Scott Perry distinguishes true confidence from pride and hubris. He argues that curiosity and courage are antidotes to false confidence, and offers practical ways to build a healthier relationship with how you see yourself.
Welcome to Monday on Purpose presented by Creative on Purpose Live. I'm your host, Scott Perry, Chief Difference Maker at Creative on Purpose. Every Monday I share a bit of insight and inspiration to help you heed the call of vocation, to find the difference only you can make, and live your legacy. Today's episode is The Problem with Confidence and How to Do It Better. Let's go. I used to think that confidence was something you either had or you didn't, something you were born with or weren't. And me, I had it. I was born ready. In Latin class, I learned that we get the word confidence from confidere, which translates most directly as with full or intense trust. For the Romans, to have confidence was to have a firm faith in others, of course, and have the same conviction in oneself. As someone with an inherently high level of belief in oneself, I soon discovered that an innate sense of confidence is both a blessing and a curse. Sure, it comes in handy when you're learning to ride a bike or make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, but it's not so helpful when you're trying to advance in more involved or complicated activities like playing jazz guitar, or navigating an intimate relationship. In more technical and nuanced endeavors, what you think is confidence is more often pride, or worse, excessive pride. The ancient Greeks called this hubris, and it most often leads to what they called nemesis, an inevitable fall. This is where the biblical proverb "pride goeth before a fall" comes from. I've experienced the tick-tock of hubris and nemesis in my jazz guitar, intimate relationship, and most of my other life adventures. What about you? If we're lucky or simply paying attention, we discover the antidote to overconfidence: curiosity and courage. A love of learning, solving puzzles, and embracing not knowing, plus trusting yourself enough to lean in, find a way, and fail forward, is a formula that leads to a happier and healthier relationship with confidence. Regardless of your inherent levels of confidence, curiosity, and courage, each is a skill you can also develop through a daily discipline of practice. For advanced training, when you catch yourself being too certain and self-assured, stuck and hiding in a learning-not-doing cycle, or recklessly leaping into the unknown, think about which other skill will temper that instinct and weave it in. Where could you stand to be half a shade more confident, curious, or courageous in your life and work? How about half a shade less? Now that you notice, how will you do it better? Thanks for tuning in to Monday on Purpose. If you like what you heard, check out the blog and other broadcast episodes at creativeonpurpose.com. If you're listening on iTunes, consider leaving a 5-star review, subscribing, and sharing this episode with a friend. Thanks for the difference you make. Let's keep making things better together.
Stoics Don't Suppress Emotions, They Do This Instead #stoicism #emotionalintelligence #mindset
