UNIVERSITI TUN HUSSEIN ONN MALAYSIA

CENTRE FOR LANGUAGE STUDIES

ESSENTIAL ACADEMIC ENGLISH (UHB20102)

SEMESTER I 2019/2020

ASSIGNMENT 2: ESSAY WRITING (GROUPWORKS)

SECTION : 40
LECTURER : MADAM IZA NURHIDAYAH BINTI ISMAIL
GROUP MEMBERS :
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NAME MATRIC NO.
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3 MUHAMMAD AQIL ALIMIN BIN MOHD RIDZUAN CN180179

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 Almost all of us lost our self-confidence sometimes at a point in our life. One may
lost it after certain time of failure, one may lost it because others does not has faith in him or
her. While many had sought the ultimate cheat to build self-confidence, some found the way
but not in the most convenience path. Frankly, self-confidence cannot be built overnight, so
there is no shortcut to achieve it. Building self-confidence takes a lot of time, months or
maybe years to nurture it, and most importantly a strong persistent heart to motivate the
person themselves. Based on a TEDx Talk by Dr Ivan Joseph, the Athletic Director and head
coach of the Varsity Soccer team at Ryerson University is often ask what skills is he
searching for as a recruiter, is it speed, strength or agility? He explores self-confidence and
how it is not just the most important skill in athletics, but in our life. In another TEDx Talk,
Jim Cathcart thought he would never make a difference. An average student, from a working
class family with no athletic or special skill, he expected an unremarkable existence. But one
radio message in 1972 changed the direction of his life and authored his belief in his
potential. Today he is a Hall of Fame Speaker, and has authored many books. While changing
himself, Jim also discovered how to help others believe in themselves. Both of them shared
their experience on how they explores the skill of self-confidence and how to believe yourself
throughout their life journey. While their talks is in the same theme, somehow they lay out
different perspective about self-confidence. To further understand their view about self-
confidence, this essay will compare and contrast the secret to self-confidence from Dr Ivan
Joseph and Jim Cathcart perspective.

The first comparison between both video is Dr Ivan Joseph and Jim Cathcart have
mentioned that we have to believe in ourselves. It is the most important thing that you need to
build self-confidence. Dr Ivan defines that self-confidence is an ability or belief to believe in
ourselves to accomplish any task no matter how difficult it is. You have to believe yourselves
because no one will believe in you unless you do. This can be seen in example that have been
said by Dr Ivan Joseph to himself ‘I am the captain of my ship and the master of my fate! If I
do not say it, if I do not believe it, no one else will’. Just do whatever you want to do and get
away from a person who will drop you down. Meanwhile, Jim Cathcart believe part of our
responsibility in life is to find out who we are and to discover ourselves. He said ‘we need to
respect our nature’. You need to realize that you are a part of continuing chain that carries a
legacy and a responsibility. You should know ourselves best compared to anyone else. You
should believe and know how smart you are, in what exact ways that you are smart and what
is that you care the most. This can help you as to increase the belief in yourselves. Next, the
second comparison between these two TED talks both speakers emphasize that self-
confidence can be developed. In the first video from Dr Ivan Joseph, he said that repetition is
the easiest way to build self-confidence. Dr Ivan Joseph added, ‘Just like the 10,000- hour
theory of Malcolm Gladwell, if you do something like it over and over again and you are
going to be good about it’. For example, Dr Ivan said that he had a goalie that used to flip a
ball whenever he tries to catch it. Dr Ivan instructed him to go to the wall, kick and touch the
ball against it. The goalie became a very good at it after doing that in 350 times a day for 8
month and he is now playing in Europe. It shows when you always practice and do it by
repetition, you will increase your confidence and always believe yourselves. In the same way,
Jim Cathcart mentioned in the second video, ‘If you are going to spend an extra hour in
studying your chosen field each day, you are going to be a national expert in the field in five
years or less’. Jim Cathcart begins calculating, ‘say five days a week, 50 weeks a year, 1250
hours over five years, if the ordinary me, 1250 hours studying one subject, I could actually be
a national expert’. By analogy, both speakers agreed that repetition is the mother of skill. By
doing the specific task constantly and persistently, the ability in mastering that specific skill
or behaviour will become self-regulating. Moreover, through repetition, a skill is practiced
and rehearsed over time and gradually becomes easier, and that is the key to self-confidence.

Secondly, Dr Ivan Joseph and Jim Cathcart opinion are similar on their talk about ‘the
skill of self-confidence’ and ‘how to believe in yourself’. However, both them have their
different way to achieve it. According to Dr Ivan Joseph we need self-talk or self-
affirmation. We all have this negative self-talk that goes in our head. The important of self-
talk is to motivate yourself to become more confidence by ignoring the negative resonance
around you. For example according to Dr Ivan Joseph talk, Muhammad Ali had his own self-
affirmation “I am the greatest! There is no one better than me” to motivate himself, there is
nobody else to navigate your goal except for yourself. Everyone need to be in a quiet moment
to reaffirm themself. There is a difference between hubris, ego, and false pride because it is
just reminding yourself in quiet silent moments. For the second example which Dr Ivan
Joseph told us how he put down a list, right beside his mirror, about all the things that make
him now and whenever he is down, he bring out his self-confidence letter. A letter he wrote
to himself when he was feeling good. This is because when he is not feeling good he will
read a self-confidence letter to build self-confidence to himself. Self-talk really will help a
people to lift up their spirit and make them a successful people in the world. Meanwhile,
according to the video Jim Cathcart on ‘how to believe in yourself’, he pointed out that we
should know our nature. Which mean to know things about yourself that most people do not
discover. For example, know how smart are you compare to another people. In what ways are
you smart? Know what you care about and what are the values that motivate your choices?
When the people know more about themselves, they will begin to believe their own self on
what they will do. Every person strengths and abilities are different, so it is important to look
for our own strengths and skills so that we can adapt to the pace of self-improvement. When a
person know both of his or her strength and abilities, he or her will easily walk through the
path that has been chose on what to become in the future. When a person improve their self-
confidence he or she will change the perception of people around them and people will have
more faith on him or her. In fact, they will be more confidence on what they will do after.

Last but not least, fix the mistake is the way to build the self-confidence in our self. If
you make a mistake, the critic will come to you either internal critic or external critic. This
situation can bring you down and make you not believe to yourself then you become afraid to
make mistake. But there are the ways to face and fix your mistake that you make. When you
make mistake, you know what has cause the mistake. Then, you explain honestly what
happen and why you did it. Do not blame yourself on the mistake you had done. For example,
when you make mistake, find out how to fix it by getting help from your friend. Try to ask
them to get information to fix your mistake. Then, perform any necessary practical and
professional steps to take responsibility for your actions, like apologize to them and redo your
work. From your mistake, you can increase your experience. Then if you see someone do a
mistake, do not point out their mistake and make them feel bad. Give motivation to them to
increase their self-confidence. The other way to increase self-confidence is try to bring us up,
do not feel down. Everybody does not know about us except ourselves. To get back your self-
confidence is catch our self when you feel good. For example, read or see the success you
have gained. Then, create attainable goals to achieve it. This will help you gain your
confidence. If you set a series of smaller goals after a setback, when you meet those goals
you will re-build the blocks of self-confidence that have been chipped away by your negative
experience. Next, you need to try to step out of your comfort zone. To do it you need to
recognize what your comfort zone is and how might be limiting you. When you transform
yourself in certain situation, you not only transform yourself, you transform the world around
you also.

Dr Ivan Joseph is basically a coach so it is likely to be said that from his experience of
coaching his understanding of self-confidence is express in the form of athletic point of view,
while Jim Cathcart a full time speaker and trainer indicate self-confidence in the human
development field. However, both of their perspective point to same direction which is
helping people achieve self-confidence. While Dr Ivan Joseph talk about repetition, self-talk
and building self-confidence in others, Jim Cathcart talk about respect our nature, know our
nature and nurture our nature. The journey of great people with ocean of aspirations and self-
confidences goes way back to a point in their life where they started to make changes and
better themselves. Here are some additional advice on helping achieve self-confidence. Start
with the simplest step which is setup a goal, this would help in channelling effort and focus
thus prevent waste of time and energy. Ignore people’s negative perception and degradation,
they are not responsible for your future. It is normal to face a few obstacle and hinder the
progress of achieving self-confidence, but never lose faith in oneself and keep moving
forward. Stop comparing with others achievement or progress, comparing are not healthy as
it will create envy and erode confidence. Everyone is running their own race and life is not a
competition. Lastly, do not give up, let it be the first, second or third failure, just stand up and
come back stronger.