Self-Confidence Over Reputation - Essay Example

Self-confidence is being secure in ones abilities and judgments. It is having trust and assurance in oneself. Reputation, on the other hand, is an opinion commonly held concerning a person or groups character (Helm, 2011). The distinction between the two aspects is that self-confidence is internal, emanating from within an individual, while reputation is external, coming from other people. These two aspects are crucial in life since they determine ones progress or failure to some given extents. However, it is always an uphill task to build both as well as sustain them once built. Building self-confidence is a process but once acquired; it is not easily lost. On the other hand, maintaining an already built reputation takes a lot of efforts since it can be ruined by a single instance. In business, a high reputation is invaluable as it places the business on higher ground in the market. However, the higher the reputation, the higher the fragility since one scandal is enough to bring down a reputation built over decades (Helm, 2011). This essay, therefore, stands at a preference for self-confidence as opposed to reputation in the list of priorities.

The importance of self-confidence in life cannot be overlooked. In achieving even the smallest of goals in life, including carrying on daily duties such as at work or in school, demands some level of self-confidence. An attitude of self-confidence allows one to maneuver through the push and pulls of life that create mixed opinions in ones mind and could result in doubt. It also helps guard ones individuality which could be robbed by relying on other peoples opinions to guide you. Being unable to make ones decisions could make someone unsure of himself which can lead to depression. According to Chan, (2010), a self-confident person has a general control of his life, having a positive but realistic view, and can do what he wishes to do bearing in mind that it could go well or wrong, but eventually everything will fall in place. This is to say that, self-confidence is a driver of ones progress or lack of it.

There are various facts that make self-confidence more preferable to reputation. One, self-esteem improves performance (Edward & Kumar, p. 43). Successful people, whether in school, business, or sports owe their success in believing in their abilities and not allowing lifes hurdles to deter them from their goals. For instance, a public speaker or an international athlete could not possibly get there without trusting in themselves. Lack of confidence impedes performance due to doubts and giving in to frustrations. Secondly, self-confidence contributes to social ease. Since their confidence emanates from within and is not influenced by others, they can move freely and interact with others without the fear of rejection. Thirdly, self-confidence promotes happiness. This results from the fact that one is not easily affected by the opinions of others since their opinion is self-made. They are, therefore, shielded from stress and depression that could arise from negative views of others or rejection. An individual lacking in self-confidence is vulnerable to self-pity and all the associated problems, including self-harm and suicide to the extreme.

Self-confidence is responsible for inventions and innovations. This is because it is accompanied by a spirit of perseverance and persistent until the intended goal is achieved. Inventions and innovations are often surrounded by drawbacks resulting from the experimentations carried out in the process. If one does not believe in himself, the failures that come before an invention is finally perfected could be a discouragement and would make one quit. Additionally, self-confidence is associated with good mental health. This is according to the National Mental Health Information Center which claims that positive self-esteem and confidence are indicators of good mental health. Lack of confidence or reduced levels translates to a loss of self-worth which could easily trigger mental functionality of people and lead to states of depression (Chan, 2010). Most reported cases of mental dysfunction such as substance abuse, attempted suicide, and other self-harm activities result from low or lack of self-confidence leading to devaluation of oneself. Finally, self-confidence impacts on leadership. Successful leadership demands self-confidence with the leader. This is what determines the decisions that he makes, whether he will stand by them regardless of opposition, and will determine whether people will follow his lead or not. These reasons, and others make self-confidence a more integral component of an individuals life than is reputation.

In summary, self-confidence and reputation influence ones life in one way or another. However, for personal development, self-confidence is more preferable than reputation. Self-confidence determines how one turns out in life through the decisions an individual makes that are mostly not influenced by external sources. Self-confidence should be built from childhood as a child grows so that at adulthood it is well ingrained to last a lifetime. Teenagers are mostly vulnerable with self-confidence since it is at this stage that they are attempting to fit in society as well as seeking acceptance. As such, parents and guardians should assist their children in this area. It can also be built at any point in life.

References

Chan, M. (2010). Mental health and development: targeting people with mental health conditions as a vulnerable group. World Health Organization.

Edward, A. K., & Kumar, Y. Self Confidence and Performance. S. No Name of Article Page No., 43.

Helm, S. (2011). Corporate reputation: an introduction to a complex construct. In Reputation Management (pp. 3-16). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.