This is the final part of a series titled the “Confidence Bank Account.” To start from the beginning, please click here.
To conclude our discussion, let’s examine a part of the Confidence Bank Account that does not fit the financial analogy: charitable donations. In the financial world, giving money requires actual dollars flowing from one person to another. In the confidence economy, donations can be made without being withdrawn from our accounts. This distinction is possibly the most important aspect of the Confidence Bank Account: We can boost others’ confidence at no cost to our own.
Confidence is as much about others as it is about ourselves. It’s about showing appreciation for other people. Verbal acknowledgment, financial contributions, writing positive online reviews—in whatever form it takes, sharing positive feedback is the currency of our confidence economy, and it’s free to give. In fact, confidence donations can grow our confidence wealth in the process.
Appreciation can help us see the positives in our lives, buffering negative feedback; it can act as an investment in high-yield confidence assets like meaningful relationships; and showing our gratitude can even build upon our personal integrity.
Having confidence does not require some bold, audacious goal. Rather, creating confidence wealth is about doing the little things well. Integrity, gratitude, humility, confidence—these virtues do not stand alone; they are deeply related to who we are, what we are capable of, and what is found within our Confidence Bank Account. And once we are confident, we can afford to take the risks required to make and achieve our most impossible goals.
SUMMARY
- C = pF – nF , Confidence = Positive Feedback – Negative Feedback
- C = pK(pF) + nK(nF), Confidence = (Positive Disposition Coefficient x Positive Feedback) – (Negative Disposition Coefficient x Negative Feedback)
- I = C – D, Integrity = Confidence – ConfiDebt
- A = ∞, Charitable giving of confidence (i.e. appreciation) is infinite (and free!)
Equation to fool you into thinking that confidence can be quantified:
*Disclaimer: The Confidence Bank Account is in no way scientific, mathematically sound, nor inclusive of quantitative data, so please sit back, relax, and enjoy the thought experiment.
Resources:
Bandura, Albert. “Human Agency in Social Cognitive Theory.” American Psychologist 44.9 (1989): 1175. (Source)
(Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies. Dir. Yael Melamede. Roco, 2015. Film Documentary. (Source)
Dubner, Stephen J. “Why Is My Life So Hard?” Audio podcast. Freakanomics Radio. freakanomics.com, 15 March 2017. (Source)
Kahneman, Daniel. “Chapter 24: The Engine of Capitalism.” Thinking, fast and slow. Macmillan, 2011.
Manson, Mark. “The Subtle Art of Not Giving a Fuck.” markmanson.net (8 Jan. 2015). (Source)
Will Burnard 