🌸 Introduction: Experience as the Foundation of Growth#

Confidence and skill are not born overnight. They are the natural outcomes of accumulated experiences — the trials, errors, and lessons we carry throughout life. Every challenge we face makes us lighter in handling new problems, every success strengthens our belief in ourselves, and every failure teaches us resilience.

🍂 Narrative Example: The Engineer and the Student#

Imagine two people asked to teach:

• A seasoned software engineer with years of coding, debugging, and mentoring behind them.
• A university student who has only recently learned programming basics.

When asked to deliver knowledge — whether through a self-talk video or in front of a vocational school class — their approaches differ significantly.

• The experienced engineer speaks with confidence, drawing from countless real-world scenarios. They can explain not only the “how” but also the “why,” weaving stories of past projects, mistakes, and solutions. Their skill is not just technical; it is communicative, shaped by years of practice.
• The student, though enthusiastic, may feel nervous. Their knowledge is fresh but limited, and without the weight of experience, their confidence wavers. They might rely heavily on textbooks or notes, struggling to improvise when unexpected questions arise.

This contrast shows how experience transforms knowledge into wisdom, and wisdom into confidence.

🤔 Why Experience Builds Confidence and Skill#

• Pattern recognition: Experienced individuals have seen similar problems before, making new challenges less intimidating.
• Resilience: Past failures teach that mistakes are not the end, but stepping stones.
• Communication: Experience refines the ability to explain complex ideas simply.
• Adaptability: With a history of diverse situations, experienced people adjust quickly to new contexts.

Then, How to Deliberately Build Experience to Grow Confidence and Skill#

🛡️ Introduction: Experience as a Chosen Path#

While experience often comes naturally with time, it can also be deliberately cultivated. By intentionally seeking challenges, reflecting on outcomes, and practicing consistently, we accelerate the growth of both confidence and skill.

🛠️ Practical Strategies#

🎴 Narrative Example#

A student who records short self-talk videos explaining programming concepts may feel nervous at first. But with repetition, feedback, and reflection, their delivery improves. Later, when asked to teach at a vocational school, they draw confidence from those earlier experiences.

Meanwhile, a seasoned engineer has already faced countless challenges. Their confidence and skill are the natural result of years of deliberate practice, reflection, and teaching. The student’s journey shows that experience can be intentionally built, not just passively received.

🌱 Reflection#

Confidence is not arrogance, and skill is not mere talent. Both are representations of lived experience. The more we engage with life — through work, study, or even failure — the more prepared we become to face the unknown. And when deliberately cultivated, experience becomes the bridge between hesitation and mastery.

let’s try everything that develops you while you still can, don’t hesitate to make mistakes and don’t be afraid to be judged.

🔚 Closing Thoughts#

Experience is the invisible teacher that shapes confidence and skill. Whether in classrooms, workplaces, or personal journeys, it is experience that allows us to stand firm, speak clearly, and act wisely. When deliberately cultivated, it transforms hesitation into confidence and raw ability into refined skill.

“Confidence is not born; it is built. Skill is not given; it is earned through experience.”