April 13, 1999

Confidence

I will not listen to you if you are not confident. There, I said it. I am thoroughly fed up with people who are always uncertain. You know the type: those who intermix into every statement modifiers like "maybe" or "perhaps" or "likely" or "I may not be right" or etc. There is nothing wrong with admitting a lack of expertise in a subject of discussion. However, I sincerely doubt that you have absolutely no confidence in everything you say. Do not worry about appeasing the multitudes. Sure, people might disagree with you; that's a chance you must take. The use of too many conceding modifiers like "maybe" and "I believe" weakens any point you're trying to make. Would Anne Frank's famous quote have been as memorable if she had said, "I think I still believe that perhaps all people might still be good at heart?" No, the assertiveness of "I still believe people are really good at heart" carries her point home. Given the dismal tide of history following World War II, Anne is probably wrong (I don't know for certain here, so I do use the conceding modifier), but her point still affects people. She has certainty in her voice.

All that I am saying is have confidence. Playing it safe and admitting constantly to the possibility of error just takes you backward.