How Confident Are You?

One area where the over and under approach doesn’t work

Over the summer I noticed that I had two issues in my orienteering style.

On some occasions I was well short of my target, and wondering why I hadn’t reached it yet.

Other times I ran well beyond where I needed to go and ended up back-tracking.

You probably wouldn’t be surprised to find out that my confidence level directly tied to my effort…

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Under and under

Not sure of where you are or where you’re going?

When I’m under-confidant, it appears that my pace drops, my stride shortens, I spend more time looking around, and I end up only part way to my target.

And if I’m not careful, I’ll start to make guesses about where I am, what’s going on, and how I got there…

Over and over

Being over-confident is usually just as bad.

My pace and stride are strong and I’m certain I know where I am – only to blow by the target and need to head back.

Although I have noticed one good thing about being over-confident versus under – I’m more in control and can get back on course easier and with less stress.

Confident and realistic

Overall, my best efforts have been – you guessed it – while running with enough confidence to make solid decisions, enough realism to stay within my abilities, and enough optimism to take an aggressive route.

When I can manage to do that, I’m very competitive – and working on the edge of my abilities.

Yes, I’ve met a four…

Long time readers will notice that I love it when one aspect of my life reflects another – clearly my orienteering effort is just like my business, professional, and personal life – a work in progress.

There aren’t many facets of life where being under or over confident is the best approach. The goal is to find the right level between timid and cocky – and run confidently with it;-)