CONFIDENCE
Confidence: “A feeling or consciousness of one’s powers or reliance on one’s circumstances: faith or belief that one will act in the right, proper, or effective way: the quality or state of being certain: a relation of trust or intimacy.”
In motorcycling terms, CONFIDENCE is the ability to make the right decision most of the time according to the changing environmental conditions and motorcycle capacity.
Although having shallow knowledge fuels groundless courage (arrogance), “knowing” is the beginning of power. Knowledge learned with curiosity encourages more curiosity, the desire to learn more together with the understanding of our limits. Learning new information with interest is not enough: it paves the way for mastering with conscious practice, thus creating “confidence.”
The passage from COMPETENT (the one who knows) to CONFIDENT (the one who practices with knowledge) is challenging, and it requires a desire for learning, discipline, time and humility.
We rely on “correct” and “reliable” knowledge to ensure self-confidence. However, reliability starts first with “knowing yourself.” Do you have a reliable standard of knowledge? What are your abilities and virtues? Do you trust your expertise in completing the task? What are you doing to test and improve yourself?
When it comes to biking, three elements come into play after the knowledge of the pilot to gain a good level of confidence:
- Do you have the right gear and equipment? Do you trust your equipment selection?
- Is your motorcycle ready for the ride? Are there any problems it may cause on the road? Have you made the controls that will prevent these problems in advance? Do you have enough knowledge to eliminate these problems? How familiar are you with your motorcycle’s capabilities?
- Do you have sufficient information about road conditions? Are you aware of problems with weather, road surfaces, traffic and possible obstacles? Do you know how difficult is the ride ahead and where are the complex parts?
We can rely on these sources of knowledge to be “confident riders” who can make the right decisions against changing conditions and hazards on the road.
All of these are essential verifications/ acquisitions of knowledge to gain confidence in the self, on the machine and on the ride ahead to make correct decisions in changing conditions and hazards.
We must repeat the knowledge acquisition process several times to create a habit in the brain and confidence in action.
Conscious practice is essential for mastering and implementing steps and decisions confidently.
The temptation is to consider the process completed after a few thousand miles and move with presumptuous confidence: confidence based on wrong self-evaluation and over-evaluating personal skills.
Welcome to the world of NESCAFE, FAST FOOD AND INSTANT CONFIDENCE, where everything is available and available NOW.
Not that this ATTITUDE is reserved for the motorcycling world: thanks to the magic of electronics, everybody can today get a University degree, a Master and a Doctorate by filling out a simple form, paying a substantial amount of foreign currency, and just listing self-declared achievements of life.
The MARKETING of COMPETENCE and the INSTANT GRATIFICATION of AMBITIONS is open to the one with means and ego presumption: competence is probably the easy half of the true story.
Because while it is relatively easy to get competence, you can only gain CONFIDENCE by spending a good deal of time at the desk, on the saddle, or the road.
Nobody argues about the importance of gaining COMPETENCE; the difference between knowing and not knowing is as ample as sidereal space.
But, on the other hand, to know and not to do is yet not to know.
The theory of competent motorcycling riding can be learned in a few days of consistent, intelligent and attentive application. However, from the knowledge moment, a rider may become an unavoidable nuisance, showing off what he knows, criticising other riders, and preaching right and wrong with two-wheel use. COMPETENT, maybe, but place the preacher on the bike, and the application is poor and nervous. CONFIDENCE? What is it? And where do I buy it now?
Hours, weeks, months and years on the saddle with an open mind and learning attitude, supported by a good level of knowledge: shake it or steer it with dedicated exercises, trying to find and overtake limits of all kinds.
Here you have it: the perfect recipe for CONFIDENCE. After a period (someone suggests the “10-year rule”), KNOWLEDGE turns into CONFIDENCE, and the riding turns fluid, daring, creative and elegant.
With CONFIDENCE comes HUMILITY, and the more confidence you get more you know that the unknown area is still big, maybe more significant: you know that you have to learn more.
The desired objective in motorcycling training must be confidence. Till that level is not achieved, knowledge cannot work correctly.
Confidence requires time on the saddle, awareness, discipline and a good sense of humour not to take the process too seriously.
From the spiritual teaching, we take the art of DELIBERATE PRACTICE and REPETITION; relentless repetition requires a level of desire and potential toward confidence in doing without shortcuts.
