Joe's Black Dog

Joe's Black Dog
Joe's Black Dog by Marjorie Weiss

16 June 2014

Confidence


https://flic.kr/p/8TDTAH 

A definition of confidence ... by Richard Petty, a psychology professor at Ohio State University, who has spent decades focused on the subject. 'Confidence ... is the stuff that turns thoughts into action ... If the action involves something scary, then what we call courage might also be needed ... Or if it’s difficult, a strong will to persist might also be needed. Anger, intelligence, creativity can play a role ... But confidence ... is essential, because it applies in more situations than these other traits do. It is the factor that turns thoughts into judgments about what we are capable of, and that then transforms those judgments into action.'

'The simplicity is compelling, and the notion that confidence and action are interrelated suggests a virtuous circle. Confidence is a belief in one’s ability to succeed, a belief that stimulates action. In turn, taking action bolsters one’s belief in one’s ability to succeed. So confidence accumulates—through hard work, through success, and even through failure.'

by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman, 'The Confidence Gap'
from The Atlantic, April 2014

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/04/the-confidence-gap/359815/