That’s enough about me, let’s talk about you… what do YOU think about me?

First, some statistics:

According to the new film from Davis Guggenheim, Waiting for Superman, among the top 30 developed nations, the US ranks 25th in mathematics and 21st in science. American students have fallen behind in almost every category except one: kids from the U.S.A. rank number one in confidence.

It’s great to have confidence; better still to live up to it.

I watched The Comedian last night. The film portrays Jerry Seinfeld’s painful journey from sitcom superstardom back to being a working comic. There is a parallel journey of the young, outspoken, insecure, fanatical up and coming comic, Orny Adams. The film is essential viewing for anyone who’s ever beaten themselves up over their art (that would be me as a keynote speaker) as it gives us a glimpse of the sheer amount of work that goes into even five minutes of what we see as effortless brilliance; not to mention the accompanying self-doubt when it’s less that perfect.

Here are the takeaways from both films:

• Being good takes work. The better someone’s performance; no matter how effortless it looks; work. Lot’s of it.
• Overconfidence, in the case of Orny, pushes people away. He’s good; actually he’s a great comic. He’s just not as good as he thinks he is, and that’s a problem. How can I say that? Simple. Have you ever heard of Orny Adams?
• Overconfidence, in terms of our children; that’s a different story. With no foundation, what exactly is their confidence based on?

We’ve seen the real estate bubble burst, along with the stock market bubble. Seems to me we have a confidence bubble just waiting to pop.
What are you doing to build a foundation?
What skills can you begin work on; encourage your kids to begin work on, before that bubble bursts?