Craig MacTavish on confidence and athletes: "In Edmonton, MacTavish was able to study some of the world's best players up close; he learned much about the role of confidence in ice hockey success. The great players didn't necessarily work any harder than their less-accomplished teammates, he realized, but they were more self-confident.

In hockey, bad things happen to every player in a game, but players with high self-esteem are more able to shake off their mistakes and misfortunes and continue to push themselves and perform at a high level, he says."

In other words, fake it 'til you make it.

Von