Module 7: The finale!

My age greatly affects my social confidence. When I am with young children I can be very confident because I know they do not judge the way adults do. When I am at work, I am very confident with the customers, and they trust my opinion. Outside of work, I find that people older than me really do not respect me a whole lot due to my age.

My ethnicity usually provides me with confidence, but that is mainly due to living in predominantly Caucasian communities. When taken out of my ‘safe zone’ I am very aware of my white skin. When I went to New Orleans by myself I was very self conscious, and I felt that everyone was staring at me. From the time I arrived in the airport to when my brother came the next day to meet me, I did not see a single Caucasian person. This really made me nervous even though I know it should not make any difference.

I am confident in speaking to people, and confident in my intelligence. I think if my parents had not been well educated and taught me so much of their knowledge I would not be nearly so comfortable in my own skin. I definitely have an edge over those people that did not benefit from the privileges of their family. My parents were never wealthy, but rarely were they poor. We have always been somewhere in the middle. I do not have quite the confidence that comes with having money pouring through my veins, but I know that my family has always loved me and have tried their best to provide everything they could for me. This really adds a lot to confidence and self assurance.

There are so many factors that go into confidence, and each and every one of them play a substantial role, whether conscious or not. If anything was different in my life, it would change the whole dynamic. In this area of the country I am lucky to be Caucasian, young, and middle class. I am educated and hard working. Whether I realize it or not, my confidence fluctuates with my life.