real confidence is status fluidity

• You can tell when someone is quietly confident. When they have a concise sense of their own identity — they don’t need to overcompensate or speak loudly about their successes or wealth or intensity

If you are easygoing and have a relatively secure sense of place in the world, you may end up coming across as higher status than the person who used to command the room through pushiness and signals of dominance.

True self-confidence is “the courage to be open—to welcome change and new ideas regardless of their source.” Real self-confidence is not reflected in a title, an expensive suit, a fancy car, or a series of acquisitions. It is reflected in your mindset: your readiness to grow.

remember meeting the mogul of a whisky conglomerate after a corporate gig some time back; the man was immaculate. His magnificent cologne wafted undoubted status; his manner was masterfully understated; every action, every inch of his appearance made me feel honoured to meet a man I had never heard of. Talking to me, he was utterly engaged and pres

Confident people know what matters. They know when to ignore other people’s opinions. They don’t boast or lie to get ahead (and then struggle to deliver). Confidence is the freedom to set your own standards and unshackle yourself from the need to prove yourself. A confident person doesn’t fear disagreement and doesn’t see change—swapping an incorre