What is confidence? - Article by Veronica de Andres

Confidence is what we have -or not!-, when things go wrong, when the plan fails, when the boat rocks! Confidence is what we need in times of crises.

Confidence is a feeling and an attitude towards life. It is also a choice. When facing difficulties, I can always choose to interpret what is happening as a threat or as a challenge. I can choose to see it as a catastrophe, and turn myself into a victim; or I can choose to see it as an opportunity to grow and learn.



Let´s think about an extreme case, in life examples like the ones Viktor Frankl left behind, who lived in a concentration camp. In his writings, he explains he saw people who were living in the worst possible circumstances, choosing to bring comfort to other people who were starving, by sharing their only piece of bread. This is solid evidence that everything can be taken away from us, except our freedom to choose our interpretation of what is happening to us. This is an idea rooted in history. Epictetus, a Greek-Roman slave that lived in the first century, said:

"We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them"



Undoubtedly, this principle enabled Epictetus to free himself from slavery, becoming a philosopher and a teacher of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor. We affirm then, that confidence is built from within, and is reflected in our external actions.

In short -as my friend and colleague Jack Canfield says- we can always choose our response to whatever happens to us, and that has a direct impact on the outcome:

E (event) + R (response) = O (outcome)

Today think about a challenging situation or circumstance you are going through...and ask yourself:
What response/interpretation would be useful for me to choose?

Let´s remember life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we respond to it!


With Full Confidence,
Till next time,
© 2009 Veronica de Andres