I decided to look up their official definitions; according to The Oxford English Reference Dictionary, I found:
confidence: firm trust, a feeling of reliance or certainty
faith: complete trust or confidence, firm belief especially without logical proof
conviction: a firm belief or opinion
Hmm, ok, so what the dictionary is saying is that faith is more pronounced than confidence, and that conviction is like faith, but seems to be more based on mental rather than emotional arguments (my interpretation of the use of the word opinion).
Why is this useful? I was speaking to a colleague the other day about making good things happen in our lives. I often struggle with how to move from intellectual understanding of this concept to actually living it. Many of us have seen the movie The Secret and you may have also done some related reading. Most of the Secret gurus recommend the "think it to make it happen" approach. But there is another step, because just thinking about what you want in life, for example, doesn't seem to be enough. You need to know that by thinking it, you will actually create it. That takes another level...is it confidence? is it faith? is it conviction? is it an action plan? is it a crystal ball?
I've come to the conclusion that perhaps it is different for each person. For some people, confidence is the step. To me, confidence equates to the thought "I can make this happen". It's about belief in oneself, knowing that we can achieve. I think this is the step for people who rely on themselves a lot to make things happen in their lives. To take a desire out of the mind and into reality, they need a strong dose of confidence.
Then there are the believers. For them, faith is the step between thinking and creating: they need to believe in order to make things happen. Plans and logical arguments aren't necessary (although they may be useful), it is simple faith that is the deciding factor.
And finally there are the practical people. Conviction is their step towards the creation of their ideal lives. For me, conviction stems from an analysis of what needs to be done and a logical conclusion that it is all possible. It is the breakdown of the desired end result into baby steps, an action plan to make it happen and a commitment to putting that plan into place. It is the thinker's approach.
Confidence, faith and conviction: all nuances of the same concept, but each relevant to a different group of people. Pick the one that works for you, in the circumstance you are working to create right now. But remember that it takes one more step beyond the thinking...take that step to make it happen!
