Self-confidence is akin to the water that extinguishes the fire of distrust. Distrust is another element of the 3-D factors (or the 3 Fatal Ds) I mentioned in my book ‘The Threshold of Life’. Apart from discouragement, and distraction, distrust is another threat to success.
Distrust -Meaning
Distrust is the feeling that someone or something cannot be trusted or relied upon. It means to treat someone or something with a lack of confidence or with suspicion. It is the opposite of trust and the third factor you must deal with to have a successful and fulfilling life. Among the people you will come across not everyone will believe in you or your dreams. Distrust is a killer of dreams. It suppresses ideas and abilities.
In the atmosphere of trust people tend to discover their talents easily. Novel ideas and abilities are unraveled where trust thrives best. A little dose of trust is a potent prescription for success. Trust is healthy for fulfillment. People are always happy when they are surrounded by people who believe in them or their abilities. On the other hand, distrust places an embargo on ideas and talents and limits the tendency to find fulfillment in life.
Beyond Reasonable Doubt
It is like a man to doubt the reliability of any idea until they are proven otherwise. The initial response to ideas from people is that of resentment. If you are a marketer you will understand better. You may have heard people say ‘I don’t buy the idea’. For people to buy your idea you must sell it to them, and for you to sell it to them you must ignore their initial resentment and convince them beyond every reasonable doubt.
People around you may not believe in you or your abilities, but you must believe in yourself. And to do that you must have self-confidence. Understand that not everybody will want to see you succeed in life, so you must be confident enough to believe that you can succeed in the pursuit of greatness no matter the challenge. And for you to do that you must believe in yourself. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe did say, “Just trust yourself, then you will know how to live”.
Self-Confidence the Way Forward
Hence, the best way to deal with the challenge of distrust and succeed in life is to trust in yourself. I know of a young man who had lofty dreams. He told people around him about these dreams. Many of those things as far as people were concerned were unimaginable and farfetched judging from his status then. Many did not believe him, they thought he was insane, and they virulently attacked him. But he did not give up and was able to achieve his dreams. Why? He believed in himself. He was confident, and he achieved his dreams.
Yes, people may not believe in you, it is very normal because not everybody will believe in you. Anyway, it is their own opinion; but don’t be so timid as to allow the opinion of others to affect your pursuit of happiness negatively. Others may not share in your dream but hold onto your dream. However, you have an obligation if you must overcome the challenge of distrust, you must have confidence within you. Believe in yourself, and hold onto your dreams. If it is necessary shut every antagonist out of your life, and close your ears to their virulent outbursts.
Conclusion
Finally, self-confidence makes your journey to success an easy ride. It helps you ignore and overcome criticism. You don’t let people’s opinions influence your decisions or actions in life when you have self-confidence. It will not only help you to overcome distrust but also help you overcome the challenge of discouragement and distraction. Hence, with self-confidence as a person that knows your onions, you will stay focused and not be distracted in the face of distractions, and discouraging situations.
Get my book ‘The Threshold of Life‘ and read more about the topic.
Tune in for more exciting blog posts. Till then imagine, believe, and dare the impossible!