When I was young I felt that I was behind all my friends, classmates in terms of marks, talents and social activities. It not just made me feel terrible all the time but also made me think twice before talking to someone. Always thought if I spoke out too much, people might start laughing at me.

And now after all these years, I feel I am again behind all my mates. This time in terms of job, skills, life etc.

I used to be so silent and shy that I was scared to even accept the qualities, the talents I have in me. Always thought I was good for nothing!

My parents and teachers told me "compete with yourself to become a better version of you" 

but how do I compete when my inner-self was shattered in pieces way before it could even grow?

Being judged from an age when I did not even know the meaning of it was not very helpful in the path of growing.  I could never explain to people the reason behind my 'low- confidence'. Maybe I did not know myself or maybe I wasn't ready to accept it.

I know confidence isn't something that just pops up over a night. We need to work hard to earn it but being under-confident also isn't something which we grow with, it happens with life and its instances. It too doesn't happen overnight.

I do not blame life or people for being under-confident but I do not blame myself either. Because it isn't something I chose to grow with.

People like me are there all around the world and sometimes we pretend to be confident because showing under-confidence is considered a sign of weakness. Some people spend their whole life denying it, not realizing that living with low confidence is such a serious issue and just telling them to "be confident" does not make it any better.

Considering yourself inferior to people around you is a serious issue and a major cause of mental health disruption.

There are many such infinite issues that we as humans face and 'low-confidence is just one of them.

The real fight of life is not with others but with yourself. And in this fight of life you may fall apart, even shatter to pieces but do not give up because giving up is never an option!