Focus on Competence and Watch Confidence Grow
Bullying… There are few things more intimidating than the threat of physical violence. Yet when it comes to bullying and dealing with negative peer pressure, we often hear parents tell their children to just “be confident”. However, can a child (or anyone for that matter) really have confidence without having competence in the same regard? Is merely asserting confidence an effective and sustainable strategy?
In 1952, Dr. Bernice Moore published an article called Self-Confidence for Competence in the journal of Educational Leadership. Moore describes confidence as “a trust in self, a faith in one’s ability to be able to meet situations as they may arise.”
The simple truth is, you become more confident if you become better at what you do. Confidence will never appear magically by itself. Don’t fool yourself (or your children) into thinking that life will be better as long as you wish for it.
Building self-confidence is based on real, tangible steps. If you want to increase self-confidence, here’s the process: 1) Improve your competencies. 2) Put them into practice. 3) See results. 4) Grow more confident. 5) Repeat.
It’s that simple… And when it comes to bully’s, there’s nothing more empowering than giving your child the physical skills necessary to confront these pressures quickly, confidently and effectively.
