Essays About Confidence: Top 5 Examples and 7 Prompts

Confidence is an important quality everyone should have; if you are writing essays about confidence, have a look at our featured examples and writing prompts.

What is confidence? This quality shows a belief that we are enough; we are happy with who we are and proud of every part of ourselves. When we are confident, we do not doubt ourselves or others, and to an extent, we are quite brave and trusting.

We can be confident in ourselves or others; however, it is important to remember that too much confidence is detrimental. When we are too confident in others, we can fail to see their shortcomings. This applies to ourselves as well; in this case, we are also much more likely to develop negative traits such as arrogance.

5 Top Essay Examples

1. The Dark Side of Having Confidence by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic

“Although Asian cultures are much more prone to foment self-criticism, humility, and self-knowledge (over self-confidence, arrogance, and narcissism), the West may be globalizing narcissism, probably not in a deliberate attempt to reduce the work ethic and humility of the East, though it may well have that effect. One of the most toxic and problematic cocktails combines high aspirations with a low work ethic—the very definition of narcissistic entitlement. The only fix is to get a reality check and risk becoming depressed, unless you distort reality forever.”

Chamorro-Premuzic discusses a phenomenon by which people have so much confidence that it transforms into narcissism and arrogance. He enumerates some of the negative effects of too much confidence, including a lack of self-awareness and humility, while commenting on society’s almost toxic obsession with confidence and self-esteem. In this essay, he stresses that not everyone needs to be super confident and that humility is a useful attribute to have as well. 

Looking for more? Check out these essays about empathy and essays about gratitude.

2. Self Confidence Essay by Stanley Graves

“Self-confidence is something that cannot be taught. It is up to someone to decide how much belief that they possess inside of themselves. I am at the point where I realize that I must first believe in myself before others will believe in me. Nobody teaches us to be happy or sad. They are natural feelings that come along as we develop mentally, physically, emotionally and psychologically.”

In his essay, Graves explains the aspects of self-confidence. Fake self-confidence is when people project themselves as proud and confident when in reality, this is a front to make them seem more impressive than they are. Temporary self-confidence is when an achievement of yours helps you feel confident, even if this feeling fades after a while. The author discusses that true self-confidence is when one truly believes in themselves and their capabilities. 

3. What Real Confidence Looks Like by Jessica Wildfire

“Nobody forges confidence that we can just slip on like a bat suit. It would be great if it were that easy.

Instead, we demonstrate confidence through actions. We perform acts of confidence, even when we’re feeling nervous. We do it every time we make a plan, take a chance, seek out solid advice, confront our faults, and handle a tough situation because others depend on us.”

Wildfire explains the difference between fake and real confidence and some ways to build the latter. She gives examples of things confident people do, such as exploring new opportunities, taking feedback, whether good or bad and admitting when they are wrong or uncertain. Rather than thinking of confidence as something possessed, Wildfire encourages readers to think of it as exercised through our actions. 

4.  Where Confidence Comes From by John Gorman

“It isn’t entirely translatable to every area of my life, but more of it exists now than there did before I’d started falling. Confidence is, in fact, a product of repetition … but not a product of success — it’s a product of failure. It’s knowing what the fall feels like and being familiar enough with it that you can be comfortable with the risk.”

Gorman discusses his idea of confidence, both what it is not and what it should be. It is not inherent, nor comes from our successes; instead, it is a product of a healthy mindset and learning from one’s mistakes, using those mistakes to improve oneself. The key to confidence, Gorman says, is to take our failures as opportunities to improve ourselves rather than defeat. You might also be interested in our list of essays about effective leadership and essays about attitude.

5. ​​Personal reflections on self-confidence by Jeremy Jordan

“A great deal of learning takes place while you’re struggling; when you do something new, your brain is taking in a lot of information that may not be immediately processed. The way I see it is that I should load up my brain with as much information as possible so there’s more data to learn from. Rather than not seeing results and giving up, I place trust in the learning process and know that my efforts will be rewarded.”

Jordan gives readers tips on improving one’s confidence. He says to surround yourself with supportive people, have good communication skills, and sometimes take risks, among other tips. Most importantly, however, he explains the importance of understanding failure, pain, and struggle, embracing them, learning from our setbacks, and using them to improve. 

7 Writing Prompts on Essays About Confidence

1. What Does it Mean to Be Confident?

People have many ideas of what confidence is or should be. Define confidence in your own words, describe what it means, and discuss what you think a healthy expression of confidence is. Draw inspiration from personal experience and give anecdotes describing certain people in your life to support your position. 

2. What Makes You Feel Confident?

What inspires confidence in you? It may be someone in your life, a personal achievement, or other factors. Reflect on what makes you feel confident and describe it in your essay. Explain how it allows you to be more confident and give tips to people looking to find their confidence. 

3. How Do You Lose Confidence?

Confidence can be lost just as quickly, if not faster than it is built up. Especially in the 21st century, various factors cause people to lose confidence, particularly among the youth. Research some of these and discuss each one in detail. Explain how each can make someone feel less confident and how one can regain this confidence. Check out these articles about beauty.

4. Who Embodies Confidence for You?

We all have role models we look up to. Regarding confidence, reflect on who you look to when you need a boost of confidence. It may be a loved one, a public figure, or even a fictional character; no answer is bad as long as it is adequately explained.

5. Why Is Confidence Important?

Confidence is said to be essential for success. In your essay, explain why confidence is so important in life. Support your explanation with ample evidence from your opinions and other sources; describe some situations in which confidence would be beneficial such as in interviews, public speaking, and social situations. 

6. Confidence vs. Arrogance

Arrogance is often considered the “negative form” or “negative effect” of confidence; there is a strong correlation between the two. Look into their similarities and connection, then differentiate the two. Also, explain how you can express confidence without being confident to the extent that it comes off as arrogant. 

7. A Time You Showed Confidence

For an exciting essay, look back on a time you are proud of wherein you showed confidence. Retell the story in detail, such as the events leading up to it and what made you “behave confidently.” Explain why you felt the way you did, how exactly confidence was manifested, and the effects of your confidence or confident actions. 

If you’re looking for more ideas, check out our essays about bullying topic guide! If you still need help, our guide to grammar and punctuation explains more.