How to strengthen your self-belief when the stakes are high

THE ART & SCIENCE OF LEADING SELF
The Power of Self-Belief

My friend, let me take you back to the 2025 Roland Garros Final. Carlos Alcaraz was down two sets. He was down 0–40 at 3–5 in the third. The match looked all but finished.

But something completely different unfolded.

He fought back. Then he fought harder. Honestly, he channeled a steadiness that shifted the energy in Court Philippe-Chatrier.

By the time he entered the super tiebreak in the fifth set, he carried the aura of a man who had tapped into something deeper. He dominated the tiebreak 10–2 and walked away the champion of Roland Garros (aka the French Open).

You may be wondering: why revisit something that happened in June?

It’s simple. This match sparked a reflection I’ve revisited multiple times a week since June 8, 2025. Especially after watching Alcaraz’s post-match interviews where he explained that he believed in himself the whole match.

I keep wrestling with the same question:

How do you master self-belief? (Asking for a friend. 😉)

Over the past twelve-plus weeks, I’ve been breaking down my proprietary Mindset framework (still more to cover in the weeks ahead).

Today, I want to use elements of my framework to highlight what Alcaraz’s legendary win offers as a response to that question.

Mindfulness Makes Space for Choice 👁️

In the Mindset House that we have been building, Mindfulness is the foundation. This formula explains the relationship between Mindfulness and your Mindset.

Practicing mindfulness creates space between stimulus and your response. It equips you to observe your thoughts rather than being swept inside them. Without that awareness, your most familiar patterns take the lead.

Alcaraz has spoken openly about how he handled going down a set or two earlier in his career. He said: “In other matches, I have doubted myself. I did not always have the strength or belief.”¹

👉🏽 The moment he became aware of that, he gained room to make a different choice.

That is mindfulness in action. It goes beyond meditation or silence on a cushion. It’s about cultivating present moment awareness.

In his case, his awareness of what had taken over in high-pressure moments in the past helped him steady himself when the scoreline was clearly not in his favor.

It helped him quiet the noise long enough to decide how he wanted to show up.

Detachment Helps You Move Freely 🏄🏽‍♀️

Now, let’s talk about detachment, the flooring of the Mindset House.

Detachment is not a lack of care. It is a loosening of your grip on the outcome. It is separating who you are from what the moment asks of you.

Alcaraz shared something that perfectly illustrates this concept when he said:

That is detachment.

Not from the goal. From the fear.

When you combine mindfulness with detachment, you create the conditions for a mindset that remains steady. You create space for your best self to emerge. You choose presence instead of panic.

And in his case, that presence showed up in every point of that final tiebreak. Trust me, I know. I’ve watched that final too many times to publicly admit. 😂

He played freely. He took thoughtful risks. He trusted his preparation.

Detachment steadies you, but language directs you. That is why the words he chose in those moments mattered just as much as the loosened grip he practiced.

Remember how we talked about Language as an indicator of Attachment? We explored the ways it can intensify emotions, thus shaping behavior. Well, Carlos' amazing comeback also calls out how you can tap into the power of Language to lead yourself more effectively.

Throughout the match he told himself "...the match [is] not finished until he [Jannik Sinner] wins the last point."

This internal dialogue shaped his emotions. His emotions shaped his behavior. And his behavior, which showed up as his body language, his engagement with the crowd, and his performance, shaped the outcome.

Is that not the sequence we have been mapping for months?

Self-Leadership Turns Belief Into Aligned Action 🎯

You have seen my definition many times because it is the heart of this newsletter.

The alignment of his emotions and behaviors — because of his intentional influencing of his mindset — is what turned the match around for Alcaraz.

His self-talk was not magic. It was a lever. It activated an emotional state that matched his intended result. It shaped the way he moved, hit, responded, and regrouped.

Belief is not a feeling. It is an internal state that creates aligned action.

3 Actionable Lessons from Alcaraz on Mastering Self-Belief 🔗

What does this look like for you in practice? Here are three simple ways to practice what this match teaches:

1. Notice your internal patterns so you can respond rather than react. When doubt rises, pause long enough to name it. Awareness creates the choice point.

2. Shift your language so it shapes emotions that align with your desired results. Use words that steady you rather than tighten you. For example, move from “This is slipping away” to “I am still in this.” Your language shapes your emotional state.

3. Loosen your grip. Detach from the outcome so you can move with clarity. Focus on the next right action, not the entire road ahead.

💡 In the match you are currently playing, what might it look like to show up as the most self-believing version of you?

MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD 📢

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