Growing up, I was never confident. I felt insecure about both my physical appearance and my personality. However, in middle school, I watched a Ted Talk about confidence that changed my perspective about myself. I always dreamed of being confident, but I never knew how to. The Ted Talk gave me the advice to “fake it till I make it.”
This piece of advice went hand in hand with something my mom would always tell me growing up: “don’t try to impress others.” I think the main reason why I felt insecure about myself for many years of my life is because I spent every day thinking about how I can change my looks and personality to be more liked by others. This is a very toxic mindset, as it prevents you from being yourself and feeling happy and content with who you are. I tried to adopt the “fake it till you make it” mindset to see if that would change my view of myself.
At first, I felt very discouraged. Pretending to be confident made me feel very uncomfortable, especially in public places around others I would previously compare myself to. However, as time went by, it got easier and easier. Instead of faking my confidence, I started to actually feel that confidence. I started to feel more comfortable about my looks and my personality, and gradually stopped worrying about what others thought of me. Although it can be difficult, I am glad that I took the steps to improve my confidence.
However, I am not saying that all my insecurities are gone. I definitely still feel a lack of confidence sometimes, but that is something that I am working on every day. I suggest that everyone try to adopt the “fake it till you make it” mindset, and watch the Ted Talk about why this mindset is beneficial.