When you tell your story—whether in an interview or everyday conversation—the facts aren’t always what convince people. What really sells it is conviction. If you believe your story 100%, you make it real. When someone questions you, you don’t panic. You feel insulted. That’s because you’re so committed to your version that their doubt feels like an attack.
This mindset protects you from getting cornered. If a background check raises a flag, you don’t think, “They caught me.” Instead, you think, “This background check is trash.” That unshakable self-belief makes your story hard to tear apart. Even if you’re telling the truth, people may still accuse you of lying. At that point, the problem isn’t you—it’s their suspicion.
This is why narcissists are often terrifyingly effective liars. They don’t just tell a story—they live it. They believe their own version so fully that they sound unstoppable. Their self-belief fills every gap, so they don’t need to “prepare” the way normal people do.
The lesson is simple: conviction matters as much as, if not more than, facts. If you own your story and deliver it without doubt, you’re harder to challenge. Conviction makes people stop questioning.
