Self-Belief

"Confidence is what happens when you've done the hard work that entitles you to succeed"

- Pat Summitt

— Coach Mac 🏀 (@BballCoachMac) July 25, 2024

Confidence balances arrogance and doubt. 

Confidence cannot be bestowed; you earn it. Not everyone believes in Malcolm Gladwell's "10,000 hours." You craft expertise and experience, you don't discover it.  

From Brave AI: Malcolm Gladwell popularized the idea that achieving world-class expertise in any skill requires approximately 10,000 hours of deliberate practice. This concept, often referred to as the “10,000-hour rule,” is based on research by psychologist Anders Ericsson.

Key Points:

1. Deliberate Practice: The quality of practice matters more than the quantity. Focused, structured, and guided practice is essential for improvement.
2. Time Investment: 10,000 hours is a rough estimate of the time needed to achieve mastery in a particular field. This translates to around 20 hours of practice per week for 10 years.
3. Exceptions: Gladwell acknowledges that innate talent exists, but argues that talent alone is insufficient for achieving expertise. Practice is necessary to develop and refine skills.
4. Examples: The Beatles’ success is attributed to their extensive live performances in Hamburg, Germany (over 1,200 shows), which exceeded 10,000 hours of playing time. Bill Gates’ access to a high school computer at age 13 allowed him to accumulate 10,000 hours of programming practice.
5. Limitations: Critics argue that the 10,000-hour rule oversimplifies the path to expertise and neglects other factors, such as good teaching, access to resources, and individual differences.
6. Debunking: Recent studies have challenged the universality of the 10,000-hour rule. Research suggests that practice is important, but good teaching and individual differences also play significant roles in achieving expertise.

In Conclusion: The 10,000-hour rule provides a rough estimate of the time required to achieve mastery in a particular field, emphasizing the importance of deliberate practice. However, it is essential to recognize the limitations and exceptions to this rule, as well as the complex interplay of factors that contribute to expertise.

How can you grow confidence? 

• Build skill. Skill increases results. Results boost confidence.
• Imagery (visualization). 
• Conditioning. Superior conditioning helps playing "harder for longer."
• Put process ahead of outcomes.
• Leverage coaching into personal growth.