Message #149 Confidence

Today’s message is especially dedicated to the great Nicole Arendt in Sydney, Australia.

What is confidence?

con·fi·dence, ˈkän-fə-dən(t)s, -ˌden(t)s
noun, 14th century
1 a: A feeling or consciousness of one’s powers or of reliance on one’s circumstances (had perfect confidence in her ability to succeed) (met the risk with brash confidence) b: faith or belief that one will act in a right, proper, or effective way (have confidence in a leader)

Have you ever seen a great athlete walk? What do they look like?

They are standing up tall, head high, chest out, shoulders back, almost floating or strutting. Don’t some of them look like they are the greatest thing to walk the earth? I’m sure some of them feel that way, too.

In order to become a great athlete, you NEED that confident mindset and attitude, but there is a fine line. You don’t have to strut around and LOOK like the best thing since sliced bread, but you DO need to at least feel it on the inside.

Sports and life are a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you think you can, you will. If you think you can’t, you won’t. That is why many top business people were former athletes…their confidence carried over to the business world. They LOVE challenges and look at them as part of the “game.”

You need confidence in relationships, too. If you go around thinking you’re not good enough for your mate and that they are going to break up with you, guess what? It’ll probably happen.

Your finances, health/fitness/nutrition, spirituality, academics, and hobbies are all the same.

There is one very important concept you need to understand about confidence…

Start acting confident BEFORE you FEEL confident.

You see, the problem is that most people wait until they do something great to act confidently. It doesn’t work that way; the great ones acted confidently BEFORE they became successful.

Which type do you want to be?

Here are some quotes on confidence…

“I realize that I don’t have limits. Limits are always influences that come from outside, from people who don’t believe in themselves and their abilities. I firmly believe in myself. I know that I can do whatever I want and that I’ll always reach my goals.”

-Madonna, singer and actor

“Whatever I did, I wanted to be the best at it. I remember that moment in The Natural when Robert Redford says, “I just want to walk down the street and have people say, ‘There goes Roy Hobbs, the best there ever was.’ ” So I was talking to my mother one day-this is when I was sixteen or seventeen- and she goes, “Matt, why are you so obsessed with acting?” And I said, “Because someday I want to walk down the street and have people say, “There goes Matt Damon, the best there ever was.”

-Matt Damon, actor, producer, and screenwriter

“History will be kind to me, for I intend to write it.”

-Winston Churchill, former Prime Minister of Great Britain

I haven’t given you homework in a while, so…

Homework: Go out and do something confidently today, especially if it’s something you didn’t have the confidence in, in the past. You may be pleasantly surprised at the results.

Thanks for reading.