Is your belly button an ‘innie’ or an ‘outie’?

Mine’s an innie.

There’s only one thing that belly buttons have in common with confidence – there are two types, inner and outer (at least I hope that’s all they have in common).

Outer confidence
Outer confidence is about presentation. You might want to boost your outer confidence when you’re meeting someone for the first time, heading to an interview, about to speak to a group of people or in the first day of a new job.

Outer confidence is about appearances and perception, and it acts like a short, sharp burst of confidence to help you get through an immediate challenge; giving you the boost you need to get the result you hope for.

Inner confidence
Inner confidence is a feeling that you’ll be okay no matter what happens, a feeling of being a whole individual. Inner confidence is understanding that it’s okay to be scared because it just comes with the territory.

With inner confidence comes a sense of ‘okayness’. It’s a feeling of calm or peace that comes from the fact that you’re fully able to trust yourself.

Inner confidence is a long term experience that comes from exploring who you are and figuring out what’s most important to you, and not compromising on who you know yourself to be. It allows you to turn your hand to pretty much anything and have the kind of experience of life that you want.

It’s quite a prize.

But the truth is that you need both inner and outer confidence; they’re both valid and useful. The real trick is in striking a balance between them that works for you.

Get that right and you’ve got it nailed.