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Faith and Confidence · Sri Aurobindo Studies

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  There are countless stories of what may be called the placebo
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  effect for confidence in action. Athletes sometimes believe they
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  will perform better if they are wearing a specific shirt or pair
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  of socks. People have their Lucky Charms
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  that they believe provide them success in certain endeavours.
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  There are also certain rituals people carry out with the belief
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  that those rituals ensure success.
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  In all these instances, the faith that the individual placed
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  in the item or the action gave them the confidence to move
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  forward and carry a positive energy into their activity.
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  The item or act in and of itself has no actual intrinsic value as
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  a success supporter, but it allowed the mind of the
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  individual to believe in success.
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  It was the faith of the individual that changed his
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  mindset and his ability to overcome obstacles and
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  difficulties, the mother observes.
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  Quote Long ago, some people used to believe that a perforated
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  coin. It was in the days when coins
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  were not perforated. Now we have perforated coins,
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  don't we? Some countries have perforated
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  coins, but in those days they were not perforated.
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  And yet sometimes there were holes in a coin.
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  And there was indeed a superstition like this, that
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  when one found a perforated coin it brought good luck.
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  It brought you good luck and success in what you wanted to
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  do. There was a man working in an
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  office whose life was rather poor and who was not very
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  successful. And one day he found a
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  perforated coin. He put it in his pocket and said
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  to himself, Now I am going to prosper.
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  And he was full of hope, courage, energy, because he knew
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  now that I have the coin, I am sure to succeed.
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  And in fact, he went on prospering, prospering more and
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  more. He earned more and more money.
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  He had a better and better position.
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  And people said what a wonderful man, how well he works, how he
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  finds all the solutions to all problems.
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  Indeed, he became a remarkable man.
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  And every morning when he put on his coat, he felt it like this
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  to be sure that his coin was in his pocket.
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  He touched it. He felt that the coin was there
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  and he had confidence. And then one day he was a little
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  curious and said, I'm going to see my coin.
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  Years later, he was having his breakfast with his wife and
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  said, I'm going to see my coin. His wife told him, why do you
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  want to see it? It's not necessary.
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  Yes, yes, let me see my coin. He took out the little bag in
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  which he kept the coin and found inside a coin which was not
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  perforated. Ah, he said, this is not my
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  coin. What is this?
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  Who has changed my coin? Then his wife told him, Look,
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  one day there was some dust on your coat.
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  I shook it off through the window and the coin fell out.
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  I had forgotten that the coin was there.
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  I ran to look for it but didn't find it.
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  Someone had picked it up, so I thought you would be very
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  unhappy and I put another coin there.
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  Laughter only. He, of course, was confident
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  that his coin was there, and that was enough.
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  It is the faith, the trust that does it.
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  You see, the perforated coin gives you nothing at all.
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  You can always try if you have the confidence it gives you when
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  one has confidence. End Quote reference.
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  Shrioro Bindo and the Mother Powers Within, Chapter 6, Faith,
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  pages 57 to 58.