Think about someone you know who is confident in their skin and ability and faith and decisions.
Not arrogant. Not prideful. Not boasty. Just confident. Comfortable with who they are and what they have to offer the world. Continuously maturing into more and more confidence.
Confidence is connected to certainty that something simply is. It's also connected to trust, being able to confide in someone. But it also goes on to connect this position of trustworthy certainty with faith and belief. That somehow being confident, I mean truly and honestly confident, is a lifestyle of faith in what we're certain of while living such a trustworthy life that others are both drawn and willing to confide in our being.
Simply put, confidence is trusting that our abilities, both God-breathed and dirt-earned, are certainly sufficient for life in action, here and now.
Are you confident in who you are designed to be? In your capabilities? In your faith? In your skin, whatever shape and color and size that may be?
What's next? What one area of life will you take a step forward in to grow in confidence?
How? Some not-so-original thoughts:
Pick a skill and develop it. It feels good to be competent.
Stop trying to please everyone. Choose one healthy aspect of your journey and develop some healthy habits for the long haul.
A healthy and simple shift in appearance. This can be a simple way of breaking a cycle of funk, depression, victim-mindset, feeling trapped etc.
Change your lifestyle habits: go to bed earlier, wake up earlier, exercise, change diet, spend time in Scripture and prayer, volunteer, mentor or disciple, create a schedule and stick to it, ease up on your schedule...
Find a more encouraging, engaging and motivating tribe.
Being good at something, being thankful and pouring both of these out on others is an awesome way to build some confidence for the long haul.