CONFIDENT vis-à-vis OVERCONFIDENT
Thursday Dec. 13, 2018
I bought new tires recently. Handling, cornering, stopping – gripping so much better – but they won’t prevent a crash; for that I still need to be alert careful and lucky too. They’ll keep me from skidding off-road or into someone.
Yes, I’m prepared for winter driving, but am I safer?
Fresh rubber doesn’t make me a better driver. A more secure feeling on every corner, on every slippery stretch of road probably has me less safe as opposed to more safe. Why? Because I have a sense of security, confidence that my ‘regular driving’ and those tires will keep me safe from all hazards, which intellectually I know is an illusion …
Driving on those balding baddies another winter, caused me to be far more cautious. Shouldn’t I be as vigilant all the time, without regard to tire quality/condition?
I think we should, but are we really?
Shifting – from tires to any other aspect of our lives where we are ‘feeling secure and safe’ vs. ‘nervously cautious’, do we make that same miscalculation? I think we do. When we think we’ve got a sure thing, that our plan is flawless or that someone will keep their word – when we get excited about the big deal, the big decision or the big ‘many moving parts’ adventures in life, do we get that wrong too?
How many times have we said, “I should have known” or heard that?
Every time we have overconfidence we invite disappointment. When anxious, cautious or struggling we are far more likely not to fail, more likely not to mis-judge risks, more likely to not underestimate an opponent or competitor …
