November 14, 2018. Madison, Mississippi. Confidence.

The commentator during a hockey game tonight mentioned that the goalie was an excellent goalie...when he feels confident. I was trying to figure out the difference in the goalie between excellent play and mediocre play and does the goalie know the difference. I have never understood what confidence actually is. Is it mental, between your ears or is it physiology, in the muscles. It is one of those terms that everyone knows is important in accomplishing a task, but where is the confidence come from. And why sometimes confidence just disappears. You see it all the time in sports. "He has lost his confidence," said the commentator about a good golfer. We are speaking about elite players who practice every day and have won multiple tournaments. And then the confidence disappears. The concept is simple but complicated. It is one of those things that you recognize in a person when they feel confident and you know exactly when the confidence has gone. Tonight, I watched a few minutes of ice skating competition. One skater did poorly. A commentator mentioned it before the competition and sure enough. The skater fell. Her confidence had disappeared. Confidence is important in life. But the step to becoming arrogant is small. In the field of athletics, confidence is important. It is fun to watch a whole team become confident, then continue to play better. It is a puzzle, certainly not something that can be turned on and off like a spigot. I have heard the concept all my life but I have no idea what it comes from. But I know when I see it.