Article January 5, 1998 Issue

In search of confidence

It's there. Just look within.

By Mark Swinney

A friend said that she sometimes gets butterflies when she's nervous. She explained that instead of trying to get rid of them all, she does whatever she can to get them at least to fly in formation!

Whether it's the first day on a new job or at a new school, speaking or performing before an audience, or simply feeling assured day to day that everything necessary for success is at hand, confidence and poise are integral to progress and to feeling at peace. But how can we get those butterflies to fly in formation, or, better still, how can we feel completely free of self-consciousness and fear?

Confidence can be cultivated. Yet, confidence in ourselves, alone, isn't enough in the long run. So, then, how can we be sure that we have what it takes for every situation? "It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man," are words of wisdom from the Bible's Old Testament (Ps. 118:8).