Confidence Vs. Arrogance

Good morning fam. Hope you all are good and this Monday morning met you hale and hearty? Can you smell Christmas in the air already?! I can!! I'm torn between anxiety and excitement; anxiety because, well, the financial situation of this girl and most people in Nigeria right now is depressing, and excitement because it is Christmas!!
I'm like a child when it comes to this time of the year. It's not like I have any grand plans for the season o, but the harmattan and something about the trees shedding their leaves make me look forward to the end of the year and the beginning of a new year. I hope 2017 will be better than this year o! I've told my colleague and friend that I'll disturb her with Christmas songs on my laptop from now till the end of the year; she better get ready! LOL.

Yesterday in church, during Bible study, a member said something which struck me. We were discussing the issue of knowing who you are, and the man said that if you're sure of who you are, whatever anyone else says about you won't get you ruffled. For instance, I know I'm not a goat or an idiot, therefore when someone says I'm an idiot, it only makes sense that I'd shake my head at his/her ignorance and walk away, since  I obviously know I'm not an idiot, right? hahahaha... easier said than done, I know. Think of it though, if we could do that, imagine the troubles we'd avoid if we applied the confidence we so profess into our daily dealings. That's by the way.

Courtesy:rosstraining.com

People think there's a thin line between confidence and arrogance, but I beg to differ, the margin is quite wide and can be seen by all. Confidence is not faked, it comes from an inner assurance that you know who you are or what you're doing or talking about, while not shoving it down everybody's throats. Arrogance on the other hand comes from showing yourself or importance in an overbearing manner, behaving like you're more important than others. See the difference?  

Courtesy: Slideshare.net 

The confident man owns up to his mistake while the arrogant can never admit to his mistakes, rather he'd look for a way to justify the mistake or whom to blame for the mistake. The arrogant man often uses arrogance as a defence mechanism to avoid criticism. While talking to you, a confident person maintains eye contact with you as a way to make you feel important, while an arrogant person will look everywhere else but you while talking to you, as if you're invincible and he'd rather be talking to anyone else but you (I see that a lot).  

Courtesy: Lifestyletopia

Confidence involves admitting you don't know, or are vulnerable, but an arrogant man to admit he doesn't know it? Never! all those mr-know-it-all, I am watching y'all! The confident person understands that there'll alway be someone more knowledgeable, more experienced , or more talented than him, whereas the arrogant man sees everything as a competition which he must win, and feel the compulsive need to one-up everyone. Every experience you've experienced, he'd always say he's done something greater than yours. You've encountered such people, right? I know I have, and I'm already thinking of someone right now who aptly fits this description, hehehe... Well, decide which one you are or you want to be.

Step into the new week with confidence, know your craft and know your worth. Even when others think differently, you know who you are and nobody can change that. 

Have a fruitful week ahead.

Hugs.