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I am captivated by people who are bold and unwavering when they speak about their faith. Especially when it comes after a hardship, a setback or a loss.
That’s exactly how a college athlete spoke after a heartbreaking defeat in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament.
During the postgame press conference, a reporter wanted to find out if this particular loss in the Elite 8 would be a motivator for the star athlete.
Her response was an epic one, and that’s the topic for this episode of Confidence Covered By Humility.
Faith is a huge part of my life and therefore, a huge part of my business. It guides my decisions and goals. It helps me determine how I serve clients. And, knowing not just who I am, but Who’s I am, allows me to serve with both confidence and humility.
And that takes me right back to the story about the women’s basketball player whose response to a reporter’s question was something to be remembered.
Hailey Van Lith is a point guard for the Louisville Cardinals. She’s known for her toughness, her competitiveness, and her leadership.
After the Elite 8 loss on March 26, she was asked by a reporter, “What does coming up short in your goal of making it to the Final Four mean for your off season?”
Even though I’m an Iowa Hawkeye through and through, and it was the Hawkeyes that Hailey had just lost to, I have to say that her confident response gave me goosebumps.
She said, and I quote,
“I’m not motivated by external factors.
I’m motivated by myself and I always have been.
If we would have won the national championship this year I would have had the same amount of motivation in me. That’s just who I am.
I’m not motivated at all by the fact they named me Honorable Mention.
I know who I am and what God thinks I am,
and God doesn’t think I’m an honorable mention, I’ll tell you that right now.”
That is such an impressive answer to me. Because it came in a moment where she’s on stage, one step away from her and her team’s goal to make the final four.
Here’s why that is such a remarkable statement: God doesn’t see you or I or Hailey Van Lith as being on His first team, second team, or honorable mention. In God’s eyes you are precious and honored.
Psalm 139: 13-14 reads, “For you created my innermost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
In 2 Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here!”
That means when you have accepted Jesus, you are made new in Him. Your slate is wiped clean and the things from your past that you think are unforgivable … are forgiven. You are pure. You are redeemed.
If you’re a believer, this is the reason why you can and should be confident. You have the Holy Spirit within you and that is a constant reminder to you that you’re not an accident, that you’re not a mistake. You aren’t just an honorable mention. No, no. You are an MVP.
I’ve been blessed to have met some very impressive people over the years. But the ones who are most impressive to me - the one’s that captivate me - are the people who know who they are, and Who’s they are.
They carry themselves differently - with a humble confidence that is courageous but not reckless, strong and kind. They don’t seek credit or the spotlight; in fact they prefer that others receive it. They’d rather serve rather waiting to be served.
Not that long ago I was working with a client to design and deliver something we called a leadership university. He wanted to address the group for a few minutes to kick the morning off. And what he did was create a beautiful moment. He looked around the room and as he made eye contact with each person said, “You have magnificent talents. I’m so grateful you’re here. I believe this is the best group of people we’ve ever had at one time. Thank you.”
And as he said that you could see the expressions on people’s faces change. I’m fairly certain that for some, it was the first time anyone had ever told them they had magnificent talents.
What he did that morning was instill confidence through a spirit of gratitude. He could have made it about him, but he chose to make it about them.
That’s what it looks like when you let your faith lead you with a confidence that’s covered by humility.
