A Lesson in Confidence from Lawrence of Arabia
You've probably heard of the movie Lawrence of Arabia. After seeing it and realizing it's based on a true story, I wanted to learn more. So I read the book it was based on called "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" by T.E. Lawrence. It's even longer than the movie. Here's what the real T.E. Lawrence looked like:
Lawrence's journey was fascinating to me. Before I get to that, here's a brief summary of what Lawrence did, if you're unfamiliar:
During World War I Lawrence was an intelligence officer in the British army. The British were fighting the Ottoman Empire (The Turks, Germans and Austrians) on the Eastern front in Arabia. To aid this front, Lawrence was sent to unite the tribes of Arabia to revolt against the Turks. Against all odds, he did just that. He grew a handful of men on camels into an army of thousands who defeated the Ottomans. Lawrence was also a key figure in establishing a provisional government for an Arabian state in Damascus. You can see a large portion of his journey in the map below:
One thing that I found intriguing was that even after he united all the tribes, rode 50 miles a day on camelback in one of the most punishing environments on earth, flawlessly strategized and executed military battles, conquering city after city... he still felt like a fraud!
"Only too good of an actor could so impress his favourable opinion. Here were the Arabs believing me, (Field Marshall) Allenby and (Brigadier-General) Clayton trusting me, my bodyguard dying for me: and I began to wonder if all established reputations were founded, like mine, on fraud."
If a man who accomplishes all of those things, against all odds, still can't have confidence... well who can?
Confidence is an interesting thing. It's ephemeral. It's your ego's evaluation of yourself.
The definition of confidence is:
"A feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities."
There's an important nuance there: It's up to you to appreciate your own abilities and qualities in order to create your own confidence. Because there's the possibility that even if you go out and accomplish something great and are recognized for it, like Lawrence's incredible journey, that may not be enough to make you feel confident.
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