Self-confidence

I believe in self-confidence. The ability to have faith and trust in myself has gotten me far in life. I've altered my mind-set to block failure out of my head, whether it was on the baseball field or in the classroom. I realize that I will fail at some things, but I've learned to cope with the negatives and rejoice with the positives. It's a quality all people should develop.
There is a fine line between being confident and being cocky. Having confidence enables me to approach all things with the expectation that I'm going to succeed and still maintain a humble attitude. Being cocky is more along the lines of arrogance and conceitedness. It changes how you carry yourself, like flaunting your abilities and achievements. I was an arrogant person until I recently regained my strength and knowledge with the Lord. He expects His followers to be humble and to be proud of themselves, and I wasn't fulfilling His requirements. I underwent a transformation in how I approach things and I've changed for the better.
I carry my self-confidence with schoolwork and in baseball. I prepare myself for tests and I approach every test with the assumption of getting an A. If I don't get it then I'll will be disappointed, but there's nothing I can do. In baseball, it's a little more serious. Throughout my baseball career, I go into every season knowing I'm going to hit over .300. With a tough, hard-nosed father who demands so much from me, anything less would be unacceptable. And just like any other son, I try to make my father proud as much as possible. But, I have that leader-mentality where in a crucial point in the game, I want to be at the plate. I have the confidence in myself to carry my team to victory and my teammates count on me. This is what I believe.