act your way into beliefs which reinforce your actions

Confidence is a wonderful thing to have, but if you find yourself overcome with fear, self-doubt, or uncertainty, then let your behavior drive your beliefs . Play as if you're at your best. Work as if you're on top of your game. Talk to that person as if you're feeling confident. You can use bold actions to trigger a bold mindset.

If you truly do not yet believe in your self image, then act your way into the belief. The billiards example below is a good example.

"To play pool you need to be your own best friend. you need to understand that your subconscious and unconscious are doing their best to help you win. Play with confidence, even if you have little reason for having any. The sooner you act like a good player, the sooner you'll become one. This doesn't mean you should swagger, pose, brag, and sneer like some of the insufferable clowns in the world, but do cultivate an air of command. Don't come to the table with your face a mask of fear and indecision; step right up as if everything is under control. Handle it with the illusion of easy familiarity and soon enough, you'll get a nice feel for the game. Acting like a good player even though you are miscast in the role is not so much for the purpose of frightening your opponent as it is for building up a feeling of confidence within yourself."

In many areas of life, a confident mental attitude is almost as important for success as luck and cheating. You've got to believe you can make the shot, that you will make it. At the moment of truth there is no room for pessimism. Once you allow yourself to start worrying about the difficulty, your chances, how bad you look, how embarrassing it would be, well, that exquisite machine you've been fine-tuning is almost sure to belch, backfire, and run off the tracks.

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Source: With Winning in Mind by Lanny Bassham

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