No Doubt

In all of the buzz about possible government shutdown, I've been thinking about confidence. While they all make a hash of the federal budget, whether the solution is to cut spending or increase jobs, both parties want us to say, "I'm sure as hell glad the government did that. I think I'll go out and buy that new car...and I'll have extra cheese on my pizza and double foam on my coffee."

They say that confidence matters. It could mean the difference between an A and a B on a test, winning or losing a game of scrabble, as in, "Jouk is most definitely a word. Go ahead and look it up if you don't believe me." Running on the treadmill, I'd say my speed is more directly impacted by my attitude than it is on what I ate for breakfast that morning. It got Obama elected with his smooth-talking, self-assured way, despite his lack of experience in political office. Hell, I believed him.

How much does confidence influence procrastination? If I believe I can do it, I'll get started. And for those other times, I'm grossly manipulated by the producers of reality television. Seriously, I don't think anyone really wants to watch Real Housewives of Anything. In talking to a friend today, I was persuaded to be more assertive in my attempts to get my (pre-baby) job back. I'm throwing, "I hope to go back to my classroom back," out the wishy-washed window. We have an idea for a writing project that's in need of a triple shot in the arm, at least on my end, but I'm not going to wait around for someone else to give it to me.

If our lawmakers can't come up with a solution, they're just going to shut it all down and send everyone home. Maybe they should stop worrying about our confidence and take some more time on their own.