Wish I was more like my son.

“Mom, can I wear a tux?”

My almost 10 year old son wanted to stand out in his 4th grade class pictures and asked if he could wear a tuxedo.I chuckled inside but didn’t want to discourage him. We ended up getting a couple of tuxedos in different sizes on Amazon and they arrived the night before. We picked one and the next morning he got all dressed for his class pictures. His twin sister of course did not want to be left behind and wore an over the top gown, also ordered on Amazon. Both were the best dressed, no doubt. When I dropped them off at school, I saw other kids barely awake in their hoodies and shorts, and then I saw these two.

Since then, my son has worn his tuxedo for Halloween (he was James Bond), my birthday dinner at a non fancy restaurant and wants to wear it for his piano recital soon. This was the first Halloween costume I didn’t mind purchasing.

Kids are naturally confident and I want to encourage that.

Having read a lot on the topic,I personally like the following definition of confidence by Mel Robbins:

“Confidence is the willingness to try.” 

I remember, growing up, a neighbor asked me why I had not attempted an entrance exam for getting into IIT, India’s premier tech institution. “What will happen if you try and don’t get in?”, he asked. I had no answer. 

Since then, I challenge myself every time I resist trying, whether it is applying for jobs above my pay grade or dressing better.

I know I probably will never have the swagger of my 10 year old son but I can try 🙂

What are your thoughts around confidence? Is it overrated or a necessity?

Ref :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Institutes_of_Technology