What are good ways to become confident in oneself in areas where one has had absolutely nothing but failure, and where the "fake-it-till-you-make-it" and "self-talk" methods don't work?
I'm working on becoming confident in my ability to be socially powerful and sexually attractive. I have had absolutely zero success in those endeavors and no positive feedback, and the "believe it and you'll see it" methods have turned out to be empty fantasy.
What are good ways to become confident in one's abilities when one doesn't have the advantage of a successful track record or any positive feedback, and when negative responses do not provide information on what can be improved?