Sometimes a coach sees the athlete in you before you’ve even met them. Borrow their eyes for a while.

Someone outside you can see capacity you have no way of seeing, because they are watching what you do rather than listening to what you tell yourself. Their read is not flattery, only a different vantage point, and early on it is often more accurate than yours. You do not have to believe it in order to use it.

If someone has told you what they see in you, take the claim seriously enough to test it. Train as though it might be true and see what happens over a few months. Their confidence can hold the place until your own arrives, which is a fair way to use it.