I was at the Suntrust ATM the other day, and a message on the screen read, “Confidence comes from your heart, not from your wallet.”
I pondered this for a while, and I initially wondered why a bank would post this. You’d think they would say the reverse—that confidence comes from the wallet—so people would want to save and invest more in their bank.
So I guess Suntrust is not thinking only business in this case. Their intention is to speak the truth to help others.
Confidence does come from the heart. You can be the wealthiest, richest person yet be unsure of yourself, doubt yourself, and even be insecure.
I believe some people are inherently confident and their very presence can command a room, and they can do this from a young age. This behavior trait comes naturally to some people, even from early childhood. For others, it’s a learned behavior that stems from maturity, getting older and wiser, and being more comfortable in their own skin.
I remember some of my fellow students in elementary and secondary school being very self-assured—the ones who were the student leaders, union leaders, class prefects, etc. I was on the shy side during my student days. I never really felt comfortable being the one who stood out for any reason. Only thing I really worked at standing out for was my grades. I was pretty confident but quite shy. I’m not sure if those two can go together. Can you be confident if you’re shy? I believe I was both. I believed in myself but never felt comfortable around people or being the highlight for any reason.
Obviously, in school none of us was making money. We were still being supported by our parents. However, even then I don’t remember a correlation between kids from wealthy families being more confident than kids from average-income families. There were less confident kids who didn’t like the spotlight from both income groups.
As I’ve matured, this correlation has turned out to be not so straightforward. I’ve noticed people who are wealthy and appear confident from a distance, but when you really get to know them, they are not as self-assured as they seem. As you get close to them, you notice their insecurities.
Others, on the other hand, who are not as successful can stand their ground and show up when they need to and are really confident.
I’ve found that I’m most confident when I’m in the position to use my gifts, display my passions, and help others. I was quite shy all through my school and college days, but as I discovered my gifts and embarked on my true life purpose and path, I have become confident and fearless of using my voice to propagate change and to make a difference in the lives of others.
My confidence didn’t come when I started earning a good salary from my doctor job. There were many situations distracting me at that time from really focusing in and embracing my true gifts and talents. I was just pushing through life and trying to exist.
As I found more peace and my life became more stable, I connected better with myself. I identified my gifts and my true life purpose and my core values. I became more confident as I realized I was making a difference and impacting others’ lives…my patients, medical students, staff.
My confidence has increased over the years, and now with my writing career, I feel very confident, especially because of the way my writing came about. I believe it is part of my true life purpose, and it gives me the drive every day to keep touching lives.
So my observation and conclusion is the same as Suntrust’s. Confidence comes from the heart, not from the wallet. You can have all the money in the world and yet be the most insecure, self-doubting person without passion or a heart for any good cause. Or you can be the most confident, self-assured person who has a clear vision and purpose in life but not have much in the wallet.
Purpose is wealth. Passion is wealth. Changing people’s lives is wealth.
There’s more to life than the size of your wallet and its contents. The size of your wallet will inevitably grow as your passion, purpose, and confidence grows.
Don’t be driven by your wallet size. Be driven by passion and purpose first, then watch what happens to your whole life, including your wallet size!
May we all be confident, heart-driven, permanently happy people in 2018 and beyond.