How My Self-Image Effected My Confidence

Every college and pro team has a group called the scout team — players who rarely see the floor on game night but play a crucial role in practice. Their job is to imitate the opponent: copy their plays and their tendencies.

My junior year of college, that was me.

I wasn’t performing in games. I was nervous, tense, and afraid of making mistakes. In practice, I was the same — cautious, hesitant, worried about disappointing the coach.

But something strange happened on the scout team.
When I was told to “be Miles Bridges” or “play like Ethan Happ,” I dominated.

When I pretended to be someone else, I was free.
When I played as myself, I was shaky and fearful.

My problem wasn’t skill. It was self-image.
I saw myself as a player who choked under pressure — and so that’s exactly who I became.

Nietzsche rejected the idea that there’s a “true self” waiting to be found.
He believed identity is something you create.

Life, he said, is an artistic project. You are the artwork.
You have the power to sculpt, shape, and design who you want to be.

That idea changed my career.

In college, I was known for choking under pressure. I wanted to change that. But rather than searching for some hidden version of “confident Jack,” I decided to create him.

I built a plan.

Every day, I put myself under pressure in workouts.
Situations designed to expose my nerves — and burn them away through repetition.

I failed constantly.
And that failure was the point.

Each rep under pressure rewired how I saw myself.
Slowly, the image shifted — from “I fold” to “I fight.”

It didn’t happen overnight.
It wasn’t comfortable.
But over time, I became the kind of player who thrives in the moments that once scared me.

To create a new self, the old one has to burn.

I had to let go of the version of me that played scared — the one built on fear of judgment and failure.

That process hurts.
It demands humility, honesty, and patience.
But it’s the only way to rise.

Your self-image determines your ceiling.

If you see yourself as average, anxious, or undeserving, you’ll live down to it.
If you choose to sculpt a stronger image — and back it up with action — you’ll rise to it.

You don’t find confidence; you build it.
You don’t wait to feel worthy; you create worth through work.

Right now, ask yourself:

Then start sculpting.
Burn the old self, rep by rep.
Rise from the ashes as the player — and person — you choose to become.