I read something recently that made me think of you…
Throughout the 1970s, a large number of studies showed that children with high levels of confidence ended up excelling in virtually every area of life…
…higher academic performance, better career advancement, closer relationships, fewer destructive habits, physical health, etc.
Study after study proved that confidence contributed to a child’s success and well-being more than any other factor.
“Ah-ha!… This is it!… This is the key to strengthening America’s future!!” … or so they thought.
Encouraged by the overwhelming data, a national campaign was initiated in the US to increase awareness about the importance of helping children feel good about themselves and be more confident.
So, beginning in the ‘80s & ‘90s, and continuing through today,
Well-intentioned parents, educators, leaders, and organizations throughout the US have been doing everything they can to help kids feel confident…
-heaps of praise and recognition despite no actual achievement
-trophies and medals just for participating
-eliminating anything that’s challenging from kids’ lives
-rewarding mediocrity
…the list, unfortunately, goes on and on.
So, what’s been the result as these kids have grown up?
A generation of entitled young Americans…
…young people who avoid anything challenging and don’t know how to produce results.
…expecting to be rewarded just for showing up. Expecting everything to be easy.
…And even when they fail, they want a sticker because they tried. They expect to have things that they haven’t earned.
Now, this is obviously a very broad over-generalization…there are millions of amazing American kids and young people…
…but you’ve seen what I’m talking about, right?
So where did we go wrong in this national experiment?
I believe it’s because we failed to realize the source of confidence…
Nobody can simply be confident…confidence has to be earned.
True confidence can only be earned by doing hard things!
And this is where you come in…
Ever since I became an English pronunciation coach, I’ve been amazed by the stories of my students. It’s why I work so hard for you.
Nothing has ever been easy for you. Nothing has ever been given to you…
You’ve had to work and fight way harder for everything you have.
You’ve had to sacrifice to get where you are.
You’ve had to do really hard things.
And through it all, you’ve developed toughness…you’ve developed grit.
Confidence, simply stated, is believing that you can figure things out and get things done…
…being able to say to yourself “even though I may not currently possess a particular skill or knowledge, given proper time and resources, I know I can figure it out…”
…and this is the confidence that you already have. You have it because you’ve proven to yourself over and over that you can.
This is your advantage!
Think back on the path that led you to where you are today… the things you’ve accomplished, the challenges you’ve faced…
Where is this path leading to in the future?
Wherever it’s leading to, take a moment to reflect on where you’ve already been.
Hold your head high, have a little swagger in your step.
You have earned the right to have true confidence, so the future is yours.
