Is seeing really believing?

“Nobody believed in me. That was their first mistake.” But did you believe in yourself first?

Five more seconds on the countdown, but to Abbi, it felt like slow motion. Just one more point and they’d be the state champions. She looked up at the clock, then at the hoop (3 seconds). This was the moment she could prove to everyone that she was a good player. She took one step forward, raised her arms, aimed for the hoop, and shot the ball up (2 seconds). She couldn’t hear the crowd, just her own heartbeat. The ball bounced off the rim, not once, but twice, and (1 second)… did it go in?

It was 11PM, the night before the big game. Abbi had gone to bed at 8 PM that night, intending to get good rest. This exact scenario replayed in her head over and over. Does she have the ball? How can she control the game? Are they winning by the end, tied, or losing? How will winning this game make her feel? The ball goes in, the crowd roars, and Abbi is in disbelief. Everyone told her that this was way too difficult, too much pressure, and a rare situation, basically just a dream. She did it, but everyone was still right… it was a lot of pressure, and it was a rare situation. Could she ever repeat this moment again? Was it her skill, or was it luck? Alternatively, the ball does not go in, the crowd still roars, and Abbi is still in disbelief. Everyone told her this would happen and not to get her hopes up. They were right. That was never possible for her.

In another scenario, it was 8 PM, Abbi ignored the outside opinions. She watched buzzer-beater compilations and began to believe this was very possible. The videos proved it right there: this happens often. She studied how these players performed under pressure and released the ball in time. She watched their focus and saw confidence. How it goes is how it goes. No need for control or discouragement. No room for overthinking, just playing the way she practiced. This does not determine how good of a player she is. She is not defined by one shot or game. Slowly, the voices of people who did not believe in her began to drown out. Her mind was now full of positivity and possibility. She believed in herself. She fell asleep at 8:30 PM.

Abbi would rather experience the second scenario, but how? Playing good basketball is only partially about physical skills, and has a lot to do with a good mentality. It is important to understand the psychology behind achieving this mindset.

What happens in the game matters less than the attitude brought into it. Abbi can’t control the outcome, but she can control her thoughts. Letting outside opinions affect her and her performance is her first mistake, not theirs. Confidence is not determined after an achievement is accomplished; it is determined before she even begins. Does confidence come from making the shot, or does making the shot come from confidence? She gets to decide this. Neither is guaranteed, but what she can control is choosing confidence first.

There’s a psychological phenomenon called the Pygmalion Effect, which suggests that higher expectations often lead to improved performance. If a coach is told that certain players are “gifted,” they tend to treat those players differently. The same performance that might be viewed negatively in another player is often excused because it is assumed that such performance is out of character for a gifted player. In other words, the coach’s internal beliefs shape how the player is treated more than the external facts of the player’s true performance. As a result of this special treatment and these higher expectations, the player tends to actually perform better. They begin to believe in themselves more and strive to live up to the expectation of being gifted. The same principle applies in many other areas of life. External validation reinforces beliefs about oneself, and those beliefs directly influence one’s performance, behavior, and mindset.

But if we go even deeper on how to control a situation, the focus shifts to one’s own beliefs. If Abbi genuinely and completely believed in herself, there is no reason, in her mind, to assume that others don’t believe in her as well. And when she confidently believes that others supported her, then she would naturally focus more on positive feedback and tune out any negative criticism. This happens because of another psychological phenomenon called selective attention. Essentially, you notice what you pay attention to. If someone is looking for red objects in a room, they’ll be able to recall the red objects more easily than blue objects. Relating this back to the gifted-player example, because the coach genuinely believed the player was gifted, they focused primarily on evidence that confirmed that belief.

With that in mind, the mindset shift happens when asking these questions: would you rather let your reality determine your mindset, or let your mindset shape your reality? Is seeing really beliving, or is it believing it to see it?

The countdown feels fast, but Abbi has her mind set on the winning shot. She’s replaying what she has practiced, and feels confident about her skills. Buzzer-beaters have been done and feels like a possibly for her today. Five more seconds on the countdown, but to Abbi, it felt like slow motion. Just one more point and they’d be the state champions. She looked up at the clock, then at the hoop (3 seconds). This was the moment she has practiced for. She took one step forward, raised her arms, aimed for the hoop, and shot the ball up (2 seconds). She felt comfortable with her form and confident about her shot. The ball bounced off the rim, not once, but twice, and (1 second) the ball falls through the hoop. The game is over and the net of the hoop is still swaying when Abbi’s entire team jumps out of their seats cheering. They won by one point. The video of Abbi’s buzzbeater is going around, and everyone is praising her for the shot.

“Nobody believed in me, but I always believed in me.”