[Scooterdoo]

It sounds like you know the problem, probably know the solution, but for some reason are reluctant to act on it.

When you find yourself in a situation that you need to make an important read you must be able to objectively think through your opponent's potential holdings and act on what you think is reasonable or likely. It appears that you are always trying to convince yourself that your opponent has the worst possible hand of the hands you put him on. From experience you need to do better than this. One thing I would suggest is when you are not playing a hand ALWAYS try to put the players on a hand and when and if a hand is shown down see how close you are. You see, when you're not playing the hand, you can be more objective since you're not 'rooting' for the players to have anything particular (e.g., a hand that you beat).

You cannot be afraid to lay down a hand. If you make a mistake, you make a mistake.