First, let me preface this blog article by saying that the concept of "Confidence as an illusion" was given to me by a [supremely confident?] comic strip author... so don't expect lots of references to long-term studies and scientific measurements.The reality is that there are only two conditions you can be in. You can either have an accurate view of your own abilities or an inaccurate view. Confidence is similar to will power in the sense that neither of them exists and yet society is quite certain they do.
I'm not sure I agree that our view of our abilities is either "accurate" or "inaccurate". How do you measure the accuracy of our perceptions? Isn't that something that is subjective by nature? As Scott admits later in his article, it is often useful to be "inaccurate" in how you perceive your own abilities. For one thing, there are too many variables in any given situation to accurately predict with 100% certainty so we are always going to be inaccurate about our abilities to some degree. If it were possible to predict with 100% certainty, then where would the fun be in that?
Growth vs. Talent Mindset
It seems that Scott may have fallen into the "Talent mindset"which says that either you are good at something or you are not. If you fail at something, then don't bother trying again because you don't have the inate talent for it. The Growth mindset is very different. It says that any one outcome is simply an indication of how far you are along your progression to eventual success.
This is where confidence can play a key role. If you are using the Growth mindset and have failed in the past, your confidence can still be high since every outcome is simply feedback on your way to success.
Confidence is important because it gets you to TAKE ACTION. As a famous philosopher once said, "80% of success is just showing up" and confidence gets you to "show up". (I think it was said by Woody Allen.)
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||
P.S. Do we have any Toastmasters clubs that meet at 6 o'clock? That would be too much of a coincidence !
On a more serious note... there have been some great posts at a blog called "Six Minutes"...
Scott Adams, the cartoonist who makes the Dilbert Strip, had some Toastmaster-related career advice on his blog that I thought should be passed along .... If you want an average successful life, it doesn’t take much planning. Just stay out of trouble, go to school, and apply for jobs you might like. But if you want something extraordinary, you have two paths:Scott goes on to offer the following (Toastmaster-related) advice...
1. Become the best at one specific thing.
2. Become very good (top 25%) at two or more things.
The first strategy is difficult to the point of near impossibility. Few people will ever play in the NBA or make a platinum album. I don’t recommend anyone even try.
The second strategy is fairly easy. Everyone has at least a few areas in which they could be in the top 25% with some effort.
I always advise young people to become good public speakers (top 25%). Anyone can do it with practice. If you add that talent to any other, suddenly you’re the boss of the people who have only one skill.
At least one of the skills in your mixture should involve communication, either written or verbal. And it could be as simple as learning how to sell more effectively than 75% of the world. That’s one. Now add to that whatever your passion is, and you have two, because that’s the thing you’ll easily put enough energy into to reach the top 25%. If you have an aptitude for a third skill, perhaps business or public speaking, develop that too.
