The Difference Between Arrogance and Confidence
Without knowing the difference between Arrogance and Confidence, it’s easy for us to mislabel someone as Arrogant instead of Confident and vice versa. Or, we might be afraid to show our confidence because other people might think we’re being arrogant. One quick way to tell the difference is by paying attention to the energy being transmitted.
When someone is arrogant, they push people down. They need to feel that they’re “better than”. And it doesn’t matter if they’re the most gifted and have accomplished many great things or they’re below average and haven’t accomplished anything.
Arrogance is a form of insecurity. It’s a belief that we’re “not good enough”. And to hid from these feelings, we look to the outside to distract ourselves. We look for validation by feeling “better than” other people.
So if we don’t feel smart enough, we console ourselves by proving that there are other people dumber than us. If we don’t feel strong enough, we console ourselves by proving that there are other people weaker than us. Or if we don’t feel pretty enough, we console ourselves by proving that there are other people uglier than us.
Arrogance is the energy of pushing others down so it’s an energy that comes from the outside and comes in. It’s an energy exclusively for us to feel artificially elevated.
When someone is confident, they feel that they “can do it”. And it doesn’t matter if they’re the most gifted and have accomplished many great things or they’re below average and haven’t accomplished anything.
Confidence is being secure in who we are and what we can do. It’s the belief that we’re “good enough” to try. And, if it’s something we can’t do at the moment, we’re confident that we have the ability to learn. We’re don’t need to validate ourselves through comparison so we’re not threatened by someone being “better than” us or need to be “better than” others.
Confidence is an uplifting energy and it only depends on us. It’s an energy that comes from the inside and goes out. It’s an inclusive energy where our confidence can help others feel confident as well.
The behaviors of someone arrogant and someone confident can and do overlap and it’s the reason why they’re sometimes confused with each other. But if we pay attention to the energy and how those behaviors try to make others feel, we can easily decipher if it’s arrogance or confidence being transmitted.