Thursday, Apr 18 2024  

SELF CONFIDENCE - 04 AUGUST 2003

Sai ram Uncles, Aunties, Brothers and Sisters. I am Tamanna from Primary 5. I am about to give a talk on the steps to build self-confidence.

I will start with my very favourite motto that is almost like a mantra to me: “If it is to be, it is up to me. There is a story about a beggar sitting at a train station with a bowl full of pencils. A young executive passed by and dropped a dollar into the bowl, but didn’t take any pencils. He then boarded the train. Just before the doors were about to close, the executive suddenly exited the train and went back to the beggar. He grabbed a bunch of pencils, and said, “I will take some pencils. They are priced right. After all, you are a business person and so am I”, and he dashed back onto the train.

Six months later, the executive attended a party. The beggar was also there dressed in a suit and tie. The beggar recognised the executive, went up to him and said “You probably don’t recognise me but I remember you.” He then narrated the incident that had happened six months before. The executive said, “Now that you remind me, I do recall that you were begging. What are you doing here in suit and tie?” The beggar replied, “You probably don’t know what you did for me that day. Instead of giving me charity, you treated me with dignity. You grabbed the bunch of pencils and said, “They are priced right. After all, you are a business person and so am I.” After you left, I thought to myself, “What am I doing here? Why am I begging?” I decided to do something constructive with my life. I packed my bag, started working and here I am. I just want to thank you for giving me back my dignity. That incident changed my life.”

What changed in the beggar’s life?
What changed was that his self-confidence went up and so did his performance. This is the magic of self-confidence in our lives. Simply put, self-confidence is how we feel about ourselves. Our opinion of ourselves critically influences everything, from our performance at work, our relationships to our accomplishments in life. Unless you perceive yourself as worthwhile, you cannot have high self- confidence.

In order to build up a child’s confidence, feelings and opinions must be heard in order for them to feel and develop a sense of self-awareness and identity. Allowing a child to make certain decisions, like the clothes they want to choose from the closet or what to choose at a restaurant, will help the child feel like he is an independent valued person.

How can we create a positive atmosphere?
Self- confidence is contagious. By practicing self-confidence ourselves, people are likely to ‘catch it’ from them. People who are insecure and anxious are likely to transmit that attitude to others around them. Read the life stories of people who have turned negative into a positive and stumbling blocks into stepping stones. Some of the best music was composed by Beethoven and guess what; he was deaf. Some of the best poetry written on nature was written by Milton and what was his handicap? He was blind. One of the greatest world leaders was US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. What was his handicap? He served from a wheelchair. These great people turned their scars into stars. Likewise; we can be what we choose to be. Lastly, does having a high self-confidence mean having a big ego?? A definite “No!” In a nutshell, a person with high self-confidence should be humble, self-motivated and be positive about everything that happens around. To end on a positive note, ‘If it is to be, it is up to me.’

Jai Sai Ram

Sis Tamanna
SSEHV Group 3