Confidence is contagious. So is a lack of confidence. – Vince Lombardi
Right now, where I live in New England, there is a huge drama going on. We have a supermarket chain called Market Basket. It’s a family owned chain with 71 stores. Prices are low, and the quality is good, and the associates that work there love it, and that shows. Well in most families, there is drama, and the drama resulted in one side of the family ousting the beloved CEO from the other side of the family. Now remember, this is a family owned company, and the workers are non-union workers. What happened next was amazing. The warehouse workers and truckers walked off the job, demanding that the CEO be reinstated. Several (8 to be exact) upper level managers did the same. And then an even more amazing thing happened. Store associates began boycotting the store on their free time. Their symbol, a giraffe, started popping up EVERYWHERE, and then, the customers got in on the action. They, for the most part, stopped shopping. In some inner city areas, some people have no choice as they have no access to any other stores, and some of the elderly shoppers are there for the same reason, and the associates are nothing but kind, polite and courteous to those people.
I know, you’re wondering what the heck does this have to do with that quote. Well it has a LOT to do with it in two different ways. First, think about those warehouse workers and truckers. They have no union backing….they just felt that they had to do something and they did it. They were, and are, the picture of confidence. They KNOW this is going to end they way they want it to end. Second, a bunch of support groups have popped up on facebook, and they are great – people are cheering each other on, and being supportive to one another. Every once in a while, a naysayer pops up and starts oozing negativity, and you can almost see it take hold and start working it’s evil brand of magic. But then, someone is right there with a cheerful comment or a post, or a rally cry, and the tide turns and the confidence wins out.
Life is like this, not just in big groups, but in each one of our individual lives. Don’t let negativity creep in, because it spreads and grows. Stamp it out! Allow your confidence to reign supreme in your life, and watch it spread to those around you.
