Daily, snackable writings and podcasts to spur changes in thinking.




May 26th, 2018

This episode references episode 38: Confidence 2.0

Just as hope shares one side of an easily flipped coin with expectation,

Confidence shares one side of another coin flipped with equal ease. 

If Confidence 2.0* is the ability to navigate through the world to a hoped-for destination successfully... (based on a mental map that is ever growing, fine-tuning, and becoming more precise and accurate through trial and error..) –

Then cocky is an expectation that one absolutely will arrive at such a destination.

This is not confidence. This is an abandonment of agility, flexibility and curiosity and a desperate grasp for certainty.

It is a coping-mechanism in the face of vast uncertainty.

Cocky is sibling to expectation. Just as Confidence 2.0* is a sibling to Hope.

There exists a subtle divide between these sets of siblings.

FEAR is the motivating factor that turns healthy hope and confidence 2.0* into disappointment-bound expectation and boomeranging-karma cockiness.

The root of the word ‘humble’ is ground.

In a sense, to be humble is to remain grounded.

If there is one certain thing about the future, it’s that it is uncertain.

To remain grounded is to hold this fact squarely in mind.

To do so means facing the inherent fear of that fact squarely in the face.

Not to retreat with a coping mechanism.

Cockiness and expectation are attempts to leap-frog the hard work and land in a safe place. But cockiness usually results in getting knocked down a few pegs. And Expectation incubates impending disappointment.

The safer place is through the hard work:

The hard work is facing a fear of uncertainty, developing an agile, powerful curiosity, and interpreting ‘failure’ with humor through humility. 

It is ridiculous to think we know what is going to happen. 

That being said,

It is not ridiculous to think we can make something happen.

*See the post of July 23rd entitled Confidence 2.0

Podcast Ep. 41: Cocky

Tinkered Thinking