Confidence
Norman Plotkin Norman Plotkin

Confidence

“The most beautiful thing you can wear is confidence.” Blake Lively.

According to an article in Psychology Today, confidence is a belief in oneself, the conviction that one has the ability to meet life’s challenges and to succeed, and the willingness to act accordingly. A realistic sense of one’s capabilities and feeling secure in that knowledge are required to be confident.

Projecting confidence is the proverbial putting your best foot forward, and helps people gain credibility, make a strong first impression, deal with pressure, and tackle personal and professional challenges. It’s also a desirable trait, as confidence helps put others at ease.

In order to strike a healthy balance between too little and too much confidence, a realistic appraisal of your abilities will keep you grounded. Too little confidence can prevent people from taking risks and seizing opportunities in school, at work, or in their social life.

Too much confidence can come off as cockiness, arrogance, or narcissism. Overestimating one’s abilities might also lead to problems such as failing to complete projects on time.

Confidence is fluid rather than a fixed characteristic. It’s an ability that can be acquired and improved over time. It can also be shaken, or lost by experience.

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Forgiveness
Norman Plotkin Norman Plotkin

Forgiveness

Wikipedia tells us that forgiveness, in a psychological sense, is the intentional and voluntary process by which one who may initially feel victimized, undergoes a change in feelings and attitude regarding a given offense, and overcomes negative emotions such as resentment and vengeance.

Psychologists generally define forgiveness as a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness.

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Expectations
Norman Plotkin Norman Plotkin

Expectations

Expectations shape our reality. Our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors are all affected by our expectations. This makes them extremely powerful and impactful. However expectations are a complex phenomenon. There are typically two different views about expectations that you’ll hear:

“Expectation is the mother of all frustration.” — Antonio Banderas

“High expectations are the key to everything”. — Sam Walton

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Vulnerability
Norman Plotkin Norman Plotkin

Vulnerability

“Vulnerability is a paradox because the more vulnerable you allow yourself to be, the more powerful you will feel. When you are no longer afraid of what others will think, you’re more willing to put yourself out there in all the various ways there are to do that: in relationships, in your career, with your art and creativity, with your exuberance and heart.”

– Karen Anderson

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Rebirth
Norman Plotkin Norman Plotkin

Rebirth

Rebirth in Buddhism refers to the teaching that the actions of a person lead to a new existence after death, in an endless cycle called saṃsāra. This cycle is considered to be dukkha, unsatisfactory and painful. The cycle stops only if liberation is achieved by insight and the extinguishing of craving. Rebirth is one of the foundational doctrines of Buddhism, along with karma, nirvana and moksha.

The rebirth doctrine, sometimes referred to as reincarnation or transmigration, asserts that rebirth does not necessarily take place as another human being, but can also lead to an existence in one of the six realms of existence, which also include heaven realms, the animal realm, the ghost realm and hell realms.

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