourself and being so critical of yourself. It brings you down. Many people have a sorely mistaken concept about humility. Truly humble people have fantastic self-confidence; they don’t walk around telling everyone that they’re nothing. Those who do so, even if they are sincerely trying to rid themselves of arrogance – end up believing that they really are nothing. Yet, the truly humble attribute whatever they have to the Creator; success doesn’t go to their head so they don’t have to flaunt their achievements. That’s real self-confidence.

No matter who you are and where you come from, you can attain self-confidence by reviewing the above five points for at least five minutes a week, and in the beginning, five minutes a day until you internalize them. Wait and see the dramatic transformation you’re about to undergo.

Don’t let anyone give you the feeling that you’re second rate. Believe that you have the tools for unlimited personal and spiritual growth, for influencing others, and for making significant contributions to the world. You must believe that you, as a beloved son or daughter of the Almighty, are capable of moving the earth.

I have total confidence in you, cherished brother and sister – I hope that you’ll soon start feeling confidence in yourself.