Confidence. Some people have it, others don’t, and most strive for it. The Cambridge Dictionary defines confidence as “the quality of being certain of your abilities or of having trust in people, plans, or the future.”
Mark Twain famously said, “All you need in life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.”
Children are great examples, and no, I’m not calling children ignorant. I was a tree climber as a kid. Did I worry about falling and breaking a limb? Hell no. My focus was looking up and strategizing my climb to the top. I didn’t worry about the climb down. I figured if there was a way up, the same way would bring me down. I had confidence in my abilities and a focus on the end goal. That was it. Today, that tree-climbing ability is gone. I’m not afraid of heights, but I do get vertigo, especially after I blew a head gasket (ruptured aneurysm). I can no longer climb an eight-foot ladder without getting tipsy.
We all have some confidence in ourselves. Otherwise, nothing would get accomplished. That small bit of confidence helps a person pick up a paintbrush, write a poem, or apply for a dream job. It’s within all of us; only some are better at using it. Those that are not afraid to climb to the top of the tree, even with a chance of falling.
One of my favorite quotes of all time is from George Bernard Shaw. “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.” Many people become so immersed in survival and societal obligations that we forget how to play. How proud we were when we reached the top of the tree and surveyed the surroundings from above. How great it felt to fly downhill on a bicycle, the wind whipping through your hair, legs stretched beyond the pedals as gravity led the way, not worrying about wiping out. My childhood was before pads and helmets, and I feel sorry for the kids who are practically bubble wrapped before biking. They don’t get the scars and cool stories to share. If you didn’t bleed at least once from a crazy idea you concocted as a child, you didn’t live.
The moral of my rambling is confidence is taking a chance regardless of what outcome might happen. Confidence is being sure enough of your abilities to take a step, knowing you can figure out more as you go along. Confidence is believing it will work out somehow, even if your goal wavers. Confidence is being who you really are, not what you think others want to see. Confidence is not being afraid to make mistakes, knowing you can learn from them.
I encourage everyone to play and forget for at least a while. Find that inner child and bring it to the surface.
The attached video is of Benedict Cumberbatch reading a letter from artist Sol LeWitt to artist Eva Hesse. Powerful and inspiring. Enjoy!