Do You Lose Confidence?
I have debated the idea of confidence with sports and business clients many times. I have often taken issue with the idea that we lose it if not performing well.
The story I tell myself is that confidence is a state. Like fear or kindness. It is a part of the way a person is.
Yes it is shakeable, but we don’t have to “lose it.”
I am a confident tennis player despite periods where I am not making my normal %age of serves. When I am missing my serve I don’t lose confidence. I still can serve. There is something that is off in my technique, that is all.
If I LABEL it as I am losing confidence I am giving away my personal power. Thinking that “if I just make a few serves, my confidence comes back” I am waiting for it to happen and less likely to do what it takes to fix what is off.
Last night Stephen Curry returned to the lineup after being out for about two weeks. He missed his first 9 three point shots. With just under 5 minutes left in the game, his confidence, unshaken despite so many misses, Curry scored 23 points. Despite awful results until that time, he made 5 of his final 6 three pointers. His 17 points in overtime were a record.
Interviewed after the game he said, “my confidence never wavered. I don’ think you shoot nine shots from 3 without making one if you don’t have the confidence.”
If he bought into the story of lost confidence, he wouldn’t have taken those shots at the end of the game and the Warriors would probably not have won the game.
So when you are not getting hits, keep your story straight. You haven’t lost it and the way to get that one hit is to keep doing what you know that you CAN DO.