I watched a good basketball game this afternoon. The team I was cheering for lost on the last play of the game. They had a chance, just didn’t quite get over the hump. It was a close game, where the tension was high throughout the entire contest. I left with one thought that can be summed up with one word—confidence. Confidence is an interesting phenomenon. It is critical component to high performance, without it we are indecisive and hesitant. We react slowly, we make fundamental mistakes, we put ourselves in awkward situations, and we don’t have fun. With it we move without hesitation, we make the fundamental play whether it is early in the game or late in the game. We assert ourselves and play to win. With confidence the outcome is often more desirable, not always but more times than not. I thought this was the missing ingredient this afternoon. What worries me is that it takes time for confidence to build and the world we have created doesn’t always provide that time. I hope the players can see how close they are and continue on the path they are on—it is only a matter of time before they would have accumulated enough confidence to enjoy the fruits of what comes.