How to Build Confidence In Students? -Overcome The Fear Of The Unknown — rajtheblogger.com
In this post, I want to share my thoughts about building confidence in students. How can we help them to overcome the fear of the unknown?
I would like to share a wonderful story to understand the importance of confidence while making life decisions.
The Confident Young Boy
It was back in the 1970s when a boy was born in the South African state of Pretoria, who got the world at his feet just when people thought he was done and dusted.
To start with, the boy had an unrivalled mind, and the icing on the cake was a heart that was full of confidence and self-belief.
His mind would be so much involved in imaginative inventions that his parents had to once call upon a doctor to check his hearing abilities.
His talent wasn’t hidden for a prolonged period, as he made his first software sale at the age of just twelve.
The Early Rise- First Billion Made
Everything went right for the young boy who moved between countries in his pursuit to attain the highest quality of education.
From Queen’s University to the University of Pennsylvania and finally, at the University of Stanford, the boy continued climbing the stairs of success rapidly.
The monetary success wasn’t far behind; in 2002, he developed software in coordination with his brother, sold at a hefty price of 340$ million dollars.
He didn’t stop there; he invested the money in another online payment software that reached its peak during his tenure and was the sole reason behind him making his first billion-dollar.
The sale of the payment service bought him a whopping $1.5 Billion.
The Downfall- Hurdles To Success
But life is unfair when you think you own it and the flight to success is at your stake, you slip, the fall begins, and the graph turns downward; only the confident ones can make a comeback.
He launched a space company that would be sending rockets to make discoveries and attain more excellent knowledge about what exists in the world beyond our eyes can see.
The idea looked impractical to most of the scientists and researchers of the time, and very few of the investors thought it to be a reliable source of recovering their hard-earned money back.
The Situation Worsens- Another Setback
To some extent, the anticipation was correct as the first rocket sent missed its target and lost somewhere in space. But the boy, who was now a man, didn’t look back and decided to give it another try.
He decided to send another rocket into space by arranging more investment, which was a partial success but still not worth the investment made.
The man was still ready to give it another try, this time through a loan from multiple banks, he sent the spaceships back again, but this time, it was a terrible disaster.
It was a massive blow for the man as he was bankrupt; the situation turned so bad that he had to sell off his house and car to pay back the loans.
Success: The Importance Of Confidence
At this point, when an idea has already failed thrice, most of us would quit right away, and it would by no means be regarded as a cowardly decision.
But the man was different; the level of confidence he possessed was unparalleled, and his self-belief was head and shoulders above the rest.
He had no backup left, the house was sold, and all he had was some remains left after paying back the bank loans.
However, he still decided to give the company another try. This decision was his breakthrough; the results were astonishing; it was something that never happened in history before, something like a script from a movie to real life.
This was the story of unbelievable confidence and remarkable self-belief played by an extraordinary man- ELON MUSK.
From being broke in 2008 to be the seventh richest man on the Forbes list, the story of Mr Musk is nothing short of inspiration.
Introduction About Confidence Building
“With the realization of one’s potential and self-confidence in one’s ability, one can build a better world”-Dalai Lama.
In literal terms, confidence means a belief or feeling that one can have faith in; having confidence in oneself is the sole determinant of success in your efforts.
Trust helps you stay committed to your goals, despite any failures; it enables you to keep yourself on the right track regardless of the obstacles you face.
This article provides you with some food for thought overbuilding confidence and what being a confident person means.
Five Reasons to Build Confidence in Students:
Less Fear and Anxiety
Have you ever thought about why some students are afraid of examination despite putting off their reasonable efforts, or why do they hesitate to discuss their instructors’ doubts?
Well, this happens just because of lower self-confidence. When the students possess lower self-confidence, they are afraid of discussing their queries and are worried even after preparing for exams.
This fear has a negative influence on their overall performance, from grades to extracurricular activities.
Fear sometimes also develops anxiety or depression among the students, leading to serious health problems.
Research suggests that positive emotions, such as healthy confidence, help regulate and negate the effects of negative emotions such as anxiety.
To ensure that the students don’t fear, the instructors and teachers will need to build healthy self-confidence.
Lower Self-Confidence leads to demotivation among the Students. When the students are demotivated, their mindset shifts to a negative perspective, and they feel like their dreams and goals aren’t achievable.
However, when you help a student build confidence by teaching him/her to take small steps towards their goals. They will feel a sense of accomplishment.
This sense of accomplishment will keep her moving forward when the journey gets tough.
Demotivated is also considered as the most significant reason for failure. The guides should take responsibility and build confidence in them to quit at difficult times.
Resilience is the ability to deal with a crisis and recover quickly from those crises.
It is quite common that you have to face hurdles while turning your dreams into tomorrow’s reality.
While facing the hurdles during the journey, most of the peoples give up. As a result, their goals stay dreams as they diminish and fade away.
However, when the students are confident in achieving their targets, they never look forward to starting their journey.
They are more resilient; even when they face the most challenging hurdles, they keep achieving their goals.
According to research by the University of Salford, Salford, UK, Resilient students are described by Alva (1991) as those who maintain high motivational achievement and performance even when faced with stressful events and conditions that place them at risk of poor performance.
“The confidence of the people is worth more than money.”- Carter G. Woodson.
Confidence is the key factor that helps to accomplish your goals in life. People with a higher level of self-confidence don’t think much when they want to execute their plan.
They took the least time to make decisions as compared to those who lack determination.
Along with it, they make well-thought-out decisions and implements according to the plans. Confident people possess excellent leadership skills, which help them to succeed in their journey.
The self-confident students are successful in their work fields because they are committed to giving their best; they are clear about their plans and show consistency. Once you know what you want in life and have a clear goal, make your choice consistent.
Improve Academic Performance
Lastly, the impact on their academic performance. A recent study revealed that students with higher academic achievement had a higher self-confidence level, and students with lower educational achievements had a lower self-confidence level.
When students possess higher self-confidence, they are willing to explore things, whether it is technology or nature. Additionally, they have a higher intellectual level, and they can think critically about any number of things outside of particular areas.
Boosting The Self-Confidence In Students
As discussed earlier, there is a great importance of building self-confidence in students as it will play a significant role in achieving success.
Now the question is, how can the confidence of students be boosted? Well, there are several ways to build and boost confidence in students.
Here are a few ways to increase the student’s self-confidence.
Admiring the students have a significant impact on their self-confidence. When the students perform any task correctly, admire them for their efforts to complete the tasks.
If they have tried, but unfortunately, they haven’t succeeded in completing the job, you need to make sure that you have appreciated them as it will help them improve for the following time.
No Need to Correct their Mistakes Every time
Most of the teachers correct every small mistake of their students. When teachers comment on their little mistakes, the student’s confidence suffers a lot.
The students feel that they make too many mistakes, and it downgrades their confidence and self-esteem.
Therefore, teachers or instructors should acknowledge only the critical error of their students.
Following this tip wouldn’t only build self-confidence among students but also improve their relationship with the instructor.
These are the only two strategies, but their hundreds of tips can build healthy students’ confidence from an early age.
However, the tips mentioned above are more convenient to execute as a comparison to other techniques.
“Confidence is the most important single factor in this game, and no matter how great your natural talent, there is only one way to obtain and sustain it: work.” — Jack Nicklaus.
It would initially be challenging for the teachers to motivate the students, boost their self-confidence, and set their mindset towards the positive approach.
But, when students would be encouraged, they would surely succeed in their careers.
Teachers and the Indian Government, and other private organizations should also launch programs that positively set students’ mindsets.
Conduct seminars in schools and colleges regarding self-motivation and success.
Such programs would help to beat numerous problems in a country, such as improving the literacy rate, decreasing unemployment, and boosting the country’s economy that would surely help our homeland India rise.
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” -Winston S. Churchill
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Originally published at https://rajtheblogger.com on November 17, 2020.