SELF-CONFIDENCE

In 1975, South Korea planned a steel factory project. They applied for a loan from the World Bank to fund it. Following protocol, the bank sent a team of experts to Korea to assess the situation on-site. After evaluating the conditions, the team reported that, given Korea’s current circumstances, the project was not feasible. As a result, the World Bank refused to grant the loan.

However, the people of South Korea did not lose hope. They looked for alternative sources and somehow managed to build their factory. Twenty years later, this factory became the second-largest steel plant in the world. A World Bank expert visited Korea again to inspect the factory. After a thorough examination, he wrote that what they had said twenty years ago was correct. However, they had overlooked one factor in their assessment: the endless supply of self-confidence that the Korean people possess.

Self-confidence is a God-given trait. It is equally accessible to all. However, some people take advantage of it, while others do not utilize this God-given quality.

For example, if the Korean people had begun saying after the bank’s refusal that the bank officials were biased, that they did not want their progress, and that they aimed to keep them economically backward, their self-confidence would have been suppressed. Instead of focusing on action, they would have concentrated on complaints and protests. As a result, their innate sense of self-confidence would not have surfaced. This God-given trait would have remained hidden inside them, yet they would have been deprived of its practical benefits. Korea’s atmosphere would have been filled with complaints, but no steel factory would have been operating.

God has given humans a wide range of superior abilities in abundance. However, using them is reserved for high-spirited individuals who have a positive mindset and are completely free from negative thoughts.