Quote of the Week...from Vince Lombardi

Confidence is contagious...so is lack of confidence.     ...Vince Lombardi.

The immortal (meaning he's dead) Green Bay Packer football coach Vince Lombardi is well-known for his words of wisdom that have inspired many, not only in the sports world, but also in business, education...and life in general.  Tying them all together is the importance he placed on people taking personal responsibility for their actions, instead of going through life passively and playing the blame game for their failures.  The above quote is in harmony with this worldview in that confidence is an attitude which one can freely choose to adopt...or reject.  It's easy to ride the waves of momentum, when everything around you is working in your favor...but when they come crashing down and you're knocked off your position and left floundering, you need something deeper to draw from.  And, in keeping with the sport of football, that's how I saw the outcome of last Sunday's Super Bowl contest between Atlanta and New England.  The Falcons built up their early lead with a lot of momentum, but could not sustain their level of confidence...while the Patriots, led by their supremely-confident quarterback Tom Brady, never lost it...even when things were seriously going against them.  And when things started to turn against Atlanta, a little lack of confidence turned into a tsunami...

A lot of quotes I put up here weekly are about individual decisions, but Coach Lombardi's quote concerns itself with how we deal with each other in a social setting and how our words and actions closely affect those of others around us.  If they are positive, empathetic, and supportive, then this will be reflected among the people...and if not, that will also be the case, albeit for the worse.  Sometimes I feel that what I say and do is pointless and irrelevant to others, but if Lombardi is right, then it's nearly impossible to go through life without strongly affecting the lives of those I encounter...even unwittingly.  So why not choose the attitude of confidence?