Confidence versus Faith. What’s the difference? Confidence is your own belief that you can handle whatever comes your way. You know the type of person that can walk into a room and command attention. Some think those type of people are even arrogant.
Case in point, Richard Sherman, the Seattle Seahawks corner-back. He displays a lot of confidence on the football field. And he makes sure that everyone around him knows it, too. For a day or two, millions of people thought he was rude, arrogant, even unsportsmanlike. Until they got the whole story and learned more about not just that moment after the game, but what he is really like. I, for one, didn’t have that initial reaction. I rather enjoyed his display of confidence.
Faith, on the other hand, is an extension of confidence beyond oneself. The belief that every step you take toward a goal is the cumulative result of everything you’ve done so far, is what’s needed to provide the winning attitude and the edge that sets you apart from your competition. This is what separates truly happy, and insanely successful people from people who can’t seem to accomplish anything. I think Sherman has not only confidence, but true faith in his athletic ability. Is it bragging when you can back it up?
Sometimes I’m accused of being braggadocios. I like to display a level of confidence in my ability no matter what it is. My military career, my family relationships, my business, even my negligible athletic prowess. Maybe it’s a confidence builder for myself. Like I’m psyching myself up… Maybe I’m just an arrogant dude. Not really, though. I have faith in my abilities. It’s something that was instilled in me my whole life. My parents, my mentors, everyone I’ve ever admired taught me that faith in oneself is critical.
My friends call me “Boobie”. I got that nickname because I display confidence. It’s a reference to the character from the movie Friday Night Lights, Boobie Miles. He’s the running back that knows he can score on anyone and says things like, “If you wanna win, put Boobie in.” I kind of took to that nickname and even decided to use it for my twitter handle: booby1893. (I’ll explain the 1893 reference some other time).
I guess what I’m getting at here is that there’s nothing wrong with confidence in your abilities. Successful people, entrepreneurs, athletes, they all have this innate ability to always display confidence, even brag. It doesn’t mean that they are flawless. But the ones that are truly at the top of their game or occupation have moved beyond just confidence to the level of faith. Confidence alone doesn’t always cut it. Confident people can still be dissuaded by unexpected circumstances, but if you have faith it doesn’t matter when things go wrong because you know your going to win anyway.
Don’t quit! Have faith in yourself and your business. Keep doing what you know is going to make you successful and you will be there before you know it. And make sure everyone around you knows it, too. It’s actually quite exhilarating.