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How to have confidence in oneself? || Acharya Prashant, with youth (2018)
Acharya Prashant
4K views
8 years ago
Confidence
Fear
Ease
Duality
Self-respect
Clarity
Fearlessness
Faith
Description

Acharya Prashant explains that the demand for confidence arises only when one is in a state of doubt or fear. He describes confidence as a medicine rather than a natural state of health; just as medicine should make itself unnecessary, true health is a state of fearlessness where confidence is not required at all. He points out that people do not need confidence when they are with friends or family, but they seek it during public presentations or interviews because of expectations, greed, and fear. Confidence is characterized as a subtly violent and aggressive response to internal shivering, serving as a superficial veneer to cover up underlying fear. Acharya Prashant emphasizes that one needs clarity and ease rather than confidence. He argues that confidence is often just a belief in a concept or an image of oneself. True health is marked by the absence of the thought of health itself, just as the absence of pain means one does not think about their knee. He suggests that fear and confidence are two sides of the same coin, following the law of duality. To move beyond this, one must face fear directly through faith and devotion rather than masking it with confidence. He encourages looking at what is truly valuable and realizing that what is essential cannot be lost, thereby uprooting the basis of fear. Finally, Acharya Prashant highlights that fear rests on the assumption of loss. He advises sitting with oneself and giving time to understand one's own mind, which is often neglected by traditional education. By developing self-respect and love, one can address the root of fear. Instead of seeking superficial remedies like confidence, one should aim for a state of 'ease,' which is the natural resolution to 'dis-ease.' He urges the listener to be bold enough to challenge what terrifies them face-to-face to achieve a state where neither fear nor the need for confidence exists.