Secrets to Unshakeable Confidence (4)

6 Remember Kanter’s Law: Everything can look like a failure in the middle.

Winning is often the result of persistence, of not giving up when your goal appears to be in jeopardy. “When you adopt the attitude that if you do something it will make a
difference, that’s confidence,” she says. “Look at your situation and think of yourself
as being in the middle of it. The story is rarely over, even when the great majority
think it is—something every sports fans knows.” Kicker Adam Vinatieri helped the
New England Patriots defeat the Miami Dolphins 27-24 on December 29, 2002, when
he kicked a 42-yard field goal in the final seconds, after many spectators had already gotten up from their seats to make their way out of the stadium. This event got fans
saying, “It’s not over until Vinatieri kicks.” Sure enough, in the 2004 Super Bowl, Vinatieri kicked the game-winning points for the Pats in the final few seconds.

Certainly, there will still be moments and situations that just aren’t going to go your way, and this is the time when confidence needs to be tempered by realism. If you believe in yourself so strongly that you act rashly, confidence can actually make you “stupid.” So handle it with care—and use your new confidence wisely.

Concluded.