How do you know if someone is truly confident? It can honestly be hard to tell, but there are some traits and characteristics that tend to be associated with people who possess confidence.
Knowing these characteristics can not only help you spot a confident person but can also help you know whether you’re confident or if you have some work to do in that area of your life.
1. Self-Aware: People who are confident tend to be more self-aware. This tends to be the case because they are not afraid to discover and learn things about themselves, even when those things are not necessarily positive. In fact, there is often a deep desire to learn and understand oneself because it helps you grow and develop as an individual.
The confidence that you are secure and whole even when flaws are discovered enables you to be open to self-assessment and makes you curious to understand yourself so that you can turn that information into becoming the best you can possibly be.
2. Courageous: Confidence also leads people to be courageous. When you have a belief in yourself and what you are capable of, you tend to be less fearful. Confidence equips you to feel that you can overcome challenges and take risks thus you are willing to do more and try more as a result.
3. Humble: It may come as a surprise, but people who are confident also tend to be humble. Humility is not to be confused with low self-esteem. Humility is more so the act of seeing yourself and your accomplishments modestly.
An inner confidence that leads you to be secure in who you are does not need to boast about achievements. Rather, you can allow your accomplishments to speak for themselves and allow other people to praise you rather than elevate yourself in an effort to generate some level of importance.
4. Risk-Takers: People who are confident tend to be more willing to take risks than those who struggle with confidence. When you have faith in your knowledge and abilities, you tend to believe that your efforts will result in positive outcomes.
This means that even when faced with something that could be considered a challenge you have a belief in yourself that you’ll be able to overcome that challenge. Even in instances where there may be some doubt in the potential outcome, confident people are not fearful that a negative outcome will be a reflection of who they are as individuals, meaning they are still willing to put themselves out there.
5. Own Their Mistakes: People who are confident are also people who have no problem taking responsibility for their mistakes. When you are confident you don’t internalize your flaws and mistakes to the point that you attribute them as defining characteristics. Rather, you see mistakes as learning opportunities and flaws as opportunities for growth and development.
6. Responsible: When you possess confidence you have no problem with being responsible, or handling tasks that have been assigned to you. Your confidence leads you to believe in yourself and your abilities, so you are often eager and feel capable of doing what needs to be done. There is no hesitation to handle tasks, make decisions, or operate in assigned roles because you believe you can get the work done and done well.
7. Giving: People who are confident are also known to be more giving. The connection between the two is believed to be that when you have belief in yourself you are more willing to give of yourself to others based on the idea that you believe you have something valuable to offer.
8. Speak Up: People who are confident have no problems advocating for themselves and what they want/need. When you have confidence, your belief in your own value and the value that you have to offer empowers you to voice concerns, needs, and wants. You understand that you are worth fighting for and you will do so when it is necessary.
9. Optimistic: When you have confidence your perspective will also tend to be more optimistic. An inner belief in yourself and what you can do allows you to see opportunities and to be more positive in the face of challenges.
10. Easy-Going: A final characteristic linked to confidence is a person who is easy-going. A lack of confidence can make you uptight and on edge, as you are constantly questioning yourself and your decisions and abilities. When you are confident in yourself you are able to be calm and at peace so you don’t get worked up and you are not easily angered or triggered.
While not a complete list of characteristics confident people possess, the above qualities are highly connected to people who are confident.
