When you think of a strong and confident person, do you imagine someone who’s ready to take charge and say what’s on their mind?
You wouldn’t be wrong to think this way, but not all confident people have such a strong sense of bravado. The loudest person in the room with the “know-it-all attitude” could be hiding behind an inflated ego and pretense rather than resilience and self-assurance.
Look at it this way.
Confidence is unassuming, natural, and stems from personal growth. A bold, brash, and inauthentic personality is simply hiding behind insecurity.
Maybe you want to be more quietly confident in your own life?
Remember that confidence is about feeling good, and you don’t have to prove to anyone that you have it. All you do is show it, and that’s why people who are quietly confident usually display the 7 subtle behaviors that we explore in more detail below.
1) They rarely seek validation from others
Every single one of us seeks validation in some form or another. Whether it’s related to a work project or while sharing your experience, receiving approval from someone else justifies our feelings and lets us know that we’re on the right track.
Validation can motivate you, but when you constantly rely on approval from others, it stops you from making independent decisions because your worth is always tied to everyone else’s opinions.
Quietly confident people don’t rely on external validation to recognize their self-worth. They know what they bring to the table in terms of value, competence, and resilience, and they aren’t easily influenced by others.
They see failure as an opportunity for personal growth rather than a flaw.
When you have quiet confidence, you can overcome life’s challenges with self-respect and grace.
2) They are humble
Confidence is not about being loud, proud, or taking control. It’s about exercising humility and respecting everyone you meet.
With that being said, humility is definitely a subtle behavior, but it doesn’t mean being weak or meek.
Some of the most prominent and influential people in the world are described as introverted and quiet leaders. Some examples include Barrack Obama and business leader Warren Buffet, who mentioned integrity as a key quality to success over wealth and intellect.
According to Buffet, “There’s nothing wrong with getting the highest grades in the class, but that isn’t going to be the quality that sets apart a big winner from the rest of the pack.”
Modest qualities make these individuals relatable. Rather than act or behave from a place of ego, they can lead and believe in others through calm confidence.
3) They respect others’ opinions
What do you do when you disagree with someone? Do you interject before they’ve completed their sentence, or do you simply dismiss what they’ve said?
I know a few people who would go as far as insulting the other person or raising their voice when they’re in disagreement, which is never acceptable.
It’s hurtful, and it doesn’t resolve anything. If you were to speak to family, friends, or colleagues with this type of attitude, you would ultimately lose their respect.
The quiet, confident individual, on the other hand, doesn’t just react. They think about what they want to say and step back before responding, even if they disagree.
Recognizing their own worth, they don’t insult or belittle others to get their opinion across.
When you give respect, you get respect; it’s that simple.
4) They’re excellent listeners
If there’s one way to spot a quietly confident individual, it’s through their ability to listen.
You might not think much about confidence being linked to listening, but it’s an essential skill that helps them to consider others’ ideas without forcing their opinion.
Taking the time to be attentive to someone else should never be mistaken for being silent with no action. Listening builds trust between people because it makes them feel seen and heard.
This form of quiet confidence allows one to foster strong professional and personal relationships based on mutual respect without relying on words alone.
5) They have strong and positive body language
Wouldn’t you agree that you would be far more impressed by someone who walked into a room with a calm and silent sense of confidence than a loud and grand entrance?
The beauty of quiet confidence is that you wouldn’t even notice if someone calm and self-assured entered the room. You would have to pay careful attention to their body language to pick up on the subtleties of who they really are.
A calmly confident person will have an upright posture, a genuine smile, and a sparkle in their eyes.
They’ll have open body language that is friendly and inviting but not to be taken advantage of.
Curved shoulders, a lack of eye contact, and fidgety hands and feet are not self-assured behaviors. These are signs of nervousness and insecurity and are definitely not to be mistaken for quiet confidence!
6) They control their emotions
It’s easy to get overwhelmed and allow our emotions to get the better of us. That’s just human nature. However, someone who is self-assured and self-aware maintains control over the way they think and feel.
They’re not cold or callous but rational in their thought processes.
If presented with a challenge, they don’t crumble under the pressure or lash out at others in frustration. They look within and draw on their strengths to find a solution.
People with a silent self-worth maintain their composure even in chaotic situations.
One trait that I have to mention about confident people is that they don’t see themselves as failures when things go wrong. They can pick themselves up and push forward.
They don’t need to prove themselves right, either. In fact, they don’t mind being challenged, and if they are wrong, they will respectfully accept and acknowledge being at fault.
A quietly confident person is always eager to learn, and this mindset helps them keep their emotions in check when things don’t go their way.
7) They’re empathic
When you refer to someone as respectful of others, a good listener, and a natural leader, you wouldn’t think that they lack empathy. You would think the complete opposite because you realize that you need emotional intelligence to be confident.
So, how exactly do emotional intelligence and self-worth make sense?
Recognizing the needs of others helps you become more attentive and less impulsive, which fosters understanding. When others feel good, you feel good, too, and this process builds confidence.
To have empathy is to have compassion for others, and that’s a necessary part of earning the respect of the people who matter the most in your life.
I want you to understand that having empathy doesn’t mean that you’re weak. It’s about building meaningful relationships that one can rely on for support because even confident people know when to reach out for help.
Conclusion
When you have quiet confidence, it should never be mistaken for timidity or weakness. To believe in one’s achievements and abilities without seeking glorification and to be empathic speaks volumes about one’s incredible character.
People who are quietly confident don’t brag, and they aren’t prideful, but they do have a strong and magnetic energy about them because they’re relatable.
So, how do you become quietly confident?
You should never see yourself as a failure, put your ego aside, and always maintain a childlike curiosity when it comes to learning new things. You’d be surprised at just how many confident people are unapologetically themselves, even if there are days when they aren’t always at their best.
Practicing these subtle behaviors of quietly confident people can help you on your way to becoming resilient and self-assured without losing your humanity.
