Authority and dominance. They're both qualities we all want to show, have and control. What does that really mean? What determines someone's authority? Is it the white lab coat that doctors wear? Is is the degree in your hand? Your appearance? Why do we put certain types of people above others?
There was a very interesting psychological study conducted by a psychologist named Stanley Milgram. Milgram put on a white lab coat and instructed people to increase the levels of voltage that would be given to another person who was hooked up to an electric chair. The person wasn't really receiving electric shocks, but to Milgram's surprise, most people who were instructed to shock the innocent person sitting on the chair had no problem doing so.
So the question here is why. Why did people walking in have no problem dropping their morals to the ground just because another person looked like they were in control? Most would think that it's the white lab coat. But if you really think it, anyone can put on a lab coat. The key idea of this isn't the white lab coat itself, but how you act when you put on the white lab coat. So how did Milgram act? Confident. I think that the level of confidence in a person plays an important role in the amount of authority they have in this world.
One of the best pieces of advice I have ever been given was probably “fake it till you make it." The mind is a very powerful thing. Studies show that just forcing yourself to smile every day can make you happier. When you really think about it, our emotions are very malleable. If we listen to a sad song we feel sad. If we listen to an upbeat song we feel energized. Confidence works the same way. If you fake the level of confidence you have, you eventually wont need to fake it anymore.
A lot of the time, the biggest thing holding people back from doing what they love is fear. Fear of failing. Fear of being judged. Fear of not being accepted. This fear is always going to be there. You can talk to the most confident person in the world and they will probably tell you that every time they do something new, fear is always in the back of their head telling them that they can't do it.
The only difference is that confident people know how to go against the voices in their heads. Confidence isn’t walking around with your head up high and telling everyone that you're better than them. Confidence is more about knowing who you are and trusting your abilities, regardless of what the people around you are saying. When we increase our confidence levels, we become the best versions of ourselves. We become happier with the lives we are living, and if for some reason we aren't happy with the life we are living, we give ourselves the ability to change it.
