Bread Can Be Baked, Confidence Can Be Made
A recipe for being more confident
New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner is an incredible athlete on the football field, but when it comes to golf, he is a beginner just like many of us. Being so bad at golf made him uncomfortable. So, how did he bridge the gap between NFL star and aspiring golfer?
He turned to YouTube.
Gardner used the platform to learn the ins and outs of golf, showcasing that confidence in one area of life can be created through curiosity, learning, and practice.
This got me thinking about my own experience with YouTube. Besides the usual fare of background music (Lofi Girl), travel content (Kara and Nate), map-making skills (John Nelson Maps), gardening tips (LSU AgCenter), and construction projects (Drew Builds Stuff), I now also venture into the world of baking (Baker Bettie).
Baking has been a unique journey for me so far, and not just because I finally realized how bad store-bought bread is in comparison to the homemade variety. It also led to some insights about the nature of confidence.
In the kitchen, I discovered a fundamental difference between my wife, Sarah, and me. Sarah approaches new challenges with an innate sense of confidence. She dives into new recipes and techniques without hesitation, while I tend to be more reserved, sticking closely to recipes and instructions. At first, I was cautious, methodical, and always aiming for perfection.
My initial foray into baking was filled with trepidation. I meticulously measured ingredients, followed every step to the letter, and used only the prescribed equipment. Sarah, on the other hand, would experiment with ingredients and methods and tools, embracing the process and ad-libbing when necessary rather than fixating on the outcome. Watching her work was both inspiring and intimidating.
One day this spring, with several loaves of bread under my belt, I noticed that I finally broke out of my comfort zone. Instead of obsessing over every detail, I was allowing “mistakes” to happen. A little too much water in the mixture, the “wrong” kind of bakeware, or a little too less time proofing the dough. The bread that resulted was not perfect, to be sure, but it was still delicious.
Each loaf baked taught me something new and, more importantly, increased my confidence. I learned that baking did not need to be an exact science for the results to be enjoyable. But perhaps more importantly, I learned that you can become more confident by simply doing.
The lesson here is clear: While some degree of confidence may come naturally, it is not fixed. Confidence can be made through experience, practice, and a willingness to embrace imperfection. Whether it’s learning golf like Sauce Gardner or baking a loaf of bread, the key is to start, experiment, and learn along the way.
This is such a powerful idea that is bears repeating. You can make your own confidence. You do not have to be born with it, nor wait around for it to magically appear out of thin air. Becoming more confident is within your control because it is a direct result of your actions.
How empowering is that?
So the next time you find yourself unsure and uncertain, remember that just like you can bake bread, you can make confidence. You just need to embrace your discomfort, lean into curiosity, take the first step, and be open to learning along the way.
Oh, and don’t forget to fire up YouTube, too.