The title of this post is similar to a recent one at Herald-Net, which appears to be an on-line newspaper in Washington, USA. I’ve added the question mark! Their post has a sports focus, so its unsurprising that the argument is very much in favour of self confidence being the key factor.
The author James McCusker states that coaches preparing teams for games know that the enemy isn’t the opposition, but a lack of self confidence. And, as in other aspects of life, self confidence is frequently the key to success. He throws in a great quote:-
Automotive pioneer Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” That is what self-confidence is all about, the belief that you can do what needs to be done, that you can succeed.
Self Confidence not same as Self Esteem
Unfortunately people interchange “self confidence” and “self esteem” as if they are the same thing. Mr McCusker gives a neat definition of the difference:-
“Self-confidence is built on achievement; self-esteem is built on opinion.”
If you have a good opinion about yourself, if you believe in your worth as a person, you generally have high self esteem. If you depend on the opinions of others to feel good, then your self esteem has a very shaky foundation.
