Confidence Versus Arrogance

 I'm not sure why this was on my mind when I woke up today, but I'll definitely run with it. Confidence is an important characteristic.  If we lack in confidence, there's very little that we'll accomplish. Doubts will keep you from making decisions.  Uncertainty will limit ones ability to take a step forward.  One of my favorite quotes is the "perfection is the enemy of the good."  If you constantly are seeking perfection, you'll undoubtedly never actually achieve your goal.  That's different from making your goal perfection and knowing that you can never truly achieve it.  That's one of the reasons I often say that I have set a very high bar my whole life, but rarely, if ever, actually hit that bar.  That's ok.  In fact, that's one of the definitions of confidence versus arrogance.

Knowing that you're always right means having an unwillingness to accept the fact that you may be wrong.  A little bit of doubt is an important trait.  A lot of doubt will keep you from ever getting off the ground.  I recently had a situation with the national committee that I'm serving on where I was trying to make a point while seeing all sides of the issue.  I fumbled.  I struggled.  I felt a huge weight on my shoulders.  I was trying to come up with a perfect description.  It's not possible.  I also realized that I was part of a committee. We are a team.  My job is to fill in the gaps of the things I'm most confident about.  Others will do the same with the things that they're most confident about.  Together, we'll come to a conclusion.  It won't be perfect.

I've had enough experience with arrogant people.  Is there a fine line between confidence and arrogance? Absolutely! That's what makes life interesting.  I know that my confidence can be mistaken for arrogance. It's only when others get to know me better that they learn that I'm willing to admit that I'm wrong.  I'm willing to acknowledge that I don't have all of the answers.  It can be a fine line.  

Always finding a way to relate my topic to Ironman or running, I've been working on achieving a personal best on a half mile uphill segment of my 8 mile daily run.  I'm not sure why I picked this segment, except that it is a Strava segment and it became clear to me that I had a chance to "move up the rankings."  Ironically, I know that I'll never get to the top on this segment,  I don't know where I was a week ago, but a few days ago I was 50th (this year), and have now moved to 30th.  I've broken the top ten in my age category.  What's more is that I'm achieving this during my regular daily 8 mile run.  I'm not warming up and doing the segment all out.  I know that there will be days when attacking this hill won't make sense.  Other days, I'll know that it's ok to do so.  Confidence versus arrogance.