Is there a difference between acting self confident and being self confident? Yes. Neither one is wrong and sometimes we might find ourselves switching between acting self confident and being self confident.
In this article we’ll discuss the difference between acting self confident and being self confident. You’ll learn the right way to “act” the part, but, more importantly, to be the part. There’s that saying about talking the talk and not walking the walk. After this article you’ll learn why it’s better to be self confident, instead of acting it!
What does acting self confident look like?
There are two ways “acting” self confident looks like: 1) someone faking it til they make it, and 2) someone projecting insecurities as a way of appearing self confident.
Let’s explore these two ways that people can act self confident.
Fake it til you make it
At some point all of us have faked it til we made it.
We have no idea what we’re doing, but we’ve decided to go for it. I know we’ve all been there where we give it our all. Nothing is perfect at first, but we do our best.
Sometimes we have to pretend to know what we’re doing in order to start believing it. If you fake something enough, you’ll eventually believe it’s real.
There’s nothing wrong with this, but be sure to graduate from the “faking” part and move onto actually believing in yourself!
Insecurities to appear self confident
We all know someone like this. They probably take really good care of themselves. Their outward looks and lifestyle appear great, like they really have everything together.
But here’s the catch… when you interact with them, they have nothing nice to say. They like to gossip about others, say unkind things about you or others, and just be a generally negative person.
For example, there’s a family member in my life who never compliments anything I do. They always comment on weight, appearances, financial status, and so forth. For the longest time I internalized these insecurities of theirs, thinking that maybe I really was just not doing a good job.
Then I realized… wait a second. It’s not me that has those problems. It’s the family member! That family member projected their insecurities onto me, and that was the way they “appeared” self confident.
What a degrading act!
My husband and I have other family members and friends who do this, and every time they say something negative or a comment that comes off as neither positive or negative, I remember that it’s their own insecurity being projected.
They look like they have it all together, but inside they’re crumbling because they don’t believe in themselves. When they see people like us, who are trying hard and working towards our goals, they see the lack of confidence in themselves and seek to tear it out of others.
Side note: Normally I’d say don’t hang around these people but these are family members we see often. I’ve learned to distance myself and set boundaries from them, and you can too. 🙂
What does it mean to be self confident?
When you’re actually self confident, you believe in yourself. You know that you have all you need to reach your goals and dreams. Even if you don’t have the right skill set, you believe that you’ll learn and improve along your journey.
Self confidence also comes from God. You know who you truly are, and you know it so strongly that you aren’t afraid to fail. Failures are just a part of the process.
Also read: What is self confidence?
In conclusion
Acting self confident and being self confident are two different things. You can start out as an actor, but make sure you graduate and own self confidence. You got this friend!
What do you think?
Do you think there’s a difference between acting self confident and being self confident? Let us know in the comments below. Mahalo!
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