This construct addresses the extent to which an individual is comfortable with themselves and who they are (i.e., their background, schooling, work and life-experience) and what they have to offer. It addresses the way in which an individual opens up to others, and how easily others get to know them as a unique individual. Moreover, an individual’s self-confidence (or lack thereof) and the way they present themselves are also measured.
Although individuals may be clear about their purpose, if they are not comfortable with what they as individuals have to offer to fulfil that purpose, it is unlikely that they will succeed.
This construct measures confidence in terms of what individuals feel that they are bringing to the table. This could be in the workplace or in a person’s studies, hobbies and community contribution, or personal life. A healthy sense of self-confidence comes down to being comfortable with one’s abilities, as well as being able to acknowledge one’s weaknesses or failures, being okay with them and not allowing them to hamper future performance in various aspects of life.
If this is something the individual lacks, it is necessary to go back to the two elements that build confidence, namely: experience and knowledge. Experience relates to having gone through an activity or experience one or more times. Knowledge relates to the facts about various subjects that are retained after learning about them. Self-confidence is a learned quality, as it tends to improve with the acquisition of more knowledge and experience. With the acquisition of knowledge and experience in the areas that are bringing self-confidence down, an individual can show significant improvement through learning capabilities and developing the skill of finding ways to do things in a different way from before. First though, this means that the individual undergoing the learning process must start by learning to make peace with mistakes or failures (or not immediately being able to do something well) so that past experiences do not hinder future development.