There is a well worn mantra going around in many circles that says "fake it till you make it" and there are areas where this behavior can superficially benefit someone. However for the long term, especially when dealing with a marketable skill or chronic mental state this philosophy can lead to embarrassment, frustration and worse. There is such a thing as self deception and less than honest approaches to ourselves. In some ways it can be related to the Dunning-Kruger affect; a cognitive bias whereby incompetent people don't view themselves as incompetent. A person can, for example, tell himself he is great at drawing when his skills still need to be developed before he can hope to profit from them.
Psychologists stipulate that affirmations are beneficial if the person reciting them is honest and realistic. Someone suffering from depression who constantly repeats to herself how happy she is will actually become more depressed because she reminds herself how unhappy she actually is with each affirmation of happiness. Happy people don't have to tell themselves how happy they are, they're just happy. This lends credence to another mantra: "what you resist will persist"
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