Today I want to discuss self-confidence and how important it is to our success and use these motivational quotes to help you. Every one of us has no reason not to be confident, we just need to step back and see what we have accomplished. I have included 15 quotes about self-confidence to help motivate you to replace any negative thoughts which are holding you back from your inner greatness.
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Motivational Quotes To Boost Self- Confidence
“Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
– Christopher Robin
“People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in, their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.”
– Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
You wouldn’t know it by looking at me now, but I’m a much different person today than I was through most of my life. Today you would see a person who is/has:
- Successful;
- Retired after an accomplished 30-year career;
- Educated and earned a master’s degree in criminal justice;
- Served in the U.S. Army and obtained the rank of captain;
- Lived an adventurous life; and
- Been married for 27 years and have raised three wonderful children.
Lack of Confidence
If you knew me early on in my life, you might’ve got the impression that I was a noticeably confident individual. I looked confident on the outside because I was athletic, smart, and always had lots of friends.
What you wouldn’t have seen was the true person of who I really was, a person that was not confident on the inside. My extreme fear of heights meant I had to make up excuses whenever my friends wanted to jump off a high dive platform. I couldn’t even go on roller coasters. Even though I was selected for athletic teams, I never thought I deserved to be on the team. Inside I felt as though I wasn’t good enough and that everyone else was a better player. I was always surprised and thankful that I was even a part of the team.
“Each time we face our fear, we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
“One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation.”
– Arthur Ashe
My Confidence Took A Hit During College
When I went off to college, I struggled mightily. I had no idea what I wanted to study or why I was even there. My classes were difficult for me and my grades reflected my efforts. Throughout my earlier years in school, I was always an “A” student. Now, I was failing classes when I’d never failed anything before in my life. The fact that I wasn’t living up to the expectations of my parents, friends, or myself led me to suffer a bout of depression. There were days when I couldn’t even get out of bed and go to class.
“If you really put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price.”
– Author unknown
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home, and think about it. Go out and get busy.”
– Dale Carnegie
“You are the only person on earth who can use your ability.”
– Zig Ziglar
Even In The Military I Lacked Self-Confidence
Even after I graduated from college and was an officer in the military, I still battled with my self-confidence. There was no reason for me not to be confident in my abilities as an officer because I had accomplished so much. I had excelled during all my training, both physically and intellectually. My leadership qualities were second to none. My lack of confidence issues came from strict weight standards the military had and as an officer, you are judged on how you look in your uniform. Even though I weighed 180 pounds, at 18 percent body fat, and achieved the highest score on every physical training test, I was labeled as overweight by the military. This undermined my confidence as an officer and my leadership ability.
“You wouldn’t worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they do.”
– Eleanor Roosevelt
“Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit.”
– E. E. Cummings
My Career
After I left the military and began my career as a Special Agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), there was still a lack of confidence inside my head. I continued to feel that everyone was better than me and I was being judged by my peers. There was no reason for me not to be confident. I had numerous successful investigations and led the office in subjects arrested every year. One year I was even named, “Agent of the Year,” by the law enforcement commission. I volunteered and was selected for a headquarters run special operation named, “Operation Snowcap,” and went through training with the U.S. Army Rangers. After training, I was selected on a team and went to live and work in the jungles of South America. Even still, I lacked confidence.
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sail. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
– Mark Twain
“If you hear a voice within you say, ‘you cannot paint,’ then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.”
– Vincent van Gogh
Cancer = Confidence
After everything I had accomplished in my life, I really had no reason not to be a confident individual. It took me being diagnosed with cancer before I really took a look at my life and became confident. Here are some of the things that I began to do in order to change, I:
- Looked at ALL the successes I had had throughout my life;
- Stopped having unrealistic expectations of myself;
- Started reading more books;
- Changed the way I thought about myself;
- Started speaking about the confident person I was;
- Stopped caring about what others said or thought about me;
- Stopped taking everything personal.
In general, I became happy with myself. This led me to be a better person and allowed me to get rid of unwarranted anger. All these negative thoughts and feelings of anger were holding me back from becoming the person that God had intended for me. I became a better husband and father. The release of these unsubstantiated feelings has given me greater self-confidence. It has allowed me to accomplish even more things in my life and obtain greater wealth.
“Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.”
– Lao Tzu
“Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.”
– Golda Mier
Final Thoughts
Do you struggle with self-confidence? Are you a different person on the outside than you are on the inside? As humans, we are all unique and we have to see the real person who we are. We are not defined by other people’s words, only by the words we tell ourselves. Tell yourself every day that you are a confident, strong person. Look at all the successes you have had in your life and don’t compare them with others. All victories, no matter how large or small, are victories. Celebrate every one of them. Every day strive to be the best person that you can be on that day. Life is life, and some days are simply better than others. Some days I accomplish a lot, other days not so much, but every day I’m the best me. Go be the best you.
“Wouldn’t it be powerful if you fell in love with yourself so deeply that you would do just about anything if you knew it would make you happy? This is precisely how much life loves you and wants you to nurture yourself. The deeper you love yourself, the more the universe will affirm your worth. Then you can enjoy a lifelong love affair that brings you the richest fulfillment from inside out.”
– Alan Cohen
“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who will decide where to go.”
– Dr. Seuss
Comment Below
I would love to hear about how you developed confidence in yourself. Leave a reply along with your quotes, advice, tips, or links to helpful groups or sites in the comments section below. If you have any questions or requests for topics I would love to hear them. If you like this post, click on the little star and feel free to share it with others it might help. As always, my posts are based on lessons I’ve learned throughout my life. I don’t claim to be an expert or professional therapist, I just play one on TV (some of you might get that joke).
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