Confidence Without Control
Confidence is something that is needed to be successful in life. Some people just natrually have it when they are born; others fight for it their whole life only to find a small glimps of this precious attitude.
Someone with true confidence differs from someone without confidence like night differs from day. Someone who holds confidence knows that bad things will happen in life. But they don’t dwell on that knowledge. They don’t worry about the problems because they have the confidence to know that they will fix the problem, and learn a precious lesson during that trial.
A person who lacks confidence expects life to be easy. They expect everything to go their way and they crumble when something becomes difficult.
We as humans have always lived with the slogan ”why me.” If something bad happens they always ask the question, “how could this happen to me?”
There are very few that have true confidence. A person with true confidence doesn’t ask why me. He asks, what do I need to learn, and is patient with the situation trying to find what good can come of it.
Many people fear confidence because of the small line that borders cockyness. For me, I think it is worth flirting with the line. Don’t get me wrong, I know that most people are cocky because they are scared. They are scared of who they truely are, so they put up a curtain to hide themselves from the world. But I truely believe that if we even act confident.. It is better than nothing.
I know that most of you don’t play baseball.. or even understand it.. and honestly are probably tired of me talking about it.. but baseball can teach us many great lessons… and confidence is one of them… so please.. i beg you to hear me out with an open heart…
Deep down inside me I know that baseball is just a game.. Its only a peice of wood.. and a ball of yarn wrapped in leather. I know that a kid standing on a hill of dirt.. throwing a ball at another kid standing in a box lined in chalk sounds silly and pointless… but if we look deep into the meaning behind the actions.. you will see the lessons it teaches…
Many times in a baseball players career… He is asked to step to the plate to win a ball game. His music begins to play… The announcer calls out his name and 10,000 people begin to scream…
If you are on the road… They scream for you to strike out…
If you are at home… They scream for you to be a hero…
As I step to the plate in this situation I try to do one thing… I try to make my body language louder than the crowd. I try to have my confidence show through me. A person who looks confident can put belief in those who want to believe.. and doubt in the minds who believe in the pitcher…
So even if my heart is racing.. my hands shaking… and my ears aching from the noise.. I try to act confident.. I try to be as cool as a fall breeze…
One big lesson that I have learned in these situations is that I am not ever at home or on the road… I am not facing a pitcher… The crowd doesn’t exist and the only person I am facing is myself…
I know that as I stride to the plate.. I am alone..
There are no fans..
No pitcher..
No catcher or umpire…
No teammates or coaches..
I’m alone…
I stand alone facing the one question that separates success from failure… Do I believe in myself?
See.. I know that as I step into that box… alone…. my attitude will reflect my performance.
But I also know that my performance will not be judged by winning or losing the game…
See.. Alot of people don’t know what it takes to truely win something… They think who won the game is reflected in the final score…
But not to me…
I believe that it is easy to be a pitcher… you control what you throw.. when you throw it.. and where you throw it… you control the pitch.. and the tempo of the game… you know a hitters weakness and how to exploit it…
It’s easy to be confident when you are in control…
But as a hitter.. you have no control. You know that the pitcher is going after your weaknesses.. but you can’t worry about what you can’t do.. But instead know what you can do.. and know what you’re capable of.. All you can do is prepare yourself to hit.. and swing at whatever pitch life decides to hand you. You can’t worry about what happens when you swing.. you can’t worry about a great pitch or a diving catch.. the only thing you can think of….is knowing that you have worked hard enough to have what it takes to compete..
I truely believe that when you are called upon to show what you are made of….
Even if you must face the problem alone…
Even if the odds aren’t in your favor..
Even if when you look at it… it is 9 vs. 1…..
If you can have all these trials in your face.. and still stride to the plate with true confidence…
To me… You have already won the game…
