There's No Real "Con" in Being Confident
By Kelly Kinas ‘17
Okay, I usually get a ton of flack from people for being confident. I recognize that there is a fine line between being confident and being full of yourself. Excuse me but if thinking that I am a worthwhile, interesting, attractive person makes me “unworthy” of someone’s time, it is their problem; NOT MINE.
I do not understand why a person, male or female, cannot be proud of what they do without being afraid of being chastised by their peers. Whether a guy can make some amazing fajitas, a girl can pop a wheelie, or a person can draw a killer wing of eyeliner, why is it negative for a person to be proud of their accomplishments?
If we all could be a little more like Ron Burgundy and Barney Stinson, life would be so much more enjoyable. I could totally see Ron Burgundy posting a selfie if they had cellphones in his fictional 70’s universe. These characters are still loved even though they are extremely confident, so why can’t we be the same?
While most people are ridiculed for being confident or taking a lot of pictures, I don’t see it as a bad thing if it is one of MANY things a person does. If someone posts a selfie, I want to congratulate them and hug them. They feel good about their looks that day. They took a picture. They felt confident enough to post it. I appreciate that. If I have an album on my phone of all the pictures that I think I look good in, why would that bother you? I am allowed to think of myself as attractive. Everyone should! The main thing is that people don’t think that being attractive is the MOST important thing in life. Be proud, not vain.
There is nothing wrong with being sure of yourself, man or woman. Believing in yourself and acknowledging that you are a worthwhile person who is totally awesome, brilliant, and the most ravishing creature on earth is great! The problem lies when people use that to criticize others for NOT being exactly as they are. Jealousy is not the answer. You can be proud of yourself and she can be confident and no one gets hurt because…
Someone else being intelligent, beautiful, or awesome DOES NOT MAKE YOU LESS SO.
I know a common hashtag revolving around USC is #arrogantnation. It is very true that students, alumni, and pretty much everyone are proud to be a part of the University of Southern California and the Trojan Family. Not every person is going to be nice. As much as I want the next presidential race to have only positive TV ads, it’s not going to happen. Either way, I want to get this thought out there. Build yourself up. Be confident in yourself but don’t push others down to get there. You don’t need to criticize your opponent to get ahead. You highlight your strengths and you will succeed.
This seems like a pipe dream. I understand that reality doesn’t allow for just black and white decisions sometimes. While many things in life are grey, you need to have a solid, open heart. You need to strive for excellence while also striving for the need to be just. You need to be a leader but you don’t need to kill to get there.
If every single person believed that he or she is great and lifted others up in their pursuit to feel the same, the world would not be full of assholes; it would be full of supportive, loving, beautiful, confident people.
Fight on!
