Confidence Versus Arrogance - Which Will Help You Achieve Your Goals?

 

As writers, we move through a lot of uncharted territory. We need to be confident within ourselves to do that. When does self-confidence morph into arrogance ... and why do we need to be aware of this? A self-confident individual has the courage and determination to take educated risks, but they are also grounded in the present, so that they don't fly off into the ethers to accomplish their goals. They are aware of the people around them, and are willing to help someone else achieve their dream, so they can achieve theirs. 

Self-confidence edges into arrogance when we begin to think that we can do anything that we want, do it our way, and be successful. We tend at this point to have blinders on, to not see what is right in front of us, and to trip over our own feet (or our own mistakes). In dreaming our Big Dream we can mistakenly  see illusion as reality, and build our house of cards on a very shaky foundation.

It is much easier to work with other people (whether they be beta readers, editors, publishers, or other writers) when they can see that we bring reality to the table, and when they feel they will be treated fairly. Arrogant people do not listen to anyone's opinion but their own, which means that they pay no attention to feedback. Someone who is confident, but not overly confident, will pay more attention to the feedback of others, want to improve themselves, and is really motivated to achieve their goals. 

To develop self-confidence as writers, we need to know who we are, what our unique voice is. We need to understand our goals, and have a plan for achieving them. It is also probably a good idea to surround ourselves with confident, successful people. Pay attention to who we are interacting with, and how we are interacting with them. In a word - treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. 

We need to persist in trying to achieve our goals. This takes thought and common sense, and the cooperation of others. Arrogance will get us nowhere ... self-confidence will!

(c) 2000 - 2013 Bonnie Cehovet

Reproduction in any venue prohibited without the written consent of the author.