Kasparov once convinced himself that he had more confidence than his opponent and won the title of World Chess Champion by practicing “Fake it, until you make it”.
Garry Kasparov and longtime opponent Anatoly Karpov – two of the best chess players of all time – took their respective positions around the chessboard.
The 1990 World Chess Championship was about to begin.
The two men would play 24 games with the player with the highest score being named World Chess Champion. In total, the race would last three months with the first 12 races taking place in New York and the last 12 in Lyon, France.
Garry Kasparov started well, but soon started making mistakes. He lost the seventh game and let many victories escape in the first half of the tournament. After the first 12 games, the two men left New York with a 6-6 draw.
The New York Times reported that “Mr. Garry Kasparov had lost his faith and had become rather nervous in New York.”
When the second half of the World Chess Championship started in Lyon, France, Kasparov forced himself to play aggressively. He was ahead by winning the 16th race. With the gradual building of his self-confidence, he achieved decisive victories in both the 18th and the 20th race. In the end, Kasparov lost only two of his last 12 matches and won the title of World Chess Champion.
And kept him for another 10 years.
Fake it, until you make it
There is no doubt that mentality and performance are somehow linked. But this connection works both ways. A confident and positive mindset can be both the cause of your actions and the result of them.
The relationship between physical performance and mental posture is two-way. Self-confidence is often the result of demonstrating your ability. This is why Garry Kasparov’s method of playing as if he felt confident could lead to real self-confidence.
He persuaded his body and mind to function as if he were already a winner. And it worked.
After all, the relationship between behavior and self-confidence has been proven and it is not just about self-help and self-improvement. The mentality changes, which in any case in your life is important.
Amy Cuddy, a Harvard researcher who studies body language, said, for example, that just having a more confident posture can boost your self-confidence and reduce your stress.
Because you program your body and brain, to believe that you have confidence even if at first you pretend.
Self-confidence is a wonderful thing, but if you are overwhelmed by fear, self-doubt or uncertainty, then let your behavior guide your beliefs. If you believe you have confidence, you will. If you convince yourself that there is no trace of self-confidence in you, then you will not like the result.
Always “play” as if you are already the best version of yourself. Speak as if you really feel confident and confident.
The bold mentality results in a bolder behavior. A culture of self-confidence will result in the corresponding behavior.
After all, what do you have to lose? At most you can “get” another game of chess!
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