January 24th 2008
Confidence… to some it’s embedded into the fabric of their nature. They are seldom deterred by failure and hardly ever let the beliefs and attitudes of others influence their convictions. My thoughts today however center upon the origins of confidence. Is it a byproduct of success? A nurturing characteristic one is taught? Or is it just an instinctive ability? Obviously, if you’ve been analyzing my beliefs, you’d immediately conclude that confidence is the result of a combination of these exogenous variables.
Some are injected with confidence as a result of positive reinforcement through successful trials in activities of interest. This is just basic human nature. If you’re good at something you’ll rarely feel reluctant to develop your skills further in that particular craft.
Nested within this hypothesis, is an innate confidence within oneself to never be a victim of discouragement. Again, this issue ties in very closely to the aforementioned factor and mostly closely sides with nature rather than nurture.
Others are taught confidence in their abilities through the simple eloquence of illustration. How often do you see those with close mentors succeed in perfecting their technique in various professions? It is through this particular observation that I am convinced that it is knowledge that ultimately creates confidence. When you are empowered with knowledge you’re more likely to stick to your ideas, principles, and techniques in your execution. A mentor provides this knowledge to his/her protégé. From this point of view, it is knowledge that develops confidence. There are other examples. Some gain knowledge on their own through trial and error or a more elaborate scientific method. Those with mentors, however, achieve this task with minimal failure.
I have shared some extensive discussion on failure and its causes and resulting effects. But it seems like the ultimate root of all of this beyond confidence and knowledge is ultimately drive and desire … where does it comes from, why does it sometimes die out, and how some never seem to run out of it. Think about this I will.
(I’ll post the 2 workouts I did in the last few days later).
January 24, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Hey! I liked this! Keep going with that thought!