Passion & Entrepreneurship

Passion Triumphs Over Confidence

It is based on oxytocin, the key to connections, reciprocity, social and family bonds, prosocial behavior, and trust.

Elena V. Amber
Know Thyself, Heal Thyself
5 min readSep 6, 2024

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Image credit: Depositphotos

Read on my website/ Reading time: 4 min.

We are often afraid to offer our point of view, and we are shut out by others who are more confident.

It’s a lengthy process before we realize that confidence is unrelated to competence.

Competence, in turn, does not replace the ability to view a situation from various angles, which is as crucial as possessing specialized knowledge.

Most usually doubt their opinions

Many people are naturally shy and have self-trust issues, as we doubt our opinions.

We must play out all possible scenarios before we can convince ourselves that this is what we believe.

It is also true that we change our opinions like crazy, following thousands of others’ voices before we learn how to listen to our own.

We can see a situation from every possible angle, which leads us to believe that every argument has equal value and can become a possible truth.

However, it makes it intrinsically hard to form our point of view, and we must spend enough time processing and preparing.

Do you remember that feeling when the discussion door was closed, but an “aha moment” suddenly happened, and you understood what should have been said? Such situations are not uncommon.

Unless we know about it, we treat ourselves as damned.

Understanding the ability for lateral thinking allows us to relax when we need time to decide and are free to ask precious questions.

However, passion for something will beat all of that. It will prove a true choice despite any circumstances and apparent difficulties, such as the absence of self-confidence or self-trust.

Let me share with you a story that once changed my life.

In the air of the 90s, the topic of psychological factors determining the choice of entrepreneurship soared.

That was the core of my research, where I explored underlying motives that push us to start entrepreneurial activities.

I argued that these are not basic and monetary needs but an inner urge to serve others, which is the realization of self, substantiated by interview summaries.

It was impossible to measure my condition when I presented my findings at the conference, advocating self-realization.

I clearly understood that a conference panel of professors doubted my idea.

The jury chairman took the stage to summarize their point of view, saying it is difficult to be guided by self-realization when the turbulent economic situation pushes people to find meaning in spending on food.

He used his own entrepreneurial project as a sample and concluded that even professors should provide for their families.

The hall froze, and it seemed like my whole life had gone through my eyes. With the professor’s every word, my undervalued self was falling when suddenly I heard my voice.

I blurted out this question: would he start his project, knowing he wouldn’t get paid, with nothing but the bold belief that people desperately needed what he was offering?

The pause went on for eternity before he said just a few words that changed it all.

He said that he would do it anyway!

Therefore, I discovered that I need to trust myself unconditionally when pursuing my passion and overcoming fear in the process.

I’ve learned that the most foolish question is the one left unasked. In my case, suppressing it could only lead to failure.

I also proved that sensitivity abilities serve well if we follow these heart-based impulses.

The sky became blue again, and the sun rose, following my skyrocketed self-esteem.

A secret feeling which overcomes all

Entrepreneurs are ready to work in their room corners and garages without food or sleep, building dreams with enormous energy and challenging dependence on physical abilities from external energy sources.

It is a passion that drives them, the highest form of emotional engagement possible.

This creative energy overcomes all barriers, just as spiritual people prove the absence of limitations in the material world.

Sports athletes achieved the same highest engagement state known as a “flow” during the active task.

What is unique about them?

Entrepreneurs feel fulfilled and live happier moments than most of us because they have been connected to their core straight, without a need to graduate from other needs that increase their self-confidence first.

They may be scared and unconfident till death, but they follow their dream.

So, let’s do we. Next time, when we ask about something, let’s choose not the answer we value as accurate but the one we are emotionally connected to.

Let’s start making things not which is correct or increase our confidence but those we are passionate about.

At the end of the day, it fills us with joy straight, without a need to wait for medals and achievements to happen fueled by dopamine.

It is based on oxytocin, the key to connections, reciprocity, trust, social and family bonds, and prosocial behavior.

Find me on LinkedIn, Goodreads, or a website. Send me professional inquiries at Kirkus ProConnect.

Whenever you’re ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

  1. The Gift of Sensitivity Book saves your precious time summarising 8 years of research & personal journey. Take a copy to discover your own sensitivity, transforming it into a superpower for a future with extraordinary faculties such as creativity, originality, innovation, intuition, flexibility, and inclusiveness in times of technological acceleration.
  2. Your Emotional Capital Newsletter informs you with a mosaic of perspectives and insights on how emotional depth can fuel transformation, expedite learning, and activate greater cognitive capacities. Here, vulnerability meets strength, and sensitivity is recast not as a liability but as a potent asset.
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Elena V. Amber
Know Thyself, Heal Thyself

Emotional Capital Step by Step Journey. Founder, doctoral researcher, award winning author / The Gift of Sensitivity