Is there something that you have an unshakable belief or faith in? Do you have an immovable position on a certain matter, belief, idea, or feeling or intuition? A conviction is a value-based position or opinion. It’s a strong belief which one possesses and it would have to take an earthquake to move them.
A person of conviction is absolutely sure of themselves and their position on a certain matter, idea, or value. However, a person of true conviction never ceases to seek the truth. They are humble about the truth because as Albert Einstein said, “the truth is not relative, but our knowledge of it is”.
Many times your conviction is not something of an objective nature. It may be something which you can’t see, feel, or taste and it just cannot be measured scientifically or in any other way. But you have faith that is true and you just know that you believe.
How do you know that you are a person of conviction? It is something which you would defend, or fight for, or even die for. Before you have conviction, there must be that place that is the origin of your aspirations, your passions, and your commitments.
Not everyone has a passion or a commitment of this intensity, but those who are fortunate enough to find it, have somehow found a sense of purpose for an idea, a cause, or a calling.
Princess Diana had a moral conviction that the world’s nations should be rid of land mines which only hurt and kill the innocent. Elie Wiezel has the conviction to find and bring to justice former Nazi War criminals.
Most people aren’t passionate about anything at all. But those who have a passion or the gift of knowing where they are going are blessed. They have focus, direction, and clarity. Conviction is unlike a goal or an objective. Goals and objectives are good in that they provide us with something to reach for. Conviction is a powerful gift, which if mishandled can be disastrous, but when it’s for something good or beautiful, it can make a difference for all.
Your may have conviction that your life will turn out a certain way, or you just plain know how things will turn out. You never entertain the thought of defeat, of being put off, or of not winning. You just plain know. Sometimes it’s intuition, sometimes an uncanny gift of the truth.
Most people of conviction are selfless and believe that their commitment is for the good of all. Most of all, a person of conviction is a humble person who realizes that they are always in search of the truth because once they stop searching, they have lost it.