--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Lack of confidence, sometimes alternating…" description: "\"Lack of confidence, sometimes alternating with unrealistic dreams of heroic success, often leads to procrastination, and many studies suggest that proc..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/134/james-surowiecki-2196_confidence_lack-of-confidence-sometimes-alternating_7163.png" --- # Lack of confidence, sometimes alternating with unrealistic… ![“Lack of confidence, sometimes alternating with unrealistic dreams of heroic success, often leads to procrastination, and many studies suggest that procrastinators are self-handicappers: rather than risk failure, they prefer to create conditions that make success impossible, a reflex that of course…” quote by James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/134/james-surowiecki-2196_confidence_lack-of-confidence-sometimes-alternating_7163.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/134/james-surowiecki-2196_confidence_lack-of-confidence-sometimes-alternating_7163.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/134/james-surowiecki-2196_confidence_lack-of-confidence-sometimes-alternating_7163.png) > “Lack of confidence, sometimes alternating with unrealistic dreams of heroic success, often leads to procrastination, and many studies suggest that procrastinators are self-handicappers: rather than risk failure, they prefer to create conditions that make success impossible, a reflex that of course creates a vicious cycle.” [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A lack of self‑belief paired with grandiose fantasies triggers avoidance; people sabotage their own chances to avoid confronting possible failure, perpetuating a self‑reinforcing loop of inaction. **In simple terms:** Self‑sabotage fuels procrastination. Key Takeaway Avoidance creates a feedback loop. Themes self‑esteem goal setting self‑handicapping procrastination cognitive bias motivation Mood frustration anxiety determination Type advice psychological insight motivational When to use this quote - facing a challenging project - preparing for a high‑stakes exam - starting a new business - pursuing a creative endeavor - making a health‑related change Key Concepts self‑efficacy risk aversion self‑fulfilling prophecy goal disengagement Practical Applications - design interventions that boost confidence - use incremental goal‑setting to break cycles Questions to Reflect On - What underlying fears drive my avoidance? - How can I reframe risk to enable action? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Dream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dream/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Heroic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroic/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Lack Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lack-confidence/) [Lack of confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lack-of-confidence/) [Leads Procrastination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leads-procrastination-324763/) [Procrastination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procrastination/) [Procrastination Studies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procrastination-studies-324762/) [Procrastinator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procrastinator/) [Procrastinators](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procrastinators-324761/) [Procrastinators Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/procrastinators-self-324760/) [Reflexes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflexes/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Vicious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vicious/) [Vicious cycles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vicious-cycles/) ## Related quotes > [I'm really not one of these procrastinators who cleans the house in order to put off writing, but life gets in the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/i-m-really-not-one-of-these-procrastinators-who-cleans-the-house-in/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [A procrastinators willpower lies in the fact that he keeps work pending because he strongly feels he wants to do the same – keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-procrastinators-willpower-lies-in-the-fact-that-he-keeps-work/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I ... practiced all the arts of apology, evasion, and invisibility, to which procrastinators must sooner or later be reduced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-edgeworth/i-practiced-all-the-arts-of-apology-evasion-and-invisibility-to-which/) [Maria Edgeworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-edgeworth/) > [“Procrastinators often follow exactly the wrong tack. They try to minimize their commitments, assuming that if they have only a few things to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/procrastinators-often-follow-exactly-the-wrong-tack-they-try-to-2/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [I was surprised by how many people think of themselves as procrastinators, but, like me, seem to get a lot done anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/i-was-surprised-by-how-many-people-think-of-themselves-as/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [The fantasy of doing a task perfectly is common with procrastinators; they set the bar for success very high. Then they are afraid to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/the-fantasy-of-doing-a-task-perfectly-is-common-with-procrastinators/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [The essence is that many procrastinators are "structured procrastinators," people who, like me, get a lot done as a way of not working on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/the-essence-is-that-many-procrastinators-are-structured/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [Over the years, I developed a theory about why writers are such procrastinators: We were too good in English class. This sounds crazy, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mcardle/over-the-years-i-developed-a-theory-about-why-writers-are-such/) [Megan McArdle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mcardle/) > [“Most of us are procrastinators by nature. We will often put off the hardest things until the last possible minute or until the repercussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-soukup/most-of-us-are-procrastinators-by-nature-we-will-often-put-off-the/) [Ruth Soukup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-soukup/) > [“Procrastinators often follow exactly the wrong tack. They try to minimize their commitments, assuming that if they have only a few things to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-perry/procrastinators-often-follow-exactly-the-wrong-tack-they-try-to/) [John R. Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-perry/) > [“Mr Mowett,' called Stephen in the pause while the table was clearing to make room for the pudding, and pudding-wine—in this case Frontignan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-o-brian/mr-mowett-called-stephen-in-the-pause-while-the-table-was-clearing-to/) [Patrick O'Brian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-o-brian/) > [“Habitual procrastinators will readily testify to all the lost opportunities, missed deadlines, failed relationships and even monetary losses incurred just because of one nasty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/habitual-procrastinators-will-readily-testify-to-all-the-lost/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [Procrastinators who say, 'There's always tomorrow' deny the reality that one day, they will be wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/procrastinators-who-say-there-s-always-tomorrow-deny-the-reality-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“All procrastinators put off things they have to do. Structured procrastination is the art of making this negative trait work for you. The key…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-r-perry/all-procrastinators-put-off-things-they-have-to-do-structured/) [John R. Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-r-perry/) > [“Urgency makes the difference between practitioners, proclaimers and procrastinators.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-norton/urgency-makes-the-difference-between-practitioners-proclaimers-and/) [Richie Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-norton/) ## More by James Surowiecki > [Downsizing itself is an inevitable part of any creatively destructive economy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/downsizing-itself-is-an-inevitable-part-of-any-creatively-destructive/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [In the business world, bad news is usually good news - for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/in-the-business-world-bad-news-is-usually-good-news-for-somebody-else/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [You might think of consumption as a fairly passive activity, but buying new products and services is actually pretty risky, at least if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/you-might-think-of-consumption-as-a-fairly-passive-activity-but/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [Corporations hope that the right concept will turn things around overnight. 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It was caused by the fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/the-financial-crisis-of-2008-was-not-caused-by-investment-banks/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [A consumer-finance agency is a good thing, but it would do well to teach consumers a simple lesson: if you don't understand the deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/a-consumer-finance-agency-is-a-good-thing-but-it-would-do-well-to/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [What corporations fear is the phenomenon now known, rather inelegantly, as 'commoditization.' What the term means is simply the conversion of the market for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/what-corporations-fear-is-the-phenomenon-now-known-rather-inelegantly/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [Making loans and fighting poverty are normally two of the least glamorous pursuits around, but put the two together and you have an economic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/making-loans-and-fighting-poverty-are-normally-two-of-the-least/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [Unfortunately, there is something of a flaw in this idealized picture of the way the scientific community discovers truth. And the flaw is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/unfortunately-there-is-something-of-a-flaw-in-this-idealized-picture/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [Markets work best when there's lots of information available and a historical track record to go on; they excel at predicting things like horse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/markets-work-best-when-there-s-lots-of-information-available-and-a/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [The profit motive, indecorous though it may seem, may represent the best chance the poor have to reap some of globalization's benefits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/the-profit-motive-indecorous-though-it-may-seem-may-represent-the/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) > [Congressional Republicans themselves have vehemently defended the idea that preexisting conditions should not be used to deny people insurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/congressional-republicans-themselves-have-vehemently-defended-the/) [James Surowiecki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) [Explore all 180 James Surowiecki quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/) ## More Confidence quotes > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [I was just confident my work was good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bunny-yeager/i-was-just-confident-my-work-was-good/) [Bunny Yeager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bunny-yeager/) > [I am confident when I take the penalty otherwise I would pass for somebody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-fernandes/i-am-confident-when-i-take-the-penalty-otherwise-i-would-pass-for/) [Bruno Fernandes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-fernandes/) > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [My friend made me a leather dress for the MTV awards. It gives you confidence, wearing something you love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-deeley/my-friend-made-me-a-leather-dress-for-the-mtv-awards-it-gives-you/) [Cat Deeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-deeley/) > [Confidence comes from cutting yourself some slack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/confidence-comes-from-cutting-yourself-some-slack/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [I would rather regret the things that I have done than the things that I have not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-ball/i-would-rather-regret-the-things-that-i-have-done-than-the-things/) [Lucille Ball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-ball/) > [You want to remain hungry and stay in a good place as a competitor; at the same time, you want to be confident but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lamar-odom/you-want-to-remain-hungry-and-stay-in-a-good-place-as-a-competitor-at/) [Lamar Odom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lamar-odom/) > [Get to know yourself well enough to not only expect, but also control, your response to the unexpected challenges in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/get-to-know-yourself-well-enough-to-not-only-expect-but-also-control/) [Senoraroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senoraroy/) > [The four Cs of making dreams come true: Curiosity, Courage, Consistency, Confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/the-four-cs-of-making-dreams-come-true-curiosity-courage-consistency/) [Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/) > [I look for someone who has confidence. Also someone whose energetic, cause I'm NOT that energetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-jonas/i-look-for-someone-who-has-confidence-also-someone-whose-energetic/) [Nick Jonas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-jonas/) > [Why shouldn't I be confident? I'm well educated, I can deliver a line, and I have more than three expressions. That's good right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonakshi-sinha/why-shouldn-t-i-be-confident-i-m-well-educated-i-can-deliver-a-line/) [Sonakshi Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonakshi-sinha/) > [I was very confident on the stage, and I stood out in a red gown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-johnson/i-was-very-confident-on-the-stage-and-i-stood-out-in-a-red-gown/) [Nicole Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-johnson/) > [If you go to any nunnery and ask them what the main obstacle is, they'll always say low self-esteem and lack of confidence. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/if-you-go-to-any-nunnery-and-ask-them-what-the-main-obstacle-is-they/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) [Browse all 11,290 Confidence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Lack of confidence, sometimes alternating with unrealistic dreams of heroic success, often leads to procrastination, and many studies suggest that procrastinators are self-handicappers: rather than risk failure, they prefer to create conditions that make success impossible, a reflex that of course creates a vicious cycle.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Surowiecki" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/lack-of-confidence-sometimes-alternating-with-unrealistic-dreams-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Confidence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/lack-of-confidence-sometimes-alternating-with-unrealistic-dreams-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/134/james-surowiecki-2196_confidence_lack-of-confidence-sometimes-alternating_7163.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/134/james-surowiecki-2196_confidence_lack-of-confidence-sometimes-alternating_7163.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/134/james-surowiecki-2196_confidence_lack-of-confidence-sometimes-alternating_7163.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Lack of confidence, sometimes alternating with unrealistic dreams of heroic success, often leads to…” — James Surowiecki", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "James Surowiecki", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-surowiecki/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Lack of confidence, sometimes alternating with...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/lack-of-confidence-sometimes-alternating-with-unrealistic-dreams-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-surowiecki/lack-of-confidence-sometimes-alternating-with-unrealistic-dreams-of/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```