Thank you to all of the people who were willing to write a message during September! I hope you each received valuable wisdom and encouragement like I did! It is great to hear what is on the hearts of people other than me. Thank you again!
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Why do you believe in yourself?
Where does confidence come from?
Confidence comes partially from an internal belief that you can succeed, but I believe it comes even more from external results and recognition. You believe in yourself more when you are better than others at a desired task and achieve predetermined goals. You believe in yourself more when you are recognized by others for being good at something. As much as you can encourage yourself through self-talk and positive thoughts, there is an incredible power when others believe in you.
Encouragement is important to succeed. The best corporate and team environments have positive, encouraging cultures. Encouragement from others is key to being successful, but how much encouragement and recognition is too much?
Last week, Patrick Chaffin, an executive for Ryman Hospitality, spoke with our finance club on campus. The biggest piece of advice he gave us was to not believe the hype about ourselves. “When other people start telling you that you are hot stuff, you have to be careful not to believe too much. Don’t believe the hype about yourself.” When you succeed, people will recognize you. You have to be careful not to believe everything people say. When other people think that you are the next big thing then you can start to believe that as well. You can fall into a trap of thinking that you deserve more than reality. You start to think you are better than everyone else around you. Your perception of reality becomes twisted.
When others recognize you, stay humble. Know there is always someone ahead of you. The moment you get satisfied and comfortable is the moment you fall behind. You may not be as great as people say you are. We all hate celebrities, athletes, and bosses who believe they are greatest person to ever walk on the face of the earth. When you believe the hype others say, you can become cocky instead of confident.
Accept recognition, but don’t live in it.
Stay humble. Stay uncomfortable. Don’t believe the hype.
“For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” -Luke 14:11
I appreciate you.
-JP