422. You Don’t Need Confidence, You Need a Plan
“I’m probably throwing 88, This sucks.”
That’s what Jackson was thinking after just two pitches.
96 mph on the trackman, but it felt like 88.
No feel. No rhythm. No control.
“This sucks… I don’t have it today.”
But instead of spiraling like he used to, he caught the thought…
And then he chose a new one:
“Stack and attack.”
The Insight:
Believing in yourself is not something you have.
It’s something you build.
And Jackson built it in real time, not because everything went perfectly, but because he had something to fall back on when it didn’t.
That’s belief.
Not hope. Not hype. Not pretending.
Belief rooted in preparation, process, and purpose.
The Strategy:
His first 12 pitches didn’t go his way.
Missed spots
Gave up an infield single
Walked a guy
Old version of him would’ve panicked.
This version? He anchored to one phrase:
“Stack and attack.”
He trusted his prep.
He trusted his routine.
He trusted his plan.
Then came the double play.
Then a strikeout.
Then a clean inning.
Oh, and he topped out at 97.5 mph.
The Lesson:
Belief isn’t magic. It’s math.
It comes from stacking the right things over time:
Past experiences → Learn from them
Present awareness → Catch the unhelpful thoughts
Preparation → Trust what you’ve built
Process → Stick to it
Purpose → Know what you’re chasing
Plan → Focus on one thing that gets you locked in
That’s how Jackson built real self-belief on the mound.
And that’s how YOU can too.
Your Challenge:
Pick 1 of the 6 belief-builders above.
Ask yourself:
What’s one thing I can do today to strengthen that area?
Then go do it.
P.S. Confidence doesn’t come before action. It comes from it.
👇 Want more stories like this?
Join The Pazik Process here.
Learn more about Core Principles and becoming your best self by taking the 11 Week Challenge inside the Mental Skills Mechanics
Take the guesswork out of confidence building. 11 video lessons to walk you through how to get elevate your focus step-by-step, so you know exactly what to do.
Get the tools and strategies you need to take action. The course includes a PDFs and powerpoints, plus new examples and applications that you can’t find in The Mental Game Blog.
Learn a framework that works for elite mental performance. You can use this course to build your mental game – from resilience, to embracing failure, to visualization and mental imagery. It’s all in there.
