Confidence is the fusion of knowledge and experience. Nothing succeeds like success. The essence of the said phrase is: success leads to opportunities for further and greater successes. If you are looking for an easy life, which has no criticism, you can follow the following advice – do nothing, say nothing and be nothing. Self-confidence and Pluto have a cosmic connection.
Eleanor Roosevelt, the former first lady of the United States once said, “No one can make you feel bad about yourself without your consent.” What is Pluto doing in the middle of all this? The answer to this question can be found in the following paragraphs.
What is Self-confidence?
When knowledge, attitude, and experience come together, a person is said to be in a confident state of mind. Indecision is the fuel for procrastination – the act of intentionally or carelessly delaying or not doing something that should be done. Confident people are never afraid to make mistakes; they put outcomes in two silos – victory or lessons. With each victory, the level of self-confidence goes up, while the lessons learned from losses get accumulated in the bank of knowledge as no-go areas.
Henry Ford, the visionary industrialist who transformed factory production with his assembly-line procedures, once said, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t – you are right.” What you think about yourself, and what your words and actions convey to the world, eventually becomes the truth. Always embrace life with grace.
Perception is Reality
By having low self-confidence, we stifle opportunity. Being defensive about your ability, constantly craving for approval, and being judgemental about others, is a drain on mental resources. Setbacks snatch away poise, and it takes immense courage and self-love to regain lost ground. The day you start doubting your skills and knowledge, you ignite a fire that has the potential to erase every fragment of confidence you ever had.
When we start to tailor our lives to fit the expectations of others, we set a vicious cycle in motion. Most people are not paying much attention anyway. Develop a thick skin, and desensitize your emotional triggers. To grow as individuals, we need feedback. Whether you are a student, an employee, a politician, an entrepreneur, a monk, or an artist, you cannot afford to live in isolation. The key is to find the right balance between acceptance and approval of others. If you wish to improve the opinion other people have about you, then practice till you cannot go wrong.
Self-confidence Tightrope
The key to life is balance. I know, this is not something you are reading for the first time, yet sometimes it helps to state universal facts. We live in a result-oriented world. And, if you think we live in a harsh world then, I would request you to read ancient history to soothe yourself. As long as you are alive, you will be judged on both qualitative and quantitative parameters. Make peace with this fact. As long as the feedback and evaluation are based on objective terms, please take it in your stride and work on it.
“The way we do anything is the way we do everything” Martha Beck
Set standards for yourself, achieve them and try to take your game to the next level with each passing assignment. Learn to deflect unnecessary energy coming your way. You will never be able to combat toxicity with toxicity. Focus on your goal and look at everyone as a collaborator. In your workplace or everyday life, remember one thing: you are working with people and not for them. The most successful people were, are, and will be the ones who enable others to succeed.
What is a Planet?
Pluto is part of our solar system. In 2006, it was classified as a dwarf planet – a celestial object that does not meet any one of three criteria decided by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). A handful of astronomers laid out the following three conditions for a celestial object to be classified as a planet:
The celestial object in question should be spherical;
The celestial object should orbit the Sun; and
The celestial object should have gravitationally cleared its orbit of other objects.
Pluto was classified as a dwarf planet because it did not meet the third condition i.e., it did not clear its neighbourhood. Since its discovery in 1930, Pluto has been the most misunderstood object in space. A section of astronomers who disagree with the 2006 resolution of IAU, state that, we should stick with the 16th-century definition of planets: a geologically active body in space.
Pluto: To Be, or Not to Be
As you are reading this article, Pluto is going about its business – orbiting the Sun. Less than five percent of total astronomers in the world voted to demote Pluto as a planet. They set the rules and Pluto was pronounced as an outcast. These same people have a term for Sun as well – the yellow dwarf star. What will life be without the yellow dwarf star? Feel free to draw your conclusions. Pluto does what it wants, and it is marching to the beat of its drum. It has even been called eccentric, as its orbital path does not lie in the same plane as the eight planets, but is inclined at an angle of 17 degrees.
Pluto has no ring system and possesses five known moons – Charon, Styx, Nix, Kerberos, and Hydra. It is far too cold (-228 to -238 degrees Celsius). A day on Pluto lasts 153 hours or about six Earth days, and a year on Pluto is 248 Earth years. Just because Pluto is an exception to the norm, a section of the scientific community decided that it should exist in exile.
Pluto and We The People
What lessons can be drawn from the perspective of Pluto? Do your thing and let people say whatever they feel like. We may choose not to move like others or we may have a different inclination while we move. All this, and many more dissimilarities with others do not classify us as an outsider. We may be the farthest from the centre of the universe, but we are part of the universe.
To attain success, we must train our minds to visualise the positive outcome, and devote all resources to achieve the goal. This is where you need to be realistic in the initial few projects. Build a solid foundation and then launch yourself. Why settle for anything lesser than what you can accomplish? Success can be yours if you make things happen, rather than wait for things to happen. You may wonder, how certain people keep scaling new heights in their chosen field of work? It is because nothing succeeds like success. If and when confident people fail, they tap into their reservoir of knowledge and experience and approach the problem from a different vantage point.
Self-confidence and Compassion
Confident people do not look for immediate acceptance and constant approval. They help others by solving problems, creating convenience, and sometimes even by entertaining. If you look at the outcome of every proposition only from your perspective, there is a good chance of hitting the ceiling of growth too soon. Whereas, if your words and action can create utility in the other person’s life, you may register limitless growth into perpetuity.
There is a fine line that separates a confident person and a snob: a person with an exaggerated respect for high social position or wealth who seeks to associate with social superiors and looks down on those regarded as socially inferior. Which one of the two you wish to become, is entirely a matter of choice. It is essential to distance yourself from people who are looking to either use you or disrupt your pursuit of happiness. The world needs solutions to all sorts of problems. Your confidence has the potential to make the world a better place.