Bini Dahal

The number of articles and how-to blogs made on confidence indicates a growing population who remain highly insecure and diffident in whatever they do. However, there also exists a certain group of people who don’t need to read blogs and articles to gain confidence. They are born confident.
Every task, big or small, requires a certain level of courage and confidence. I found it quite evident while learning a new language. Years back, I got to meet with an individual with polyglot abilities. Polyglot is a person who knows and is able to use several languages. Meeting her had me so motivated that I immediately decided to learn another language. Right around that time, I had started appreciating Korean dramas and Korean culture a little too much. So, I began self-studying the language.

The beginning of learning Korean was the easiest. Studying Korean alphabets was like having a piece of cake. However, the difficulty arose in me with reading, writing and speaking more complex words. And the constant academic pressure had me unable to strike a balance between learning language and gaining education.

Yet, I had continued watching dramas, listening to songs and had even installed an application to interact with native speakers. Despite trying to get familiarised with the language, there was no progress. Instead of talking in Korean, the funny thing was I would interact in English. This went on for two years. After seeing other foreign friends speaking perfect Korean within a year of learning or so, a sense of regret splurged over me. But I was able to identify my issue. Overthinking and low level of confidence were my main problems. And curing them was prominent for me to excel.

Because I self-understood my problem, I immediately tried rectifying it. And that was the best thing I had done! Within months, I was interacting with more native speakers. Even if I made mistakes, I would not fear it. Rather, I would ask my foreign friends to correct it for me. During that time, I even was able to strike conversations with them through phone calls.
Now, I have become an expert in spewing mostly correct nonsense with the natives. Though I have completely stopped reading language books and performing some formal language learning exercises, the fact that I am confident enough to make even small talks is a big progress. It was all thanks to the confidence I had built for myself.

Telling someone to buckle up and be confident is easier said than done. Your one suggestion cannot make someone immediately active and energised. Constant motivation can help but the individual must sense what s/he considers the most important, i.e. they must realise their own needs. Only this level of consciousness can help them be more confident towards achieving whatever they want. Self-confidence helps individuals realise their goals and gives them strength to overcome any form of obstacles.

What is blocking me from being confident? Is this task really something I want to do? These are some of the rhetorical questions one could ask to better understand their hearts and minds. Truthfully answering them will take the individual closer to his/her goals. Let’s loosen up a bit and think highly of ourselves. With an improved level of confidence, the sky is not the limit after all.