5 Mind Blowing Reasons Why Enthusiasm Is Better Than Confidence

When you ask someone whether they want to be more confident in their lives, the answer is usually yes. It's a desire that often comes up in coaching sessions and is even expressed by people who are already successful and talented. As human beings, we all wish we were more confident during certain situations when confidence would have helped us tremendously. For creative workers, these often include high-pressure situations, such as interviews, delivering interpreting services, stage shows, auditions, pitches and presentations.

It's natural to want to do your best in these situations but the word "confidence" can stir up more problems than it solves. It would be better, in fact, to be more enthusiastic in life and business rather than confident.

Here are five reasons why:

Unlike Confidence, Enthusiasm Is About Your Subject

You are the center of attention when you are focused on expressing confidence. And when the subject is you, it's pretty easy to have self-doubts: "Will I be able to do this? Am I game for this?" But when you center your attention on matters that are important to you -- the Spanish translation project you are working on, the presentation you want to deliver, the message you are trying to communicate, then it is likely you'll be more enthusiastic about what you are doing. Your voice and presence will be more energized, and you'll gradually drop your self-consciousness as you get lost in the project itself.

Enthusiasm Is About Others

It's vital to repeat the fact that confidence centers on your own being rather than others. However, when you focus on the audience of your project, that is, an individual client or a group of people, the shift to thinking about their experience, rather than your own, becomes immediate. You think: are they warming up to your ideas? Do they appear confused? Engaged? Intrigued? Does it seem like they understand what you're saying? If not, how can you break through to them? What's their feedback? How can you improve your presentation of the material so that they see things from your point of view? How can you have them share in your enthusiasm?

Enthusiasm is More Contagious Than Confidence

A confident speaker or presenter may be imparting a good presence, but that doesn't mean you'll warm up to them. Confidence can be striking, but it doesn't help you build a direct bridge with your audience. Enthusiasm, however, is highly contagious. We've all been with people who have struck a chord with their audience because s/he is enthused about the topic at hand. Enthused people use body language differently, they speak excitedly, smile more, gesticulate more, are more energized and are eager to share their knowledge. As a witness to this behavior, you can't help responding favorably. At some point during the conversation, you'll internally acknowledge "This looks fun" and participate in the enthused talk.

Enthusiasm is More Creative than Confidence

Confidence kicks in when you know the task at hand and are positive you can do it well. However, while some confidence is always good, too much certainty about your ability to execute a project can limit you. Enthusiasm, in turn, allows for a certain measure of uncertainty, that surprises you as you have no clue as to what you'll be doing next. That's why audiences everywhere tend to prefer improvised speeches or presentations rather than something wholly scripted. The truth is you better tap into your improvisational powers when you are enthusiastic about the topic at hand.

Enthusiasm is More Fun than Confidence

When you set your sights on tapping your inner confidence, you become a more serious person. The reason you become more serious is because you think the goal of becoming more confident is important. And when the goal is important, you become that much more wary of failing. Dwelling on the potential negative results can definitely make you more serious. But when you express enthusiasm, passion becomes the main emotion, and the whole process becomes fun. Many people highly enjoy talking passionately about something and sharing these feelings with everyone at the table. Such passion even transcends language. The enthused person could be speaking in Arabic, but you will be able to pick up on his or her enthusiasm.

Bio: Denise Recalde is a Senior Content Writer at Day Translations, a human translation services company. A seasoned writer and editor with eleven years of experience under her belt, she is a bonafide wordsmith who loves playing with the written word creatively and always takes care to lend a certain hue of snap and color to her drafts. Always one to rise up to challenges, she has traveled to 14 countries and has worked on a smorgasbord of writing projects that spanned several industries, from finance to health to beauty and fashion.

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