It All Begins Here…
How I learnt the way in which confidence is grown!
31st Jan 2026
As a kid, I was always a shy and introverted person around new people in new and unfamiliar places. I found it hard to take the first step to speaking to people I was meeting for the first time (and even multiple times after that first time didn’t break the ice, and that wasn’t very conversational between us).
I wanted to be more confident, but didn’t know how…
As I grew older, I kept getting thrown into such situations again and again. I low-key wanted to be more friendly and conversational, but I didn’t know how. So, what could I do? In the early 2000’s, when there was no ChatGPT, TikTok and Instagram hadn’t blown up, and YouTube guide videos were very sparse.
Well, I observed other social people around me. And I noticed that they talked about a lot of things…it wasn’t as hard as I thought it might be… I could also talk about anything I wanted, I just had to open my mouth.
After doing this again and again, I didn’t make friends with everyone, but I was able to be friendly with everyone and keep in longer contact with the right people, the kind of people I clicked with and that seemed to click with me. I lost some contacts and friends along the way. But I think that’s a natural part of life. We all change/grow/evolve, our likes and dislikes often change, we might move city/country/school/job/etc., we may get married and have kids while our friends don’t. So much can change about us, and so our opportunities to meet new people and form new connections and bonds can change too. But then, with more opportunities, come more chances to become more confident.
I learnt that confidence doesn’t always arrive with a bold entrance.…
Moral of the story: Confidence doesn’t always arrive with a bold entrance. Sometimes, it builds quietly, step by step, as we show up for ourselves day after day. It grows when we choose to try, even when we’re unsure of the outcome. Every time you take action despite self-doubt, you reinforce the belief that you’re capable. Confidence isn’t about having all the answers — it’s about trusting that you can figure it out along the way.
This same process can be applied to all aspects of life…
The key to making things happen isn’t waiting for the perfect moment; it’s starting with what you have, just where you are. Big goals can feel overwhelming when viewed all at once, but a big impact and momentum builds through small, consistent action. Whether you’re working towards a personal milestone or a professional dream, progress will come from showing up — not perfectly, but persistently. Action creates clarity, and over time, those steps forward add up to something real.
You don’t need to be fearless to reach your goals - whether it’s increasing your inner confidence or something else - you just need to be willing. Willing to try, willing to learn, and willing to believe that you’re capable of more than you know.
Growth is not a straight road, nor does it look the same for all…
The road may not always be smooth, but growth rarely is. What matters most is that you keep trying, keep going, keep learning, and keep believing in the better and evolved version of yourself you’re becoming.
How parents, carers & teachers who read this can help their own children & students…
As a parent of two girls aged 4 and 7 (at the time of writing this), as well as someone who has experience in teaching secondary school children, I know that secondary school is a big pool for kids to get their confidence shaken and even diminished if they are shy and struggle to make friends and socialise (like I was). That’s why I thought the priming and training needs to begin before then, from the primary school years, and in a way that children will feel is loving and fun rather than preachy. I decided to write a children’s picture book to show my girls and read with them. I’m so glad that they sometimes even ask specifically for me to read this book to them. I love that they are also excited to make up their own story from the pictures they see and from what I’ve read to them. I thought that because they could benefit from such a book, I should make this available and share it with others too, just in case others could find benefit from it too, just like I have.
This book is titled: You’re Pretty Amazing!
My debut book titled You're Pretty Amazing is a rhyming children’s picture book that aims to teach children that, in a highly digitised age where tech and social media have opened up the floodgates to comparison and thus insecurities, complexes and low self-worth developing, especially in the younger generation - there is actually a way to be happy, content and confident - and that's by recognising that there is so much more to being pretty than outer looks and that you can be pretty in many other ways when you just look within...such as Pretty Brave, Pretty Wise, Pretty Trustworthy, Pretty Resilient, Pretty Helpful, Pretty Great Listeners and more!
