In this blog post, I’d like to talk about the confidence of the person I most want to emulate and what that confidence means in life.
South Korea’s college entrance exam is a crucial test for students, as it evaluates their performance over the course of 12 years of elementary, middle, and high school. For students whose admission depends on an in-depth interview, it’s common to feel nervous and discouraged the day before the interview—no matter how thoroughly they’ve prepared. However, my high school friend was different. The day before the interview, he joked, “If I don’t get in, it’ll be the university’s mistake,” and confidently stated that he would definitely be accepted with excellent results. The day after the interview, he assessed his performance as having gone well enough, and while his friends who had taken the interview with him were worrying as they reflected on their answers, he fully enjoyed the final moments of his senior year. And a month later, he actually shared the news of his college acceptance with his friends. The person I’d like to introduce in this post is the friend I most want to be like.
The trait I most want to emulate from him is his confidence. Just looking at what he said the day before the college entrance exam, you can clearly see his confidence. He was someone who knew how to express his thoughts boldly, within the bounds of politeness toward adults, especially teachers. When his friends teased him about his dark skin, he would talk about the genetic factors behind skin color and, in turn, wittily tease his fair-skinned friends. He even confidently claimed that he could get a girlfriend if he set his mind to it—earning skeptical looks from his friends—but less than a month later, he actually showed up on a date with a girl.
I don’t think there’s any need to go into great detail about why confidence is an important virtue. Life is a continuous series of choices, and confidence is absolutely essential to stand firm in your convictions without being easily swayed by others’ opinions, and to make decisions you won’t regret. Of course, in modern society—where there are so many factors to consider—one might think that a life of constant self-reflection and introspection, that is, a life lived with a skeptical attitude, is more desirable. However, even for such people, the moment eventually comes when they must make a decision. What is needed at that moment is not endless deliberation, but the confidence to make a decision.
For example, consider a middle school student who has a crush on someone. Rather than endlessly worrying about questions like, “What if I get rejected?” or “Am I really the right match for them?”—only to eventually graduate and lose the chance to see that person again—I believe it’s far better to courageously confess your feelings, even if you’re rejected, and leave no room for regret. I chose the former path, and I still deeply regret it to this day.
Some worry that excessive confidence can lead to arrogance, causing one to live a self-centered life. Indeed, given that history is full of examples where excessive self-assurance and arrogance have caused great harm to society and humanity, such caution is certainly necessary. However, the protagonist of this story knew exactly where the line between confidence and arrogance lay, and he never crossed it. I have never once felt offended by his confidence, even when it seemed somewhat unfounded.
For example, if I jokingly asked him if he thought he was better than the actor Won Bin, he would reply, “I may not be as good-looking, but when it comes to chemistry, I’m better than Won Bin.” He had majored in chemistry since high school and was currently enrolled in the chemistry department. Although it was a joke, he was fully aware of his shortcomings and didn’t force himself to appear confident in those areas. The fact that he doesn’t display excessive confidence in any field shows that he is not arrogant.
In this way, he always approaches his work with confidence. At the same time, he accurately recognizes his limitations and knows how to moderate his level of confidence. An appropriate level of confidence is undoubtedly a great help in navigating life. The lyrics to DJ DOC’s song “This Is Who I Am” go: “It’s okay—it’s me / Because I’m the kind of person who learns one thing and realizes ten / Because I’m the kind of person who, if using my hands and feet doesn’t work, just bites down… / Yeah, that’s just how I am—so what are you going to do about it?” When we listen to this song, we don’t automatically criticize the protagonist for being arrogant. Instead, we view his overflowing confidence in a positive and lighthearted way. My friend is the same way. Unlike me—who’s always worried that my confidence might come across as arrogance—he lives his life maintaining a balance between confidence and humility. That’s why I want to be like him, follow his example, and make his confidence a part of my own life.
