The real wisdom here isn't simply that confidence helps—it's that expectation precedes ability in a way most people underestimate. Jordan is suggesting something closer to a law of physics: your self-imposed ceiling becomes your actual ceiling, not because of mysticism, but because you won't attempt what you don't believe you deserve to achieve. Notice he doesn't say "hope" or "wish"—*expect* carries the weight of someone who has already decided the outcome belongs to them. A young athlete who merely *hopes* to make the varsity team might train three days a week, while one who *expects* it will rearrange her entire schedule, seek better coaching, and push through pain that others quit at—and those concrete behavioral shifts determine everything.