What is the relationship between belief, confidence, and accomplishment?
When you believe you can achieve a goal, you build confidence to go after that goal. When you have unshakeable confidence, you are more resilient, overcome obstacles and increase the likelihood of accomplishing your goal.
The relationship between belief, confidence, and accomplishment is cyclical.
Belief sets the cycle in motion, but what creates belief?
Indeed, you have heard the term “seeing is believing.” This phrase refers to experience. When you are successful in an attempt, you can see yourself capturing another win, another championship, another national cut, or another playoff win.
What if you have NEVER won a title?
What if your team has NEVER advanced to the post-season?
What if you NEVER achieved a national cut?
How can you believe if you have never seen yourself accomplishing a significant athletic achievement? How can you believe without seeing?
Belief is the sticking point for many athletes. The lack of belief causes many athletes to become stuck in a rut of mediocrity.
Without belief, these athletes lose confidence in their abilities. Their goal seems impractical or impossible, so they give up working for it at the first setback.
To build belief, athletes have a powerful mental tool at their disposal…VISUALIZATION!
Visualization is a technique where you create a mental movie or mental images of accomplishing a future goal. When you regularly visualize performing successfully, you increase your belief and embed those images in your mind.
Visualization helps you feel prepared to handle the pressure of the moment. When you visualize success, you build the self-confidence necessary to accomplish your goals.
Simply stated, visualization is the “seeing” that helps you believe.
Let’s look at the following 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament example.
Iowa defeated Louisville, 97-83, in their elite eight matchup to advance to their first Final Four since 1993. Not one player on the Iowa squad was even born when Iowa accomplished that feat.
That did not stop junior forward Caitlin Clark from believing. Clark accomplished something no male or female player in Division I NCAA Tournament history by registering the first-ever 40-point triple-double.
Clark had often visualized herself winning this game, which helped her develop unshakeable confidence.
CLARK: “I believed, and I visualized [being] in this press conference with a hat and a shirt around me. So here we are… I’ve dreamed of this moment since I was a little girl. I’ve always wanted to take a team to the Final Four and be in these moments and have confetti fall down on me.”
Seeing is believing. Visualization gives you the feeling you have done it before and can do it again.
Visualization uses specific and vivid images that elicit positive emotions and builds your confidence.
To start visualizing, write down vivid details of the event you want to experience success. Use all your senses so you can immerse yourself in the experience. Include how you will feel after accomplishing your goal.
Vivid images leave a lasting impression on your mind, so when the event arises, you will feel that you have accomplished this feat before.
Related Sports Psychology Articles
- The Mindset to Perform at a Higher Level
- Having Fun While Performing at Your Best
- The Importance of Mental Toughness
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