Teenage Confidence | Teen Ink

Teenage Confidence

February 21, 2012
By apcolfer BRONZE, Mexico City, Other
apcolfer BRONZE, Mexico City, Other
2 articles 0 photos 3 comments

Favorite Quote:
“When people hurt you over and over, think of them like sand paper. They may scratch and hurt you a bit, but in the end, you end up polished and they end up useless.”
― Chris Colfer


Teenagers tend to be really indecisive when it comes to confidence and security because they are still looking for who they really are and what their life is going to be like later on. That is why most teenagers gossip, judge, and sometimes even lie about other kids. They seem to be getting their confidence by destroying other teenager’s reputation, but that is only what they apparent. In the outside, anyone can look confident, but maybe not on the inside. Actually, and according to many experts, people who work hard to achieve confidence are those who are less confident inside. The key to being confident is simply loving yourself, because that way you know that you’re less likely to fall into other people’s ideas about what you should say, what you should wear, or what you should do. If you are going to be someone in this world, you might as well be you, instead of an exact copy of someone else.

Confident teenagers often show this trait as they walk, because they always have a ready smile and they don’t look at the ground. Another way of showing confidence is while talking. A confident speaker always gives out original ideas, even though people decline them, instead of copying other’s ideas and saying yes to everything they say. Actually, even when these people seem to be the most confident to us, they are not as confident on the inside. They can’t express their own ideas to others because they’re scared about what they will say. This is very wrong, because teens are, in most cases, full of imagination and very smart, but they do this to be a part of some clique, especially the “popular” clique. They try to dress the same, listen to the same music, watch the same movies, and even eat the same things. So actually, kids that belong to a certain clique are less confident than kids that go through life on their own, even when it may look like it’s the other way around.

Being a confident teenager is one of the hardest things to do at this stage of life, but we can all do it, and it’s very helpful. Teenagers should learn that, when you show who you really are instead of trying to be someone else’s follower, people will like you more. They will see more potential in someone who is sure about everything he/she says and who doesn’t care about other people’s judgments against them, than in someone who would rather spend their time listening to someone speak and just nodding and agreeing. This is actually very hard to believe, especially for kids who think they’re confident but they’re still not so popular at school. Well, let’s take the example of numerous celebrities who used to be constantly judged at school for being themselves by other teenagers who were really jealous of their traits and just tried to bring them down. The key for these people was to stay strong and continue being themselves, and they ended up being famous singers, writers, or actors.

Another thing to keep in mind is that confidence does not kick in overnight; instead you have to remind yourself every day that you’re unique in every way and that you’re not going to be overshadowed by someone else. This way, confidence will eventually be a part of you, and you will be strong enough not to care about what people think about you. As hard as it may sound, when you believe in yourself, you will always achieve what you’re looking for, even though others don’t want you to achieve or try to bring you down. Just do it when you feel like it, and don’t let anyone say that it’s not good enough, not pretty enough, or whatever. If you feel comfortable with your own decisions, then you shouldn’t be questioning other people or asking for opinions. Sure, asking for personal opinions may help you sometimes, because it can make you stronger in some ways, but if you’re really sure of yourself, you don’t need other people’s negativity to change your mind about your own decisions. The point is to listen to always have your ears open for what people have to say, but use the information to help you grow somehow instead of letting it bring you down.


The author's comments:
I have always been a very confident teenager, and I know that there are teenagers who are just not confident. I hope that my piece will help them realize how much this helps.

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This article has 2 comments.


on Feb. 23 2012 at 2:51 pm
Brokenness_is_Beautiful SILVER, Independece, Louisiana
6 articles 3 photos 77 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life is so ironic to understand fully, it takes sadness to know what is happiness. noise to distinguish silent and a broken heart to find true love.

This is a really good article. It was encouraging and helpful. I agree with almost everything you put in here. Keep it up!

on Feb. 23 2012 at 2:45 pm
Brokenness_is_Beautiful SILVER, Independece, Louisiana
6 articles 3 photos 77 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life is so ironic to understand fully, it takes sadness to know what is happiness. noise to distinguish silent and a broken heart to find true love.

This was a really sweet article! There were a few mistakes in grammar and I think if you fixed them this could go in the mag. It is very encouraging and helpful. I agree with almost everything in your article. Nice job and I hope to read more stuff by you very soon. Yes, that was a request, so get buisy....just kidding. But really, you are very talented!