In 10th grade I had to give a speech in front of my class. I don't remember what the speech was about. I do remember what my speech teacher yelled from the back of the room: "Get out of the trunk of the car!"

When I got home and told my parents, it instantly became a running family joke. But as annoying as it felt in the moment, he wasn't totally wrong. Because what he was really saying was: Stop hiding.

WHY "QUIET" OFTEN FEELS LIKE A CONFIDENCE PROBLEM AT WORK

If you're quiet, you probably know: you have something to say… and don't. You wait for the "perfect" moment that never comes. You soften every statement with "maybe," "I'm not sure," or "this might be dumb but…"

I'm an introvert. I'm not naturally loud. But I've learned this the hard way: being quiet is often less about personality and more about confidence. And confidence isn't something you either have or don't have. Confidence is something you build.

THE LINE I COME BACK TO

"Confidence comes from having a point of view." Not from being the loudest. Not from having the most credentials. From having a perspective you trust enough to share.

3 PRACTICAL WAYS TO BUILD CONFIDENCE AT WORK

1. Start with your point of view. Before a meeting or presentation, ask yourself: What do I think? What do I want them to understand? What do I recommend? Even if you don't say it out loud yet, write it down.

2. Learn something new (and practice failing on purpose). Build confidence by doing something that requires you to be bad at first. Every time you mess up and survive it, your brain learns: I can be imperfect and still be okay.

3. Take action before you feel ready. Confidence rarely shows up before you do the thing — it shows up because you did the thing. Start small: ask one question in every meeting, summarize the decision at the end, share a perspective early.

"Get out of the trunk of the car" doesn't mean "become loud." It means: don't hide your thinking. You can be quiet and still be confident. Confidence isn't a personality trait. It's a practice.