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People often think of confidence as arrogance. In my experience, it has been anything but.

Confidence is the ability to feel sure of your actions in the things that you do. It's not a super power: being confident is a healthy thing.

Being overconfident, or arrogant is a different thing. It can be a real problem.

It can be difficult growing up being different than everyone else. It can seem that we are alone, or that we just don't fit in.

We may have our confidence challenged for many reasons:
- Growing up in a difficult family situation.
- Having a physical or mental disability.
- Being smarter than or not as smart as the people around us.
- Living with abuse.
- Being raised in addiction.
- Having a poor body image (thinking that we are ugly, etc).
- Being labelled as something we are not.
- Being under-diagnosed or misdiagnosed and not getting proper treatment.
- Being controlled or mistreated by people.
- Losing a job or unemployment.
- Having a failed relationship.
- Losing the abilities we once had.
- Not being recognized for who we are.

I've been through several of these things, but they do not define me.

The fact that I have believed a lie in the past, does not determine my future (once I have learned the truth). When the lie became my truth, my truth became a lie.

Having doctors tell me that I was crazy because they couldn't explain my medical condition didn't make me crazy. Once I found out the truth, these lies had no strength over me: The doctors were wrong. I'm confident in my abilities and remind myself of what I have accomplished.

My problems were normal for what I had. I don;t have to be normal like everyone else.

The loss of my abilities do not prevent me from succeeding at something else. My idea of success has changed. I choose to focus on that I can still do well, even though they may be different from what I have done.

I don't have to be like everyone else. I don't have to be "normal." I can overcome adversity.

This looks very different to each of us: being successful, confident, and happy.

Being confident becomes a practice. The truth is always there. Keep searching for it: it will change your life.

Feel free to share this article in groups and with other people.

Be well.