We often look at people with too much confidence in a negative light.
And certainly there are times when too much confidence is annoying and negative.
But maybe part of the reason we see overconfidence as negative is that it takes us off our game when we actually find a person that has it.
Most of the time we encounter others, including ourselves, that lack confidence.
There was an interesting finding that I read about several years ago. It was about how older people often have slow response when driving vehicles. The hypothesis was that the slow response time was due to worsening cognitive function as we age.
The what the researchers actually found was that the older we get the more likely we are to fear being wrong. So those participants in the study were taking more time to react because they didn’t want to make the wrong decision. They lacked confidence even though they had more experience than most other drivers on the road.
Sports As An Example
One of the areas of life that has been studied and experimented with in the area of confidence is sports.
Psychologists have found that athletes, especially successful and elite athletes, often need a healthy level of confidence. From those on the outside it might seem like an unhealthy level of overconfidence.
In football, it’s often taught for cornerbacks, those defending against passes, that they need to feel like they can cover any receiver. That they need to have short memories and believe that no matter what has happened recently that they can defend any play, player, pass, whatever.
And it’s true. The game isn’t over until time has run out. A player often gives up some plays, but can make the game changing play at the end to seal the victory. Without confidence, they may have failed to believe that they could make the big play.
I remember a game between my favorite team, the Green Bay Packers, and the Baltimore Ravens in 2009. Young cornerback Tramon Williams had earned the #3 cornerback spot on the team in the offseason with his skill. But during the season he was moved into the #2 role after an injury.
Tramon struggled in the game, giving up a few big plays. But he also made two huge interceptions that helped the Packers win the game. It was a big win for them at the time.
After the game, the coach was asked about Tramon giving up a few plays and also getting called for some costly penalties. The coach looked annoyed and said something along the lines of, “We’re talking about a player that helped us win the game with some big plays…”
Yes, we’re going to make mistakes. It’s important to acknowledge deficiencies and improve. But don’t let bad outcomes preset what will happen in the future.
You can change the future. You can’t change the past.
Golf Emulating Life
My favorite sport to play is golf. Over the years it’s been incredible to me how golf is very much like life. And one of the things that seems very true is that confidence determines so much about how you play.
You can almost always tell when a golfer is playing poorly. Head and shoulders slumped. Eyes looking at the ground. Lazy practice swings. A fear in their eyes over every shot.
Then you have someone like Tiger Woods. Someone that understands the importance of committing to every shot. Someone that focuses on positive shots from the past and not negative ones. Someone that fuels confidence in himself.
Tiger believes that his next shot will be his best.
Because…what’s the worst that can happen? Why wouldn’t you want to think like that when you’re on the golf course? Why set yourself up for failure when you can instead set yourself up for possible success?
Final Thought
Most people suffer from a lack of confidence.
In their work. In their personal lives. It robs you of what you’re capable of doing. It’s a big turnoff to those around you. Even more than if you’re a little overconfident.
Yes, overconfidence can be negative. But if you have the proper understanding of your faults, work to improve while still having confidence that you can do great things, you’re setting yourself on the right path.