No need to believe

   To have self confidence one has to believe in oneself, apparently ? however I have trouble with the word believe being used when it comes to being confident in ones own abilities. According to Dictionary.com belief is to

have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so...

So if there is no proof that one is good at anything or could be capable of doing something why not think you are bad at things or feel hopeless. There needs to be another word for "believe" or at lease a different understanding of what it means. So when it comes to self confidence instead of believing in oneself how about something more along the lines of

I accept that I am a capable and worthwhile addition to the Universe 

If we follow the rule of WYTIWUF or 'what you think is what you feel' and we know the placebo effect works based on empirical evidence, does it not make more sense to build self confidence by making a statement of fact than just 'believing' ? Lord Baden Powell the founder of the Scout movement had a motto of Do Your Best  with the emphasis on the your  not anyone else's standard just ones own. So if one wanted to be a mountain climber but are not physically capable, they could train to get into better shape or accept that it is not possible and go hiking along a trail instead or work in a store that sells climbing gear or write for a climbing magazine. This is not failure, it is doing your best. Your best does not have to be the same as Sir Edmund Hillary, it is what ever you are capable of.  There is more than one way to follow a dream if we accept that we are capable and worthwhile additions to the Universe...  There is no need to believe just be !