HOT HANDS
HOW identity POWERS PEAK PERSONAL PERFORMANCE
HOT HANDS
There’s a well-known phenomenon in sports called “Hot Hands.” It’s the idea that when an athlete is performing exceptionally well, like hitting every shot in basketball or nailing every swing in tennis, they seem to get into a rhythm… it’s as if they can’t miss. It’s as though they’ve tapped into a special source of energy, talent and capability, increasing their skill with each successful move.
But that’s not what’s happening.
When you experience the “Hot Hands” phenomenon, it doesn’t mean you’ve suddenly gained more physical skill, talent, or athleticism. What’s really happening is that your belief in yourself is gradually intensifying.
Your identity, or the way you see yourself, becomes more confident, which in turn drives higher levels of performance. Here’s the core truth. We tend to perform to the extent of our self-belief and self-expectations. When you experience “Hot Hands”, your self-belief skyrockets, and you start to expect that your next shot will be successful.
This incredible surge in personal performance is fueled entirely be belief. By belief in yourself.
So if you could use a surge in performance in your life, then keep reading to identify how to manufacture your own Hot Hands phenomenon.
THE HISTORY OF HOT HANDS
The concept of “Hot Hands” has been debated for decades. In the 1980s, psychologists Amos Tversky and Thomas Gilovich studied this phenomenon, particularly in basketball, where players are said to be “on fire” when hitting multiple shots in a row. Initially, they argued that Hot Hands were just a cognitive illusion. In other words, people were reading too much into a random streak of success.
However, athletes and coaches insisted that the Hot Hands effect was real—that when players are in the zone, everything they touch turns to gold. More recent studies have shown that the Hot Hands phenomenon may indeed be real, but not in the way we initially thought. It’s not that athletes suddenly become more skilled, but rather, they tap into a deeper, more confident version of themselves. They believe, for a moment, that they are unstoppable—and that belief drives their actions.
IDENTITY AND BELIEF IN SELF: THE TRUE SECRET BEHIND HOT HANDS
When you’re experiencing Hot Hands, what’s really happening is an intensification of self-belief. You’re not just hitting your shots or making the right moves—with each success you’re becoming more certain of your own capability. You become certain that you can achieve, and that you are, in fact, in the flow of your own potential.
This surge in confidence causes you to take more shots, and you have more success with the shots you take, because you take them with the expectation of making them. Incredibly, the absolute, unrelenting expectation of success is undeniably connected to peak performance.
This concept echoes the core idea from my book, *Spiritual Resonance*, where I talk about the power of identity. The way we see ourselves and the beliefs we hold about who we are directly influences what we do and what we achieve. When we feel aligned with our true identity, when we see ourselves as powerful, capable, and deserving of success, it unlocks a flow of potential that can be seen in everything we touch.
Just like those ancient words carved into the Temple of Apollo, “Know Thyself,” the power of understanding who you are and believing in your identity has been guiding individuals for millennia. It’s the belief in your own identity that drives performance, and the more deeply you connect with that belief, the better your performance becomes.
IDENTITY AS A PERFORMANCE ENGINE
In those moments of Hot Hands, something happens. You step outside of the mental chatter that often holds you back—the doubts, the second-guessing, the fears—and instead, you step into the truth of who you are. You see yourself as someone who achieves. Someone who wins. Someone who deserves success.
But this isn’t just true for athletes. It’s true for anyone, in any situation. Whether you’re leading a team, navigating a big decision, or trying to overcome a personal challenge, your identity drives your performance. When you align with a strong, positive sense of self, you start to see opportunities, make better decisions, and succeed in ways you never thought possible.
As I emphasize in Spiritual Resonance, understanding your identity is key to unlocking your full potential. When you know who you are and believe in your abilities, you experience a powerful shift. You no longer hesitate or hold back. You move forward with confidence, because deep down, you know you are capable.
HOW TO BUILD YOUR OWN HOT HANDS MOMENT
So how can you channel this phenomenon in your own life?
There are a few key ways:
- Self-Understanding – Learn who you are. Take identity and personality assessments. Dive deep to truly “know thyself.”
- Self-Acceptance – Accept who you are, all of it, rather than trying to be someone else.
- Self-Affirmation: Regularly affirm your strengths. The more you reinforce your positive identity, the more aligned your actions become with that belief.
- Visualize Success: See yourself succeeding. Picture yourself in the zone, performing at your best.
- Celebrate Wins: Each small victory adds to your belief in yourself. Acknowledge them, no matter how small. Share them with others. They build a sense of perceived momentum in life.
- Stay Present: When you’re in the zone, you’re focused on the here and now. Avoid distractions and trust the process.
- Align with Your True Identity: Get clear on who you are. The more you understand your core self, the more you can align your actions with your true potential, increasing your likelihood of success in the process.
- Take on hard challenges: Interestingly, the research shows the building a “Hot Hands” phenomenon increases if the challenges you’re succeeding at are meaningful. If they’re not meaningful, they don’t build much self-belief. So when you choose to embrace hard things (especially deconstructing them into smaller, more achievable steps), then you build emotional Momentum.
- Keep Score – When you track your progress in the areas of life that really matter, you help manufacture the perception of momentum. There are often times when you are, indeed, making progress, but you don’t perceive that progress because you aren’t keeping score.
identity for parents and leaders
Not only are you able to manufacture this Hot Hands phenomenon in yourself, you can use the above steps to help manufacture it in others. Whether you’re a leader trying to activate peak performance on your team, or a parent trying to help your child become their best self, these same steps apply.
Help them learn who they are. Recognize and celebrate their accomplishments. Keep score with them and help them recognize progress to gain a sense of momentum. Encourage them to take on hard challenges and try hard things, and then provide the support they need to be successful.
When they aren’t successful, help them reframe those shortfalls as critical steps toward their certain eventual success.
Show that you believe in them, and that you expect that they can do it. Your belief in them can become contagious, infecting them with a renewed sense of their own worth and potential.
If you’re a leader on a team (or even a parent), you can use our assessments to both understand the identity and capabilities of your team members, and they can use it to get a new sense of who they are and what they’re capable of. Even if you don’t use ours, personality assessments like this can be a powerful tool to help open our eyes to the potential of those around us.
EMBRACE THE POWER OF KNOWING YOURSELF
As I write in my post here, “The way you think about who you are will influence nearly every decision you make. It will influence the way you see the world, the perspective you have, how you behave and the things you either do or don’t do. Those things ultimately determine the life you live. So if you want to change your life, start by changing the way you see yourself.”
The Hot Hands phenomenon reminds us that belief in oneself is not just an outcome of success—it’s the driver of it. When you believe in your identity, your potential grows, and your performance reaches new heights.
Take the journey to discover your true identity.
Our Identity Assessment is designed to help you see yourself more clearly, align with your strengths, and unlock your highest potential. With the added support of an AI coach, you’ll have the tools to navigate your path and create more “Hot Hands” moments in your life.
READY TO DISCOVER YOUR TRUE IDENTITY?
The time is now. Start your journey to uncover who you are and unlock your full potential. Take the Identity Assessment today and learn how to experience life in flow, with confidence and clarity.
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