Your Mindset, Performance and The Power of Beliefs

In sport as in life, your mindset impacts the way you approach everything you do and your level of success Two people can have the same skill set, the same coaching, same education and the same opportunities, but often, only one rises to the top.

What makes the difference?

Mindset.

What is Mindset?

We have a mindset for everything! Mindset is based on "our core beliefs or assumptions that we have about a domain or or our ability to perform a task that Orient us to a particular set of expectations explanations in goals. Those mindsets, those core beliefs, orient our thinking, they change what we expect will happen to us when we're in any situation. Our mindset is also how we explain the occurrences that happen or unfold during those experiences." - Dr. Alia Crum . Your mindset is the lens through which you view yourself, your sport, your life and the challenges you face. It’s not just about how you think, it’s about how you interpret every experience in your life. The reality is, you have the power change your mindset if it is limiting your success. The skill is to notice how you show up, how you're talking to yourself and ask yourself, what must i believe to be talking to my self this way? when you do that, you now have the power to change your self talk to support what you're trying to achieve so you can show up different to achieve the results you desire.

And here’s the key: your mindset is built on your beliefs.

• A fixed mindset comes from the belief that ability is static: “I’m either good or I’m not.” Mistakes are feared because they feel like proof of failure.

• A growth mindset is grounded in the belief that ability can be developed: “If I work hard, practice, and learn from feedback, I can improve.” "There is no Failure, only Feedback"

• A High Performance Mindset goes one step further. It’s about intentionally changing beliefs to support resilience, excellence, and routines that set you apart from the competition.

Stanford psychologist Dr. Alia Crum has shown how powerful beliefs are in shaping our reality. Her research demonstrates that what you believe about stress, effort, and even recovery can directly change your body’s physiological response. For athletes, this means that mindset is not a fluffy “mental skill”, it literally determines how your body performs under pressure.

Alia Crum - Empowering Mindsets to Optimize Health and Human Performance

https://youtu.be/iC-mJERePBg?si=rWz89aM3vzAw8DWH

Why Mindset (and Beliefs) Matter in Sport

Think of the last time you saw an athlete crack under pressure. Was it because they didn’t know the game? Unlikely. More often, the pressure exposed cracks in their beliefs: fear of failure, “I’m not good enough,” or “I can’t handle this moment.”

Your beliefs and the mindset they create determine:

• How you approach everything you do

• How you handle pressure respond to setbacks.

• Whether you see challenges as threats or opportunities.

• How consistent you are in building habits that matter.

The truth is: you always have a choice in how you show up every day. That choice begins with what you believe about yourself.

Real Examples of Mindset in Action

Every elite athlete has a story about mindset. Michael Jordan once said he missed more than 9,000 shots in his career, lost almost 300 games, and failed 26 times to make the game-winning shot. His response? “I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Jordan wasn’t just physically talented. His beliefs about failure that it was fuel, not final and the mindset those beliefs created made him legendary.

On the flip side, how many athletes have you seen with natural talent who never quite reached their potential? It wasn’t skill that held them back, it was the story they believed about themselves.

Building Your Mindset of Excellence

The good news: mindset and beliefs are not fixed. You can rewire them with practice, just like speed, strength, or skill development. Here are three ways to start:

1. Notice Your Beliefs
   What do you believe about your ability to hit the 95 MPH fastball? To hit the green? To get that job? about the math test? About failure? About stress? and anything else that is important to you. Write them down. Awareness is the first step to change.

2. Reframe Your Self-Talk
   Pay attention to the voice in your head. Do you sound like your harshest critic or your best coach? Choose words that reflect the belief you want to strengthen. Instead of “don't strike out,” try “I'm going to barrel every pitch i see today!"

3. Choose How You Show Up Daily
   Before every practice or game, ask: “Who do I want to be today?” Then make choices that reflect that belief. you can also use visualization to picture yourself being successful, a technique we will talk about in another Mindset Matters blog coming up. Small, consistent actions, creating routines that are getting you the results you want re-shape your mindset over time.

Takeaway

Your physical skills will take you far, but it’s your beliefs and the mindset they create that will determine you success. A High Performance Mindset isn’t about being perfect. It’s about choosing beliefs that support resilience, growth, and excellence every single day.

Athletes with this mindset don’t just hope for success — they create it.

So here’s the challenge:

What belief will you choose to change this week to shape how you show up?

How will you know you're successful in that change?