Confident Humility: Believing in Yourself Without Being Arrogant

Confidence is a tricky thing. Every bone in your body tells you when you don’t have enough of it, but it’s oddly challenging to detect personally when you have too much. The latter can be dangerous because it can lead to arrogance, entitlement, complacency, and resistance to change even when it is for the better. Believing in yourself is fine – until it’s not. Here are ways to practice it healthily (and not be a jerk).

Research by psychologist Carlo Dweck, author of "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success", found that some people see themselves as “fixed” while others see themselves as capable of improving with effort and experience. Those with a fixed mindset tend to try harder to prove they’re smart instead of working to get smarter. Moreover, the study showed that they tend to overestimate their abilities and reinforce their beliefs by avoiding difficulties and challenges. 

Being flexible and open-minded keeps you humble and aware of things you’ve yet to learn. At the same time, these traits keep you on the growth path and allow you to never stop learning. Express confidence with a welcoming smile by brushing your teeth with closeup Menthol Fresh Toothpaste. It protects your teeth and gums while keeping your breath fresh. 

Owning up to your faults and mistakes is difficult when pride gets in the way. It is what arrogance does. According to the Harvard Business Review Emotional Intelligence Series, this leads to neglecting what’s important: listening to feedback, taking care of people, and trying to do better. Blaming other people instead of being accountable builds trust and encourages learning — two healthy qualities that can help build confidence.

Don’t sweat the small stuff! Shower with Dove Men+Care Extra Fresh Body and Face Wash and Dove Men+Care Anti-Dandruff Shampoo before starting your day to help you keep clean, cool, and composed. For an extra dose of confidence, spray AXE Deo Bodyspray Gold Temptation to beat odor and bacteria for up to 48 hours.

Preparation — even overpreparation — is a mark of confidence. Believing in yourself isn’t thinking that you know everything; it’s giving yourself the tools to succeed because you know you can. If you have a big presentation coming, winging it doesn’t always work. Knowing when to do this makes all the difference. Preparing also shows respect and that you’re not underestimating others. Doing the work can also boost your confidence if you don’t have much of it.

Believing in yourself can help you achieve a lot of things in your career, as well as create healthy relationships with others. It’s when this belief goes overboard that problems occur and arrogance gets in the way. Don’t be a jerk — keep your confidence in check by staying open-minded, taking responsibility, and preparing for what life has in store, big or small.