The Fine Line between Confidence and Cockiness.
Confidence is a feeling of self-assurance arising from an appreciation of one’s own abilities or qualities.
It’s a trait that’s quite highly admired in individuals. Whether it be confidence in their looks, abilities or demeanor, the majority of us are impressed with confident people. Contrary to general belief, confidence isn’t some magical talent or trait you’re simply born with. It’s not too dissimilar to respect in the regard that it’s something you have to graft hard for to earn, yet you must first realise that the key to unlocking true confidence is understanding that it originates from within one’s self and not from the opinion of others. However there’s a quite fine line between what most perceive as admirable confidence and then deplorable cockiness.
Cockiness refers to a sense of arrogance, conceitedness and over confidence in one’s self. While cockiness requires advertising, confidence however speaks for itself. A truly confident person does not feel the need to brag about themselves as they believe their actions speak much louder than words ever could in this respect. A cocky person fails to demand the same respect as that of a confident one due to their overwhelming sense of egotism.
Cockiness coincides with narcissism, a term which originated from Greek mythology from Narcissus, the son of a River God. The tale is about a young male who came across a pool and became so enthralled with his own reflection and physical attributes that he attempted to embrace the image he saw before him, which resulted with him drowning. This fable highlights the dangers associated with crossing that fine line between confidence and cockiness.
“Confidence breeds peace of mind”
We are currently in a time where insecurities are at the forefront of everyday life. On all social media platforms you are continuously bombarded with images of pristine individuals and the flawless lifestyles they appear to lead. All this does is impede on our own ability to nurture our sense of self-worth. Once we have obtained a grasp on this concept, we will learn not to be fazed by these “perceived” views of unattainable perfection. At this stage, we will then know to not be so easily swayed by the unrealistic images portrayed through social media. In short, the confidence we have within ourselves, or the lack thereof, can either positively or negatively affect our perception of reality.
Always remember that even though a strong sense of self-assurance and confidence is applauded and well-respected by the majority of people, once you cross that narrow line into the hollowed and much maligned depths of cockiness, everything changes.
Original Content at Breakbeyond.net
