"I'm shy, I don't think I can do this"
" I'm too small "
"I'm just 13, I don't think I'm good enough for this"
"I don't have the confidence to do this"
"I'm shy and can't stand the crowd"
I hear this and many more from teenagers and young adults. Now, you have to understand that nobody was born to be confident. Nobody was crafted to do the BIG things.
There's no age bracket for becoming great or being self-confident. Building self-confidence is a process and sometimes comes with experience. You don't expect people to believe in you when you don't believe in yourself.
Self-confidence starts in the mind. It's all about what you think. If you think positive thoughts and believe you are confident, then that is who you are. People will also see you as a confident person.
In this post, you will test your confidence level and know where you stand and what to work on. I got this self-confidence test from the book, "Think Confident and be confident for teens" by Marci G.Fox PHD., and Leslie Sokol PHD - a must-read for all teenagers, and adults too. I tested myself too.
Let's find out your self-confidence level
TEST YOUR SELF-CONFIDENCE
Read each of the following sentences carefully.
If you agree with a sentence, give yourself a 3.
If you disagree, write down a 1.
If you’re somewhere in the middle, give yourself a 2.
Take a piece of paper and a pen and write down your score for each sentence.
Remember to be honest to yourself while taking the test.
1) I can start a conversation with anyone in
any situation at any time. (write down your score)
2) I am willing to tackle almost any task
presented to me. (write down your score)
3) I am at ease with who I am. (write down your score)
4) I can ask for help if I need it. (write down your score)
5) I take it for granted that people want to
spend time with me. (write down your score)
6) I’m comfortable operating at my own
pace. (write down your score)
7) I can do the things I like even if I do
them alone. (write down your score)
8) I am willing to face challenging
situations head-on. (write down your score)
9) I am comfortable giving my honest
opinion. (write down your score)
10) I don’t get rattled when I make a
mistake. (write down your score)
Now, add up your score.
Let's find out the meaning of your score:
28–30 You are super-confident.
25–27 You are confident.
16–24 You are somewhat lacking in confidence.
10–15 You are seriously lacking in confidence.
If your score is 25 or higher, congratulations! you are confident.
You have the self-confidence to face nearly any situation, knowing you can handle it. Your confidence enables you to reach for your goals, try new
things, act independently and effectively, and enter social situations
free from doubt.
When you believe you’re competent and a good, likable person,
you become your own greatest resource. Confidence helps you
highlight your strengths. It also enables you to recognize and
identify your weaknesses so that you can improve these areas,
using outside resources if necessary.
You’ve gained unshakeable self-esteem because you hold a good opinion of yourself. You recognize that situations may temporarily be distressing but do not
allow it to change your core view of who you are.
If you scored below 25, you need to keep building your self-confidence. Reinforcing your skills will get you there. Retraining your brain to move from self-doubt to confidence is no different than strengthening a muscle through weight training: you build up to more reps, or to more weight, over repeated workouts.
I highly recommend the book I mentioned at the beginning of this post;
"Think Confident and be confident for teens". You will learn from the stories of other teenagers. You will also learn how to fight self-doubt, understand a self-confidence mindset, and practical steps to build your self-confidence.
It all depends on you to be confident. Being confident is a choice. And I can tell you that It's one of the best choices you'll make in life. From the book, "Confidence helps you to see the accurate picture"
Stay Confident!