Can You Be Too Confident?

Confidence is something that every athlete has to play with. More importantly, it’s something that we as people need to have in this life as well.

When you look at confidence, the definition is the following: the level of certainty that we have in someone or something.

Some people put their confidence in people, some in their abilities, some in their affiliations, money, possessions, and the list goes on. Where do you put your confidence?

There’s a Bible verse in Psalm 20:7 that says the following:

But with all of that said, where do you draw the line?

How about OVERCONFIDENCE? 

According to Weinberg and Gould (2024), overconfident individuals are actually falsely confident.… Here’s the kicker…. their confidence in their abilities is actually greater than their actual abilities warrant. 

…they are delusional.

Have you ever played with or against an overconfident Athlete?

Typically, when you are overconfident:

• You lack preparation 

• You are arrogant

• You underestimate your opponents 

• Ultimately, your performance declines 

Overconfidence is the cousin to pride; it is actually false confidence… and the last time I checked, God gives grace to the humble, and He resists the proud (James 4:6). 

Let this serve as a reminder that we need to play with high levels of confidence, but remember that our power ultimately does not come from ourselves. 

Your Friend,

Josiah Igono 

Weinberg, R., Gould, D. Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology. 2024. Human Kinetics. USA