![Post image for The role of confidence in success](http://www.popeconomics.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/weightlifter-by-M-Haftek.jpg)
Do you think God wills you to succeed?
Lady Gaga thinks she’s been chosen by God for fame. So do Eminem, Aaron Rodgers (Packers QB), and Snoop Dog. At least, so says a story in the Wall Street Journal this weekend.
The article posits that the presumption of some that they are God’s chosen ones vaults them to galactic stardom, rather than so-so stardom. And of course, it carries that all-to-common journalistic disclaimer that scientists haven’t studied a link between God-believing and fame.
I’ll try to avoid the theology of whether or not God cares so much that you sing well or throw a perfect spiral. I think he’s more interested in your soul, brother.
But there’s something to be said about the confidence that believing in a divine helper gives you, and how that alone can make you more probable to become a success.
It’s an important question for teachers, coaches, and managers. If you want your students, athletes, and employees to succeed, how much does making them “feel good” about how they’re doing translate to actual success?
Lifting students up by their heart strings
A decade or so ago, a couple college professors at Florida State University used a survey of more than 4,000 students to gauge their intellectual and social confidence, their expectations for success, their motivation to succeed, past academic accomplishments, parental education, and so on.
Admittedly, a lot of the variables were interlocking. But the study concluded that having a high expectation that you’d succeed was the strongest predictor of actual high performance. Self-confidence was also correlated to doing well in school.
They didn’t ask where those expectations came from. There’s a good chance that part of them came from past academic performance. There’s also a good chance that they came down from the parents.
Yale law professor Amy Chua made a splash a few weeks ago with a book excerpt about her drill sergeant-like routines for her children. In short, her children were allowed little playtime and were expected to be perfect in school. That set off a fierce debate on parenting styles that is kind of superfluous to this blog post.
Part of her story did strike a chord. Her children were expected to be perfect. And they often were perfect. Put aside the insane hours of practice and study that got them there. I’m willing to bet that even if Chua stepped aside, the simple instillation in her kids of the belief that they could achieve perfect piano playing or math scores would go a long way to good practice and study habits on their own. If you think all that study will lead to a great grade, it seems more worth it.
Taking risks isn’t always a bad thing
I’ve written about overconfidence—especially in investing—a lot. I personally don’t like taking a lot of risk with investments, because the consequences of messing up can set you back in your savings by a very large amount.
But my opinion of taking risks in other areas, like entrepreneurship and career motivation, is a lot different. While the risk of being turned down when you ask a stranger to mentor you is pretty high, the consequences of being turned down are almost nil—just a little hit to your ego, maybe.
And that leads to a nice side effect of confidence in career-related matters. Even though some career moves are long shots, being crazy enough to take them anyway gives you a chance of scoring big.
Entrepreneurship can cost money. It doesn’t have to. A lot of times, it just takes a lot of hard work after your day job. If I told you that you’d definitely make a sustainable business after putting in, say, 20 hours per week for one year on top of your current work schedule, I bet a lot of you would take me up on it. Of course, I can’t say that, and I bet that’s why a lot of people, including me, don’t put in that time.
Does confidence make you run faster?
In high school gym, oh so many years ago, our coach gave a demonstration to try to show us how important “positive thinking” was. He called a student up to the front and had him try to hold his arms straight out like wings while the coach tried to push them down.
For the first part of the test, he criticized the kid’s strength and, generally, tore him down. His arms gave out pretty quickly. After a few minutes of rest, they did the test again, while the coach gave words of encouragement. The kid kept his arms up for much longer.
I remember thinking that the coach must not have been pushing as hard the second time.
Faux experiment aside, there is empirical research linking the confidence of athletes to how they perform.
In one study from the 1970s, a couple researchers had volunteers arm wrestle. One group was subtly encouraged in their strength while one was not. The encouraged arm wrestlers performed better.
Similarly, researchers have found that confident swimmers swim faster and confident gymnasts score higher. Put simply, winners think they’re winners.
And that’s why it astounds me whenever I hear about a boss berating a problem employee in front of peers or writing scathing criticisms in an e-mail. While it’s important for someone to know he messed up, there are long-term implications of shattering someone’s psyche.
Instead, I wonder what would happen if he or she put them on an easier project or teamed them up with stronger workers. Getting a few successes under their belts might go a long way to improving performance.
{ 78 comments… read them below or add one }
Keep up the great work! I enjoy reading your work.
I tend to agree here from personal experience. The simplest example I can think of is golf. When I’m confident in my swing I’m not thinking of mechanics or positions or “tips”. Thus, my mind is more free to be fully in the moment, to concentrate on the shot and not the mechanics, I can just, more or less, play. I’ve often heard that pro golfers have a hard time recalling their thought processes after an amazing shot or round. They can remember the outcome, the plan for the shot and fully committing to it but not the individual thoughts at the time. The rest it seems was left to their confidence in the ability to perform it. Which undoubtedly was built from endless repetition and hard work.
Success breeds confidence and more success. The opposite is true, if I fail over and over again I will be less willing to try. You can apply this to the old argument nature or nurture. Under the right circumstances, nurture can overcome nature. Encouraging, positive reinforcement is important! Successful people generally become more successful. I think it is more than confidence, they know how to succeed.
As I website owner I believe the written content here is real superb, thankyou for your efforts.
You are a very capable individual!
Some really interesting information, well written and loosely user genial.
Its good as your other articles : D, regards for posting.
you have got a fantastic weblog here! would you wish to make some invite posts on my blog?
You are a very smart person!
But a smiling visitor here to share the love (:, btw great style and design.
I think this is among the most important information for me. And i am glad reading your article. But should remark on few general things, The site style is ideal, the articles is really nice : D. Good job, cheers
I like this internet site because so much useful material on here : D.
This blog is definitely rather handy since I’m at the moment creating an internet floral website – although I am only starting out therefore it’s really fairly small, nothing like this site. Can link to a few of the posts here as they are quite. Thanks much. Zoey Olsen
Thank you, I have recently been searching for information about this topic for a while and yours is the best I have came upon till now. However, what concerning the bottom line? Are you positive in regards to the supply?
Great website. Lots of helpful information here. I’m sending it to a few friends ans also sharing in delicious. And certainly, thank you in your sweat!
great publish, very informative. I ponder why the other experts of this sector don’t understand this. You should proceed your writing. I am sure, you’ve a huge readers’ base already!
Excellent read, I just passed this onto a colleague who was doing some research on that. And he just bought me lunch because I found it for him smile Therefore let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch! “The capacity to care is what gives life its most deepest significance.” by Pablo Casals.
Today, I went to the beach front with my kids. I found a sea shell and gave it to my 4 year old daughter and said “You can hear the ocean if you put this to your ear.” She put the shell to her ear and screamed. There was a hermit crab inside and it pinched her ear. She never wants to go back! LoL I know this is completely off topic but I had to tell someone!
Some truly excellent info , Glad I observed this. “Love consists in this, that two solitudes protect and touch and greet each other.” by Rainer Maria Rilke.
Thanks so much for giving everyone a very pleasant opportunity to discover important secrets from this website. It can be very brilliant and also packed with amusement for me personally and my office peers to search your website a minimum of thrice a week to find out the fresh things you will have. And lastly, we’re always fascinated with the dazzling ideas you give. Certain 1 points in this post are basically the most suitable we’ve had.
I am continually searching online for posts that can facilitate me. Thanks!
Very interesting points you have mentioned, thanks for posting. “It’s the soul’s duty to be loyal to its own desires. It must abandon itself to its master passion.” by Rebecca West.
Hey there, I think your site might be having browser compatibility issues. When I look at your blog site in Ie, it looks fine but when opening in Internet Explorer, it has some overlapping. I just wanted to give you a quick heads up! Other then that, amazing blog!
Hiya, I am really glad I have found this info. Today bloggers publish just about gossips and web and this is actually irritating. A good web site with interesting content, that is what I need. Thanks for keeping this website, I will be visiting it. Do you do newsletters? Can not find it.
Would love to incessantly get updated outstanding site! .
There are some attention-grabbing cut-off dates on this article however I don’t know if I see all of them heart to heart. There is some validity however I will take hold opinion until I look into it further. Good article , thanks and we wish extra! Added to FeedBurner as well
Hi my family member! I want to say that this post is amazing, nice written and come with approximately all important infos. I would like to look more posts like this .
I¦ve read several excellent stuff here. Certainly value bookmarking for revisiting. I surprise how much effort you put to make this type of excellent informative web site.
What i don’t realize is in reality how you’re no longer really a lot more smartly-preferred than you may be right now. You’re so intelligent. You know thus considerably with regards to this topic, made me personally consider it from a lot of numerous angles. Its like women and men don’t seem to be fascinated except it¦s one thing to accomplish with Woman gaga! Your individual stuffs nice. At all times maintain it up!
Thank you for the hard work you put into this post. It’s much appreciated!
Thank you for consistently producing such high-quality content.
You’ve done a fantastic job of breaking down this topic. Thanks for the clarity!
Your blog is a go-to resource for me. Thanks for all the hard work!
This piece was beautifully written and incredibly informative. Thank you for sharing!
You’ve articulated your points with such finesse. Truly a pleasure to enjoy reading.
Your passion for this subject shines through your words. Inspiring!
I’m always excited to see your posts in my feed. Another excellent article!
You’ve done a fantastic job of breaking down this topic. Thanks for the clarity!
The unique perspective on this subject was enlightening. It’s refreshing to see someone so passionate about their topic.
This is one of the most comprehensive articles I’ve enjoy reading on this topic. Kudos!
Your blog is a go-to resource for me. Thanks for all the hard work!
This post was a breath of fresh air. Thank you for your unique insights!
I appreciate the unique viewpoints you bring to your writing. Very insightful!
The attention to detail is remarkable. I appreciate the thoroughness of The post.
The piece was both informative and thought-provoking, like a deep conversation that lingers into the night.
Discovering The Writing felt like finding the perfect match. The intellect and charm are a rare combo.
The warmth and intelligence in The writing is as comforting as a cozy blanket on a cold night.
This article was a joy to read. The enthusiasm is contagious!
This article was a joy to read. The enthusiasm is contagious!
The research depth is so evident, I almost thought this was a thesis defense.
The passion for this subject shines through The words. Inspiring!
{ 1 trackback }