Confidence
Little Johnny Whitaker was rambling down the alleyway on his way to the Saturday afternoon baseball game with his buddies. Bat, mitt and ball in hand, White Sox cap on head, he was ready for the big game!
“Johnny ‘Blue Eyes’ Whitaker, best hitter in the world!” he called out as he pitched himself the ball ten feet in the air.
He swung, he spun around, kicking up a cloud of dust and… thud! The ball plopped on the ground. He missed.
“Stee-rike! Shouted the umpire. The crowd couldn’t believe their eyes!”
Johnny brushed off the dust, got to his feet and steadied himself for the next pitch.
“Here comes the pitch, the swing…No! He misses! The crowd goes into a frenzy! No one can believe it.”
“Two strikes, no balls, Johnny Blue Eyes up to bat, greatest batter in the world!”
Johnny threw the ball up, wound back and swung like his life depended on it. He spun around, dust rising, the ball just lie there on the ground…He missed!
“The crowd hushed into a stunned silence.”
Johnny got to his feet, brushed off the dust, picked up his baseball and tossed it a couple times in the air, chewing his gum announcing:
“Johnny Blue Eyes Whitaker, world’s greatest pitcher!”
Confidence is a human art. It is the art of resilience and bounce-back. It is grace and finesse; being able to smile in the face of adversity. It is picking oneself up ‘by the bootstraps’ and summoning the courage to move on undaunted by one’s mistakes.
Confidence is being able to recognize one’s mistakes as a part of the training! It is having the humility to see one’s inadequacies as part of life and living…being able to march on nevertheless!
True genius and brilliance come by merit, not by luck or inheritance. Confidence is discovering one’s natural gifts and talents and then setting one’s feet upon the path of meaningful and purposeful application.
Confidence is trusting in what is true and real and natural. It is knowing oneself well enough to say NO to that which is unnatural, contrived or deceptive.
Confidence is contagious! It rubs off on others. It loves a challenge, not for ego’s sake, not to show off…but for the love of discovering what it can do!
It grows with being willing to try new things.
Instead of talking about something, do it, show it, be it! Then your students, friends and colleagues can also catch the way of it!
Confidence in one area of living is still confidence; and once that way blooms, it can bloom in many other areas of your life. A success, even a small success leads to many more!
It is doing what you love to do and believing in it with every fiber. Love and belief are the keys to confidence. Inspire it in yourself and it will naturally overflow to others.
I once asked a 12 year old - what season of the year he loves best? His confident response was - “Whichever season I’m in!” Yes!
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To hear a confidence inspired song go to….track #20 of Do Re Mi Dragon http://talkinghandstalkingfeet.com/music.html
