I noticed lately that a lot of times others refer to successful individuals as cocky. Then I wonder are these people really narcissistic individuals that only care about themselves, and annoy others with their self idolizing attitude or are they being misunderstood by the rest of us? Is the cockiness simply their confidence portrayed? Well, let me examine this more deeply.

From an early age we learn that speaking positively about our natural talents, personal qualities, and abilities is called bragging. Being a bragger is definitely not a desirable trait since, we are all aware about how undesirable it is to be next to someone that is self absorbed and only wants to speak about himself. The result of this is that people are generally scared of counting their fortunes or blessings in front of others so that they would not be label "cocky individuals."

In the other hand, when you ask a successful person what is their secret to the top they often say "believe in yourself no matter what!" in other words they mean that you must be and stay confident if you want to reach the top. So, it would not be unlikely for a successful individual to speak highly of himself.

Now that we have examined briefly cockiness and confidence, it is apparent that both types share some similarities. Of course maintaining in mind that being cocky is going overboard and anything in exaggeration is never good.

So, are some of those successful individuals cocky or simply confident? Well, to be frank I am sure that a couple of them possess undesirable qualities while others are simply sure of themselves just like the rest of us. However, I can not pin point them by just looking at them on TV or by what I read on a magazine. It takes time and interaction to get to know an individual. Therefore, it would be unreasonable from my part to judge them based on unfounded speculations.

However, there is something that I do know. Whether they are cocky or confident they must posses an incredible amount of self trust/belief etc. If you are incapable of trusting yourself then who will? Whatever we think or believe manifests on the outside. Can you imagine going on a job interview and saying nothing but your best qualities while your body indicates that you are very nervous? You sure will not get the job if someone that appears to be 100% confident in his or her abilities goes after the same job.

So, if you find that you are lacking confidence but have the desire to reach your dreams. Work on strengthening your confidence first. The road to success is never easy. Therefore, a high self esteem will help you keep going during times of hardships.