How much confidence should a person have?

[Fluffy Pinkie 417]

People are told all the time to have confidence in themselves. People should have confidence in their beliefs, Dreams, and in themselves, But when does a person's confidence change and give them an ego and begins to make them so sure of themselves, Because their's a fine line between trusting in yourself and believing that you're the only right person. Gaining confidence in yourself is a great thing and helps people try to do more and trust themselves more. When do you think the line is crossed between confidence and getting a big head? How do you yourself try to have confidence and prevent yourself from having a big ego or stop yourself from getting a big head?

[Retro*Derpy 3,185]

My college speech teacher told me that "You should be as confident as much as you're prepared" which makes sense. 

 

Say you're scared of heights and about to go rock climbing. If you prepared yourself before hand and know all the how-dos, than you can and should be bursting with confidence. Though if you haven't done anything to prepare yourself for it and you are expecting to even do OK, you are already overconfident. 

Edited November 30, 2013 by Zeckiu

[Lo23 32]

My college speech teacher told me that "You should be as confident as much as you're prepared" which makes since. 

 

Say you're scared of heights and about to go rock climbing. If you prepared yourself before hand and know all the how-dos, than you can and should be bursting with confidence. Though if you haven't done anything to prepare yourself for it and you are expecting to even do OK, you are already overconfident. 

 

Agree'd. I've always seen ego as a problem more than helping. Maybe it is just me being an introvert and want to be in the background rather than the forfront. I've always seen that people need to be more humble and not allow there ego to come into play or run into the issue of a big ego, which just results in a brutal fall.

[longgone 873]

I pretty confident of myself, but I know very well that there are "better men" out there. I also remember a quote from a WWI air ace that tends to keep my ego from sky rocketing:

 

"If you won, it was because of your own bravery or skill. If you lost, it was because you had met a better man."

[Scootalove 10,689]

Pretty much enough confidence to believe in yourself. I've met a lot of better people that I've faced on different occasions, and I know when I'm beat but I get enough confidence to never back down from a challenge.

'' The end of something else, the beginning of something new.''

 

It is like facing, my equal.

 

Edited March 28, 2013 by ~Chaotic Lightning~

[Mightymags 1,053]

A person should always have confidence with caution. We should be confident in our ability to prepare or to learn what we need to achieve anything. We should no be so sure of ourselves that we fail to address problems or personality flaws. Overconfidence in social aspects leads to being an arrogant person when we lose compassion for others and overconfidence in other aspects can lead to unpreparedness which can be dangerous. 

[Planty 1,053]

I think knowing your limits is also important to this.

 

Like over inflating your ego or w/e and then doing something you know that really you can't do or biting of more then you can chew.  great example of this is s1e4 "applebuck season" where AJ things she can buck all those apples when in reality she can't.

 

Being confident in your abilities is important but being overconfident can be a disaster!

[lincolnshirepony 527]

I would agree with others and say that you should be confident in your skills and abilities. There's nothing wrong with knowing you can do something and feeling good about your ability to carry the task out. The problem comes in when someone feels they are better than others for it. Like, there's nothing wrong with being strong academically and feeling confident about your academic abilities, but there is something wrong with being someone that considers themselves a superior person to their peers due to academic success.

I think it boils down to knowing that you're not better than everyone else due to being confident in X.

[Zygen 6,066]

I dunno thats a good question. I mean thats part of the reason I have so low self confidence, almost out of fear of being overconfident.

 

I guess just being confident enough you know you can do something, but not like blindly cocky and bragging about it.

 

Its a very fine line to ride.

Edited March 28, 2013 by Zygen

[Hangman 320]

I'm oozing with confidence. Being a wallflower doesn't get you anywhere, it holds you back from getting jobs, it makes it more difficult to be happy. You only get one life and the world is yours, and everything in it; just gotta go out there and get it.

[Harmonic Revelations 8,835]

They should have enough confidence. The amount of confidence people need is determined on the individual basis, and is based on a number of factors. There IS such a thing as being TOO confident, it's called arrogance. And let me assure you, nobody wants to be arrogant. But then again, they need to have enough confidence to function.

Edited March 28, 2013 by ┼☼Harmonic Revelations☼┼

[Shanks 10,816]

Arrogance is often considered overconfidence and on the surface it may appear that way but in practice that is not the case. People become arrogant not because they are too confident because they have put on a facade of over confidence to mask their own insecurities making them appear more confident than they actually are. It is for that reason that arrogance is not real confidence but is actually a poor substitute for having real confidence in yourself.

[9x18 24]

To me, keeping confidence balanced begins with knowing two things:

 

1) What you know (or can do).

2) What you don't know (or can't do).

 

For the former, be willing to use your knowledge/abilities and stand your ground when necessary.

 

For the latter, don't be relictant to say you don't know or can't do something, especially if you're willing to learn. Don't let pride get in the way of self-improvement.

 

This may sound somewhat career-oriented, but doing the above tends to earn respect from people you interact with.

[Titan Rising 2,156]

Complete confidence.  I don't think this has anything to do with having a big ego however.  There is a difference between confidence and ignorance.

 

To have confidence you must believe in yourself, and to believe in yourself means you can [at least somewhat] understand your limitations.  A confident fool will not be able to run 3 miles in 5 minutes because he believes in himself nor could he ever truly convince himself that he can.  The same fool could not convince himself he holds the correct answer to a question he does not understand. 

 

And I think to have complete confidence in yourself requires a very deep understanding of what a person is and is not capable of.  In a way I suppose complete confidence according to my definition isn't completely achievable either, or maybe it is.

 

Maybe an unorthodox answer to your question, but I'm an unorthodox guy.

Edited March 28, 2013 by Titan Rising

[silvadel 1,393]

You should not have as much confidence as Trixie and if you have as much as Rainbow Dash you need to be sure to be able to back it up. 

[Dreadmallon 353]

Many factors are involved with determining your own confidence level. Your social life, abilities, etc. I hate to sound unhelpful, but it's mainly on you to determine your confidence. One cannot simply say specifically how confident everyone should be without a broad statement (should be confident, but not cocky), that'd be ignoring everyone's specific traits and abilities. For example, if someone's funny, they're generally going to get more popular, and gain confidence. On the other hand, if you're not, then you could get numerous negative reactions. This proves that it also depends on the people you typically spend your time with.

[Ghost 173]

 People should aim to have confidence levels that put Kanye West and the Great and Powerful Trixie to shame. Could you imagine what that would be like  .

 In reality...it's always good to have confidence, but up to a certain extent. Things can be taken to an extreme. Being confident to the point of having to let everyone know how awesome you are isn't good, unless you can back it up, and you eventually will have to. I'm more confident than I used to be, but I know there are others that are better than I am. I think its better to have people realize you're awesome, than tell them you're awesome and have them later realize you suck  .

[~Master~ Button Mash 2,307]

Ideally one should seek to be as confident as possible. With true (I'll explain later) confidence does come a lot of social and career benefits that pay off in the end, as well as a peace-of-mind that makes it easy to sleep at night. After all, it's easier to get through the day if you get a feeling like you run the world (well, at least your own world) than the other way around.

 

But alas, in reality, things usually play out differently. A persons spirit can only be so strong, and eventually everyone has their breaking point. Then again, there's other factors that are sometimes out of people's control, such as anxiety and depression.

 

Now let me explain what I meant by "true" confidence. Confidence alone is of little use without knowledge and wisdom to put it to use properly. Otherwise you just have arrogance, which can be just as bad (if not worse) than having little confidence. Real confidence is just as much about quality and finesse-in-application as it is about quantity, if not more.

 

As for me personally, I don't have as much confidence as I'd like to have, I'll admit it. A lot of that stems from my social anxiety, though. Plus because I'm an introvert. I have my moments where I'm more confident, though.

Edited March 28, 2013 by AtomicBassCannon

[Starshine 16,334]

Confidence is nice, but too much of it into one's belief can turn a good, brave-spirited man into a raving zealot. As some already already said before me, everyone should know their limitations and when to compromise, not charging headlong to anything with nothing but confidence.

[Stratos 109]

The way to be truly confident in who you are is to examine yourself.  I'm paraphrasing Socrates to say that the unexamined life is not worth living.  Know yourself, what you can do, your strengths, your weaknesses.  Knowing you're great at something doesn't mean you boast, so keep it humble.  Knowing you are weak at something doesn't mean being ashamed of it.  Neither should you be proud of your shortcomings, just be honest with yourself and others and leave yourself open for advice.

 

Your opinions and beliefs should be based on solid ground but you must always leave yourself open to differing points of view.  Just because your attitudes toward things change doesn't mean you're a pushover!  It means you can learn and adapt.

 

Take life in stride but stop to think about it every so often.  It isn't easy.  In fact, it is rather difficult most of the time!  But it is always good to strive for.

[The Stranger 812]

How much confidence should a person have? Come now, there's no limitation on how much confidence an individual should possess. there's a difference between being full of yourself and thinking your the best compared to believing in your abilities as an individual.

 

Having confidence doesn't mean every time you attempt something you'll succeed and get desired results. Having confidence means believing in your abilities when you attempt something and even if you fail you'll have enough confidence to try again later when you feel ready.

Edited March 28, 2013 by Mighty E.

[Rivet Canterlot Mechanic 63]

In my opinion. A person should try to stay confident but only to a certain degree. Being overconfident can cause problems. People can be hurt or upset and bad things can happen if you don't know your limits. Stay confident and Remember that you can do a lot when you set your mind to it but you can't do everything. No one can. 

Edited March 28, 2013 by Rivet Canterlot Mechanic

[Lunas Husband 2,777]

Ahh not so much to the point of thinking they are all that and a bag of chips.. with a soda on the side. but enough to were you know you can do anything you want as long as you try!

[Malinter 3,064]

Enough so that your prepared but not so much that'll you'll do something dangerous.

[Adente 1,000]

I don't really have a firm grasp of the line between confidence and hubris. I am way too arrogant for my own good, constantly putting myself up, thinking too highly of myself, whatever. Although nobody around me really notices it or minds it, and it actually helps me inordinately in public speaking, presentations, anything that requires you radiate charisma, I am aware it is too much. I'm trying to slowly tone down my haughtiness, but its a tough slough.

 

So I guess I would say that it is very important to be confident/sure of yourself, and it is actually better to think a little too highly of yourself than a little too low of yourself. However, the key is to strike a balance, and at the very least, learn to fake being humble at the right times to avoid coming off as too conceited. Of course, genuine humility is obviously better.

Edited November 29, 2013 by Windy Runner