You Don't Have Confidence, You have Proof
It’s game 5 of the NBA finals and the series is ties 2-2 between the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks. There is 1.9 second left in the game and Dwayne Wade, Miami Heat star is about to go to the free throw line and take two shots. As a professional basketball player you know the game. As an elite pro like Wade, you know it better than most. Wade knows that games like this are decided at the free-throw line. So the night before, it’s midnight and Wade is in the gym, practicing his free-throw shots.
Wade knows the work is the reward. Yesterday, I wrote about working without applause. So in that gym, after midnight, the night before game 5 of the NBA finals, Dwayne Wade is taking practice shots. He has his cousin with him trash talking the entire time as he is taking his shots. Why? To prepare himself for what’s to come. So that he can simulate the environment he will be in before it happens.
Back to game 5 with 1.9 seconds left. Dwayne Wade is confident because he has the proof. He took 200 of these exact shots last night, before the game. Wade makes both of his free-throw shots and the Miami Heat wins 101-100 and takes the lead in a seven game series, 3-2. In the next game, game 6, Dwayne Wade scores 36 points and leads the charge to win the championship for the Miami Heat, the first championship in team history.
Some of you may not be basketball fans. The point here is, confidence is not something that simply comes. It arrives with time, with your effort, with your practice. Your problem is you stop too soon. You don’t put in the effort. A professional athlete spends more time preparing, training and practicing than they do playing the actual game. Bands rehearse more than they play. Dancers practice more than the amount of show time you see. And you expect to just be great at something without trying? You expect the results to just come to you and you not put in any work?
Confidence is earned in your practice and with that you gain the proof needed to carry on. To do hard things. To make the shot in basketball, the putt in golf, and hitting the baseball for a home run. To start the business and succeed. Start that project and crush it.
All of this is not simply about hitting a number or metric. Although it can be true for your weight loss goals. Your financial goals to pay down debt or save money for a down payment for a house. It can also apply to the type of parent you are. The kind of worker and professional you are. More importantly, how you see yourself. A lack of confidence may just mean you aren’t trying hard enough. You lack the proof to establish a base of confidence.
Go study. Read. Practice the art or craft. Practice the material. Perform it. Recite it. Do it all with enthusiasm. At midnight or midday. You decide.
Thought Provoking Questions : Confidence only comes from gaining the proof. How can you gain proof in your life to establish confidence? What in your life requires your effort to see the proof?
Dan Roman is a philosopher (lover of wisdom) and a writer that releases a daily meditation. A quick read. Sharing wisdom and asking thought-provoking questions. Influenced by the obstacles, success and failures in his life and of others. Using history, books, current events, philosophy, and ancient wisdom. These writings are actionable, thought-provoking, designed to make your life better.
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