A Hedgerow Of Warring Angels

We turn our attention now to confidence.

This is part of our continuing "Drive for Pride," setting forth some of the truths that are foundational for having self-esteem, pride, and confidence.

As for me today, I am 100% confident that I can do this. I am 100% confident that what I have to say will be 100% useful to 100% of the people who read it, more or less. That's the kind of confidence 100% of the people need to have. Really, if 100% of the people were 100% confident, can you imagine the kind of world we'd have? I don't know what it'd be like exactly, but it'd be interesting.

At this point, speaking for myself, at least, I'm 100% confident. No shade of doubt is entering my thoughts. I'm standing like a girder, a beam, and one with integrity. There will be no buckling under, no shifting, no shaking. Like Atlas himself, this is something I can do, no questions asked.

Where does this confidence come from? I will have to reserve a few of my secrets on that matter. There are (or potentially are) prying eyes, those who would love to get their hands on what I know and how I know it. Some of the step-by-step stuff will need to be closely guarded at this point. But no matter. You won't be at any serious disadvantage if I keep a few personal things personal.

The ending of the matter is what makes the difference, and how you arrive at that point happens in more than one way. It has something to do with your personality, including your determination, your ability and willingness to put the teachings you come in contact with into practice, your choice and follow through on reading between the lines, etc. And if you have any boldness whatsoever in your make-up, that will come in handy. If you are the least bit creative in your contact and follow through in psychological/spiritual matters, you should do just fine.

Whatever confidence you can muster, do it. And put it together with the other things just mentioned. Confidence breeds confidence.

But be aware that there's many pitfalls, and most of them are right in your mind. The wrong kind of pride or inflated pride. A confidence that is not mixed with humility. Motives that are so personal and demanding that there's no allowance for love, etc. If you find yourself in negative circumstances, it's best to back up, honor the negative circumstances (really!), and take stock. Negative things are actually good for you, chastening, that you may press on, while still honoring them. Don't give negative things a bum's rush!

Friends, I have 100% confidence because I either have (or have the equivalent of) "A Hedgerow of Warring Angels" around me all the time. [From this point on, anytime I mention the hedgerow of warring angels, it will be without capitalization and quotation marks. I just wanted it to stand out in a dynamic way that one time, to impress it upon your consciousness. And note that I said "or...the equivalent of," in order not to make this sound necessarily literal. But I'm not saying it's not literal. What is and what is not literal and what we mean by those terms is a whole subject by itself.]

What do you think it would mean to your confidence if you knew that you had a hedgerow of warring angels around you all the time? What would you suppose they were there to do? Obviously they would be there at least to protect whoever they're surrounding. But there's more. They'd also be assisting, taking an offensive stance, whereas protection is defensive.

When you have a hedgerow of warring angels around you, you move with confidence. It's like Elvis with his entourage. If he needed a peanut butter bagel with strawberries on it, there was an assistant to get it. So Elvis moved with confidence. And he gave them a Cadillac in return. That's a good exchange!

I have the confidence -- 100% confidence -- to face this day. To get out and do my business. To surprise people by my spirit in getting it done. To go beyond their expectations, good and bad. To look them in the eye and say good things, even if they say bad (and especially if they say bad). To sympathize, to empathize, and to love. Basically I would make a terrible Supreme Court nominee.

I need to go now.

For the greatest confidence, check into getting a hedgerow of warring angels for yourself!