His self-confidence and self-possession come in part from the fact that he enjoys a life outside the world of sailing.

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Mr Sharif's readiness to take the risk reflects his self-confidence.

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It altered his relationships and his self-confidence.

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Still, Barack Obama has long seemed in a class of his own when it comes to his self-confidence, seemingly born of a charmed life of extraordinary opportunities and, by and large, a lack of accountability for his actions.

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But he was also a superb rider, winning a remarkable 191 races, including a record 42 stages in the Giro d'Italia, and he has lost nothing of his natural self-confidence and penchant for the sound-bite.

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His own rootless childhood had made him extremely self-sufficient, and his natural confidence - some would say arrogance - has made him very sure about his own abilities and opinions.

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Freshly sworn-in President Barack Obama exuded an easy self-confidence during his inauguration Tuesday.

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He began his business career as an accountant, and it was his attention to financial detail, combined with almost Napoleonic self-confidence, that then propelled him up the ladders of various big American companies.

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Dyslexic like his dad, Craig struggled with school but showed early self-confidence. (He piloted the family yacht through the San Juan Islands when he was only 14.) In August 1969, when Craig was 19 and a sophomore at Stanford University, his father died of heart failure.

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