Confidence can open doors and is at the heart of so many amazing success stories across industries and disciplines and so we’ve always been interested in learning how we can help our readers and community members increase their confidence and self-esteem. Below, you’ll find highlights of some of the great conversations we’ve had on this topic.
Tyler Trevino
Honestly, developing confidence and social skills was just something that happened over time due to accidental exposure therapy. Growing up, I was always a shy kid who only had a few friends. It didn’t help that I was queer in Texas, often in environments where I didn’t feel represented or ‘fit in.’ It took a while for me to find my people, but when I did, I began to feel like a different person. Read more>>
Zintrise Altovise Lawson
Developing my confidence and self-esteem has been a transformative journey, deeply intertwined with embracing the soft life philosophy. By prioritizing my well-being and setting clear boundaries, I’ve been able to nurture a sense of self-worth rooted in kindness and self-respect. Read more>>
Sam Hajighasem
I developed my confidence and self-esteem through trying and failing. Many people think confidence comes from affirmations or your background, but it’s really about building experience. When I started, I faced many challenges and setbacks. Each failure taught me lessons, and each success, no matter how small, added to my confidence. Read more>>
Natalia Ribeiro
A lot of my confidence came from getting on stage at a very early age. As a child, me and my friends always put on mini shows for our parents so I got use to performing in a small space, which coupled with the yearly recitals/showcases, I was able to acquire confidence. A big crowd doesn’t bulge my confidence as it would for others who don’t really enjoy it. Self-esteem, on the other hand, that took a bit of work. Read more>>
Street Lamp
We believe we’ve built our confidence from the common ups and downs of regional music industry. The yes and nos from managers, promoters, venues and even fans has given us the ability to learn and build our confidence to pursue our goals with persistence and resilience. When we are feeling down about our craft, we often like to remind ourselves that the world is full of good and bad and that even Tom (Brady) had bad games! Read more>>
Susan Cole
I was born loving color, art and painting, but i had absolutely zero self confidence in this arena. Having won several art competitions as a child, I continued the negative feelings for myself. When my girls left for college, I took a couple of my paintings to a local framing shop. They asked if they could sell my work! Really?? Read more>>
Deseeré Cruz Transformational Love Coach
My confidence and self-esteem have always been a struggle for me until a few years ago. I grew up in a pretty supportive home where my parents were always encouraging me and supporting my academics and athletics. Despite that, I still felt like I wasn’t enough. I compared myself to the achievements of others a lot. And comparison is a true cause of suffering. This led to me becoming an “over-achiever” who still felt the need to prove herself. Read more>>
Mikey Flores
For better or worse my confidence was brute forced. I had an upbringing that was less than encouraging when it comes to pursuing my passion. My advice for those who have similar histories as I: feed your brain positive thoughts! When figures of authority talk down to you, it subconsciously teaches you to talk down to yourself. Read more>>
Elyse Hughes
I don’t feel especially confident most of the time and the glory is that I don’t have to! I can show up, tick off the next task, and create a good life with fear lodged in my throat and full-fledged doubt chopping at my knees. I don’t have to radiate self-esteem to acknowledge I’ve done something right now and again. I go for the small wins—the tiny triumphs. Read more>>
Isaac Ford
There are two things that really hinder artists: one being ego and the other being low self-esteem. It is truthfully worth always keeping these two things in check, otherwise they can be quite detrimental. I have found that having a good sense of purpose and value are useful when sharing one’s art, whereas more toxic outward methods to prove oneself tends to be unattractive and ultimately ineffective. Read more>>
Dr. Gilda Carle
As a little girl, I was a (terrible) dancer on TV and in shows, but I believed I was a dancer! So, I realized early that to make life happen, I must believe in my dream. I had many dreams, and most of them didn’t materialize as I had hoped. However, BIGGER ONES DID!! Most people dream too small. My story exemplifies why we must dream bigger. Read more>>
Sara Carlo
I believe I gained my confidence and self esteem through messing up. I’ve had many doubts about myself and what I do, and why others are better at some things than me. But that’s kind of part of it all. You have to be able to sit back and reflect on what you’re doing and put the work in, to realize everything you’re doing is just as good as everyone else and just as deserving of recognition. Read more>>
Dahlia Danton
It’s easy to blame one’s parents for one’s lack of self-esteem, but to me that’s a flagrant dodge of the responsibilities of adulthood. At a certain point, one has to acknowledge that life isn’t fair and that if you aspire toward competence it’s imperative that one works hard. For me, all the schmoozing in the world will never compensate for the satisfaction of doing something well. Read more>>
Levia Hartman
I develop my confidence and self-esteem when I realized that it was me against the world. I am only hurting myself if I constantly compare myself to others and I’ve learned to love myself. It’s important to recognize your quality and value and know that you’re enough. Read more>>
Elissa Hope
Having died and stood before God in Heaven when I was fourteen years old has made me the confident woman that I am today. Not only has it shaped me spiritually it has also given me an incredible amount of confidence and the courage to stand up for myself and be the strong independent woman I have become over the years. Read more>>
Becky Duncan
The most challenging part of making art, I think, is to let go of control. You can’t be creative and be anxious at the same time; when we worry or stress about messing up, we don’t take risks, and creativity in itself is a risk by definition since it requires making something original. Read more>>
Sandy Grassi-Doll
I wasn’t always a confident person with high self-esteem, and my journey to develop these qualities has been a work in progress. Through life’s ups and downs, I have learned invaluable lessons that drive me to cultivate confidence and self-assurance daily. My journey toward confidence began with the strong work ethic instilled in me by my parents. Read more>>
Octavia Yearwood
I believe that anything you do has to be a practice for you, being a practitioner of what you do mixed with a little delulu that says “Im the best”or “this is what i deserve” are major keys to FEELING like you can do anything. That “I can do anything!” Triggers the exploratory and curious childlike energy in you that has the freedom that every adult wants, and because feelings are energy it has power. Read more>>
Jennifer Guajardo
Whenever I need to do something new and unfamiliar, I tell myself, “The worst that can happen is, they say, ‘No.’ I am not going to melt like the witch in ‘The WIzad of Oz’, I am going to be alright.” But I will never know and always wonder if I didn’t go for it and ask! Read more>>
Syreeta Davis
From my parents growing up my parents instilled confidence in me and showing me my natural beauty and intelligence was unmatched. From the womb I was told I was a descendant of Queens and that I too was a Queen. My mother always told me I was a genius and could be anything I wanted, and with that I have tried and most times excelled at whatever I was interested in. Read more>>
Audra Anusionwu (Ahn-see-own)
I develped my confidence through accomplishing small goal. Finishing tasks that required discipline and focus. The more I’ve done then the more I believe I can do. Read more>>
Debra Thomas
The first thing I had to do was have a heart-to-heart talk with myself; looking in the mirror and not recognizing the person I once was, I realized that I and I alone had to take control of my self-confidence and self-esteem. And the only way to do that is to examine myself and where I was. Once I discovered that, I realized the only person who could build my self-confidence or self-esteem was myself. Read more>>
Markesha Hollins
As a young child, I didn’t always have the confidence and self-esteem levels I have now. I hated my body. I was always told to cover up and hide my developing body. I was made fun of because of my complexion and my large forehead. I would sometimes look in the mirror and cry because I believed I wasn’t pretty by society’s norms. As a child, I never saw myself becoming a model. Read more>>
Kallan Daniel
When I stepped into the world of photography, I, amongst most amateurs who have ever tried something new, did not feel confident in my work. I was overly critical and cared solely about what other’s thought of my imagery. Would they like it? Would it fit into the trendy Instagram aesthetic? I would mimic other photographers’ work in hopes that mine would be just as good but it never was. Read more>>
Jewel Kaio
I began my journey towards developing confidence and self-esteem by recognizing the detrimental impact of constant comparison to unrealistic standards, particularly those perpetuated by online media. Instead of solely focusing on changing what I saw, I realized the importance of changing how I perceived myself. Read more>>
