I'm not the greatest; I'm the double greatest. Not only do I knock 'em out, I pick the round.
Muhammad Ali
I love this quote. Sometimes it’s hard for me to imagine being so confident that I could say such a thing and mean it. Of course, Muhammad said all sorts of things along these lines while boxing. Maybe he didn’t always believe what he spouted, but usually he delivered. He had confidence in his abilities, and was able to brush aside any doubts and stare down his opponents.
I don’t think I need to boast about how great I think I am at something. But I would like to have the confidence to believe I can do whatever I set my mind to. I’d like to have a goal, like write a novel, and have no doubts that one day will it not only be finished but published.
For me, confidence is staring in the mirror and seeing all the flaws and insecurities and using them to push myself forward. If I am to be confident I know that those flaws and insecurities I have must be addressed. I know I have a weakness for being disorganized and scatterbrained at times(I like to think of it as multi-tasking). So I know the more organized I get the more confident I will become.
When I was in high school I took on a weekly after school babysitting job of a 2 year old and a 6 week old. The first time I looked down in the crib at that precious little baby I was terrified. She was tiny and I had never taken care of one so small. I began to have all sorts of doubts about caring for this baby along with her sister. I was afraid I might not hold her right, might not be able to get her to stop crying, I might not be able to change the cloth diapers and on and on. Quickly, I realized that dwelling on my insecurities was not going to get the job done. So I focused on everything I did know about babies and addressed those I did not. I read about newborns, I practiced with cloth diapers and I got to a point where I felt confident in my skills.
I may not be able to pick the round, but I’m confident that I can “knock them out” (goals that is) as long as I stare down my insecurities.
How do you gain confidence at something?
4 comments:
So cool how you took that babysitting job seriously!
Prayer helps me, reminders of the Truth and knowing that I've been created here for a purpose that only I can carry out.
~ Wendy
Right on. Insecurities can be overcome with confidence. I deal with this all the time. I'll be afraid to try something new, and tell myself to just get over it and try it. Not so scary after that!
Hmmm, I'm not sure. There's one thing I have full confidence in, and it's spelling. Sometimes I get words wrong, but mostly not. It's a feeling inside that you just know how to do something...I imagine that's what he felt. But those are tested out, non-subjective things. Writing, crafts, parenting are all subjective and liable to change at any moment. I think with those things we just have to do our best and ask God to help us. :-)
Great example of dealing with insecurities! It's not easy facing mammoth sized goals, but one day at a time, you can get things done. Lord knows I've hacked my way through a few that way.
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