Bill Gates Once Revealed A Vital Personality Trait That Breeds Success But Also Admitted It Doesn't Come Easy

Bill Gates believes that building confidence at a young age is essential because it provides the “courage to overcome obstacles” in the long run and serves as a catalyst for discovering one’s true path early.

Gates Says Support Systems Spark Confidence

In a Q&A episode posted by Australia's ABC in 2013, the Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) co-founder said supportive adults can give children the steady backing they need to take risks and explore. He said that foundation matters because "That gives you enough confidence to go off on a quest and during that quest, you try different things out."

Gates said he benefited from that kind of support and found his passion for computers and software around age 13, while others may discover theirs much later. He argued that confidence helps people experiment, fail, and keep going, a necessary loop for figuring out what fits.

"Self-confidence is primary, and then finding your passion is an adventure, a quest that may take time. It may switch over the time of your life, but those deep relationships will let you pursue it with vigor," he said.

Harvard ‘Fake It’ Moment Fuels Microsoft Roots

Gates has also described a version of "fake it till you make it" from his Harvard days. In 1975, he and Paul Allen contacted MITS, the maker of the Altair, and said they had a programming language ready to demo before they had finished it, then raced to build the software without an Altair to test on. Allen later recalled the blunt starting point, "We had nothing."

Others Echo Confidence-First Playbook

Other business leaders have echoed the same idea in different words, often urging others to build enough belief to act and then learning fast. Spanx founder Sara Blakely has once said her father pushed her to embrace failure early, shifting her mindset away from fear and toward trying.

Similarly, Billionaire Mark Cuban has argued that entrepreneurs must trust their instincts, another form of confidence under pressure.

Photo Courtesy: Alexandros Michailidis on Shutterstock.com