Standing in front of the large white building, with my uniform on, I wiped my sweaty palms on my pants. Peering into the building, I saw several stairs going up into the Boy Scouts meeting room. Before even entering the building, I heard the loud sounds of cheerful talking and laughter through the window. I dreaded going inside the building, sure that I wouldn’t fit in with the other Boy Scouts. Making sure that I was prepared to enter the meeting room, I stood up straight, tightened my tie, and went into the building and up the stairs. Going up the stairs, I started doubting myself, starting to wonder why I had joined this Boy Scouts troop in the first place. Although I did not know it at the time, risk-taking is needed for me to gain more confidence in myself.

Upon entering the meeting room, I studied my surroundings. Looking around and seeing my fellow Boy Scouts, I categorized them into two groups; middle schoolers, and high schoolers. Looking at both groups, specifically the middle school group, I recognized one of my closest friends from elementary school, Robert. I started to approach Robert, to talk to a friend, and to ask questions about what Boy Scouts was about. But before even taking a couple of steps though, I suddenly was hit with a full wave of self-doubt, “Would he recognize me?” “What if he doesn’t want to talk to me?” “How do I start the conversation?” Being too scared to go to him, I sat at the back of the room, not wanting to create an awkward conversation with Robert. Once the Boy Scouts meeting was over, I left the building, feeling ashamed of my lack of confidence.

When I returned home, I went into my room and sat on the couch, trying to remember what had happened ten minutes earlier. I stared at the ceiling dejectedly until suddenly out of nowhere, the notification bell rang. Beep. Beep. Getting up from the couch, I grabbed my phone to find a text message from Robert. The text asked if I had fun at Boy Scouts and if I would be returning for the next meeting. Seeing this text, I realized that Robert had noticed me after all but that my unwillingness to talk to him had caused my self-doubt. My unwillingness to take the risk had been the reason for my lack of confidence. I finally realized that risk-taking was a big factor in my way to improving my confidence. In reply to Robert, I said that I had fun and would go to the next meeting. Then, thinking about the next Boy Scouts meeting, I felt a rush of excitement after thinking about meeting my friend again.

It hasn’t been very long since I joined Boy Scouts, probably less than a year. But through my experiences in Boy Scouts, I‘ve learned how to improve my confidence in new environments. I took this same risk-taking mindset to another challenge I encountered in Boy Scouts, swimming in freezing cold water. Instead of slowly dipping into the cold water, I would hurdle myself toward the cold water. Although it was a cold shock in the beginning, it eventually became a more bearable experience for me. Although I did not realize it at the time, risk-taking gives more positive outcomes rather than negative outcomes. These positive outcomes are usually more permanent than negative outcomes. These experiences help me grow as a person and to grow more confident as well.

Although I am not a fully self-confident person yet, I strive to grow more confident about myself every day. Although I still do doubt myself, these learned lessons about risk mindsets have molded me into the person I am today. Being a confident person overall gives you more opportunities as a student, spreading your ideas and talents among other people and giving you the potential to learn and grow, and eventually, learn one of the most important skills in society, self-confidence.