The Stories We Believe… And the Ones We Ignore When Pressure Hits

Mindset Made Simple Tip #280 - Watch or listen HERE

This time of year reminds us that belief is powerful.

Think about the stories of Christmas and Hanukkah. We weren’t there. We didn’t witness a manger or a long-lasting flame. Yet we believe these stories because they’ve been passed down with conviction, repetition and meaning. They shape how we think, feel and act. They guide traditions. They influence identity. They offer hope.

For decades, I had Hebrews 11:1 handwritten on a Post-it on my computer screen: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and belief in things we cannot see.”

We believe a whole bunch of stuff, some as significant as our religion and some as small as a rumor we heard once in a locker room.

And here’s the wild part…

When it comes to our own abilities, we often have far more evidence than we do for these treasured ancient stories and much more than those rumors. And yet, so often, we don’t believe…in ourselves!

We have film. We have stats. We have coaches or colleagues telling us we can do it. We have teammates reminding us we’ve done it before. Yet under pressure, we suddenly doubt the things we’ve actually lived.

Isn’t it strange how easily we believe retold stories yet struggle to believe the ones we have proof for in our own bodies and brains?

But here’s the deal: belief is a brain process, not a feeling, a wish or based on a historical event. It’s a cognitive process that shapes perception, emotion and decision-making.

Studies in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology and Psychological Science show that beliefs act like filters. When we believe something is possible, our brain interprets information through that lens. When we don’t, pressure magnifies threat instead of opportunity.

Neuroscience backs this up. Work published in Nature Neuroscience shows that belief changes how neural circuits fire. Confidence signals in the prefrontal cortex actually alter how we process uncertainty. Research in The Journal of Experimental Psychology: General shows that belief affects motor performance. When athletes believe they can execute a skill, movement patterns stabilize. When they don’t, variability increases.

Translation? Your belief literally alters how your body performs under pressure.

But here’s the catch…our brains like a good story!

We wired for narrative. Evolution trained us to remember stories far more easily than random facts. That’s why holiday stories passed down for generations still shape behavior today. It’s also why the repeated stories we tell ourselves shape our identity as athletes and human beings.

• If you tell yourself, “I always mess up under pressure,” your brain will treat pressure as a threat.

• If you tell yourself, “I’ve done this before. I can do it again,” your brain shifts into execution mode.

• If others tell you you’re capable, but your inner story says otherwise, your body follows the inner story every time.

As Dr. Ziegler said in our soon-to-be-released podcast, our brain files everything we say away…and when we are uncertain, it files through it all and lands on what has been repeated the most!

Thus, the stories that win are the stories told the most often.

So what do we do with this?

We apply the same principle we use with the stories of Christmas and Hanukkah.We repeat the stories that serve us.We retell the truths that build confidence.We rehearse the moments we’ve done well.We recount our own miracles instead of our fears.

If belief is built through repetition, relationship and meaning, then we need to do the same with our mental game.

Here are three tools from the research we can start using today...or use more often!

#1 - Story Priming

Research from the Journal of Applied Sport Psychology shows that priming athletes (or anyone, for that matter) with successful past performances improves confidence and reduces performance anxiety. If we can spend 30 seconds before practice, games or big performances telling ourselves or those we lead a story about a time we executed well…and replay it vividly… we can change how we feel and what we see. Our mindset changes and so does our performance!

#2 - Identity Statements

Studies in Self and Identity and Motivation and Emotion show that identity-based statements (I am… I choose… I act like…) influence behavior more strongly than outcome-based ones. Dr. Ziegler is a fan of “I choose” over “I am” because sometimes “I am” can be questioned. But “I choose” gives us agency …and options!

We don’t perform our way into confidence. We think your way into it.

# 3 - Mental Rehearsal

Decades of research confirm that imagining successful execution activates the same neural pathways as doing the skill. It’s not magic. It’s wiring.

When we mentally rehearse success, we’re telling our brain the same kind of believable story we trust at the holidays… repetition builds belief.

OUR STORY MATTERS!

If we’re willing to believe ancient stories with no firsthand evidence (and I am a believer!), surely we can believe the ones we’ve lived.  

If we’ve put in the work. If we’ve practiced the skills. Then we’ve earned the right to trust our training.

So as we move through this season of meaning, take a moment to ask yourself: What story do I want to believe about myself when pressure comes?

And then tell it. Retell it. Rehearse it. Not once, but EVERY DAY!

Because the stories we repeat are the stories we perform.

Julie

P.S. Let's plan for 2026!  Bring me to campus.  Set up a monthly mental performance meeting. Reach out and let’s build the perfect program for your team! Shoot me an email or text – juliej@ssbperformance.com or 234-206-0946

Julie Jones

Mental Performance Coach

SSB Performance

www.ssbperformance.com

juliej@ssbperformance.com • 234-206-0946