What New York Knicks Jeremy Lin Teaches Us About Self-Confidence

Do you have a problem with self-confidence?  Are there days you just feel worthless?  Do you have people in your lives, specifically people in roles of authority, who constantly remind you of what you are not?  Are doubt and fear constant companions?  Do sticks and stones, and words, all break your bones?  Are sleepless nights common?

If so, let me introduce you to New York Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin.  If you are unfamiliar with Lin, he is currently taking the NBA by storm.  But it wasn’t always this way.  It wasn’t this way two weeks ago.  Let me tell you about his journey:

• As a senior at Palo Alto High School, he led his team to a 32-1 record and CIF state championship.  However, then-Stanford head coach Trent Johnson did not recruit him though he was practically across the street.  Johnson is now at LSU.
• Neither did Cal head coach Ben Braun where Lin wanted to play.  Braun is now at Rice.
• USF head coach Jesse Evans was fired two years after not recruiting Lin. 

Lin then landed at Harvard where he was known for taking the program into the Top 20 and scoring 30 points on the road against UCONN and All-American Kemba Walker.  To put this in perspective, Harvard has put more people in the White House than the NBA.  Yet he was once again under-valued and not selected in the NBA Draft.

Then the journey began again.  This year alone:

• He was cut by the Golden State Warriors.  For business people, cut is another word for fired.
• He was cut by the Houston Rockets.
• He has played on four NBA developmental teams.
• He then found himself at the end of the Knicks bench.  He did not even get in the game for 13 of his first 22 games.

But once he was given an opportunity to be in a system that matched his skill set, he began to shine.

I can’t think of Jeremy Lin without thinking about everyone who has previously doubted and downgraded me.  I gave them too much influence in my life.  I gave them too much credit for insight they simply did not have. 

In the worst circumstances, they basically became God in my life.  I’m embarrassed to admit it but they determined my mood, my level of happiness, the quality of my down-time, my self-worth, and my confidence in my future.

Can you relate?  I bet many of you can.

If you are struggling today with doubt, fear of failure, or poor self-image, think about Jeremy Lin.  Many doubted him and they were all wrong.  They were wrong about me.  And they are all wrong if they are doubting you as well.

To get future posts on leadership sent directly to you, please click here.

Also, to receive a FREE copy of my new eBook The 2011 Year In Hollywood Movies – Leadership Edition, click here.