They are voracious learners
Insatiably curious, confident people continuously seek out new knowledge, ask intelligent, interesting questions, and listen to the answers. As lifelong learners, they are always seeking new ways to grow and expand their knowledge base, also being careful to discard obsolete knowledge as the world evolves and changes.
They exhibit a calm humility
While self-assured and secure, they are not pretentious or showy. They do not try to “borrow strength” from their possessions or achievements, knowing that their inner strengths will become evident to the discerning in good time.
They are solution-oriented, possibility thinkers
A positive, optimistic, flexible mindset does not guarantee good outcomes, but it gets you a lot further than a fixed, negative, pessimistic one will.
They are on their own side
Confident people have trained their “inner monkey chatter” to be their cheerleader, coach and BFF; they know not to rent out space in their own head to the opposition. Their self-talk is forward-focused.
They are from Missouri
They are politely skeptical; they have developed CTS: Critical Thinking Skills. They focus on the important not the dramatic, knowing they are rarely the same. They guard the gate of their mind, allowing in only that which serves them.
They expect to fail
Confident people know that setbacks are a part of life and they don’t get too worked up about them. They take whatever lessons can be learned, apply them and move on, without overlearning, being careful avoid the “cold stove” syndrome.
They enjoy the present moment fully while living in such a way as to maximize their future
They know that the past should be a place of reference, never residence. They are Systems Thinkers, seeing trends and interactions, not just isolated snapshots or one-off events.
They know themselves far better than most
Confident people have an introspective side, they seek insight, they “go to the balcony” to try to develop an “outside” perspective on their lives, thoughts, and actions. They have purpose, they explore themselves regularly, to expand their Predictive Intelligence (what future will their actions, habits, and thoughts create?) and Effective Forecasting (how will their future self like the future they are creating?)
As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier