Self-confidence is indicated by how strongly we believe in ourselves and in our ability to complete a task or speak up what we’re thinking and feeling. It is an assuredness in ourselves for who we are.
A confident person means what they say, and says what they mean.
A confident person is not someone who has mastered all things, but rather, someone who is comfortable with failure, with process, with figuring things out on the fly as they go.
How can meditation help build confidence?
Inner Noise
When we first are still and sit in meditation, it is common for us to hear all our inner riff-raff share their ideas.
“Oh man I didn’t email that person back!”
“My mom’s birthday is next week – what am I doing for her gift?”
“I really messed up that report at work today, crap…”
“How long have I been meditating? This isn’t working!”
and on and on.
As we practice witnessing and not reacting to each of these thoughts, we start to discern which voices are really worth listening to, and which are just static.
Right now, as you are reading this, your eyes are focused on these words.
However, your eyes are also receiving signals from the rest of the screen as well as from the area around your computer or phone.
But you are focusing on these words only, and though you are aware the other things are there, they turn into background noise that we filter out.
This is what happens for us in meditation with our own thoughts. We learn to discern what is really worth our attention and what is just noise.
Inner Knowing
As we continue with our practice, the tinny, whiny, passerby voices reveal themselves as temporary wisps that talk a lot but actually have very little to say.
What remains beyond their chatter is our deeper, truer voice.
This voice is one that is always there. On some level, we always know about it, and always have known about it.
It is the voice that may quietly throw up a fuss if we decide to date that person, take that job, or have that next drink that our passerby voices are suggesting.
This is also the voice that knows we’re in love.
When questioned about our love, it doesn’t need explanation. We just know.
The answer isn’t, “Well, she buys me my favorite foods, and she is nice to my sister, and she has a cat, and her eyes are green…”
The answer is beyond words. It just is. We KNOW it.
Our true, deep, inner voice has staying power. While all the others come and go with their yips and nit-picky complaints, this voice never goes anywhere.
Confidence
Listening to this deep, inner knowing is a sure-fire way to self-confidence.
When we act on what our deepest knowing is telling us, our actions don’t really need long justifications and drawn-out defenses.
We simply know what we’re doing is right.
We just know it.
It’s not a matter that you will sit in meditation and will be instantly confident in yourself.
However, if you stick with the process, and let your thoughts fly around without hyper-reaction, your true, deep voice will be easier to discern.
Listening to that voice brings about a peace that emanates out as true, solid confidence.