BOOK NOTES

Our beliefs about ourselves, others, money, the world, politics, etc. shape the lens through how we see the world. They can shape what happens next because they bend reality for us. They change the math about what is possible and probable for us. Our beliefs are increasingly predictive of our future health, success, wealth, and education. Consider the 1955 study of placebos published by the AMA. Placebos—fake drugs or interventions that the patient believes are real create quantifiable outcomes and showed in this initial study of a 1000 people with disease. Patients given placebos had positive effects 35% of the time compared to the control groups. These stunning effects continue today.

Here’s a more current striking example from 180 patients suffering from severe arthritis. They were offered free knee surgery. The catch was 1/3 of them would receive sham surgery where an incision was made but nothing done. The other participants received real surgery. At the six-month mark, those who had the sham surgery showed the same improvement in their pain, inflammation, etc. A year and two years out—same results. The placebo had the same lasting power as the real surgery. It validated the power of belief. Today, the FDA requires all new drugs be tested against a placebo. Think about it—today’s gold standard for testing a new drug requires it to be tested against the power of belief as to effectiveness! Beliefs are that powerful.

One more real-world illustration. The author, Shawn Achor, describes his work with the football Seattle Seahawks. Now consider the home field advantage of NFL teams. Odds makers usually give home field teams a three-point edge to that fact alone. Coaches usually attribute this advantage to players knowing the field and not having to travel that week for games. Then Covid hit and the statistical home field advantage disappeared during games. Why? Players still knew their stadium and didn’t travel. The only change was absence of fans. That suggested the advantage comes from the physical presence of fans, the team’s belief that they are not alone, and people are there for them. Again—the power of belief.

THE POWER OF BELIEFS

BELIEF REQUIRES THE CAPACITY TO HOPE, TO ENVISION A REALITY BEYOND THE PROBABLE, OR TO COMMIT TO A VISION DESPITE UNCERTAINTY. Artificial Intelligence can calculate odds, but it can never believe you will beat them. Achor argues we can’t let probabilities mask one’s possibilities. He suggests determination isn’t a line of code or hope isn’t a calculation. BELIEF IS DISTINCTLY HUMAN. He says, “Our beliefs are the lens through which our brains process the world and decide on a path.”

Our brain assigns meaning to our beliefs about everything. Beliefs are not facts and are totally subjective. Beliefs are real even if they aren’t true. Our belief lens predicts present experiences and the trajectory of our future. If we strengthen our positive predictive beliefs, we can improve our happiness and success. Consider that if we are alone, we believe hills look 15-20% steeper. Or, if we believe that our work is meaningful, studies show we have a 31% increase in productivity. Positive beliefs won’t guarantee outcomes, but it will propel us towards them. What do you believe?

Our beliefs are mostly shaped by our community, religion, and occupation. Achor notes we have become untethered today from all three. His evidence is the reported increase in loneliness, historic levels of disengagement, and the number of people who do not identify with any religion. He describes the four horsemen of the modern world as burnout, anxiety, loneliness, and depression. He calls today’s world condition as the Great Drift. As a result, he suggests symptoms in this Great Drift include people feeling they don’t matter, are alone, don’t have enough, and are missing out.

His book rests on reawakening our core power beliefs that are likely to shape our present and future. These are our seven core power beliefs:

(1) My behavior matters

(2) I am grateful

(3) I matter

(4) I have something to give

(5) I am not alone

(6) This work is meaningful

(7) There is something greater than me

SAME WORLD. DIFFERENT BELIEFS. DIFFERENT OUTCOMES. Beliefs change our path because they change the path we see. Viewing the world according to Achor through a positive lens changes our neurochemistry allowing us to see perceived possibilities. Writer CS Lewis reminds us that people who look for miracles find them while those who don’t believe in miracles never see one. For example, the story you believe about money may likely be steering your financial reality. Our sources of information shape our lens. It explains why 70% of medical students report experiencing symptoms of diseases they are studying. Negative beliefs can hurt our ability to create a positive future by catastrophizing the present. Beliefs do matter.

BELIEFS CAN CHANGE YOUR PATH.

Beliefs don't just change how we feel about what’s possible….they also change the math. They have the power to change our path but only some bear good fruit. Consider that 46 college players were drafted by the NBA in 2003. 500k played high school basketball and 19k played in college. So, only .009% made the NBA who played high school basketball. Say you were really good in high school, played hard and became a college player. Now it’s still unlikely you will make it to the NBA but now the odds have increased to .239. Belief plus behavior can bend possible future reality.

HOPE ISN’T A PASSIVE WISH; IT’S A MENTAL STRATEGY WHERE WE START SHOWING UP DIFFERENTLY. Warrants are the reason we hold a belief. It’s ‘the because’ of the belief. For example, we might believe we could run a mile because our “warrant” is that we can walk three miles without any issues. Beliefs are what we use in the absence of proof of what will happen in the future. We want to ensure our beliefs have warrants and qualifiers to improve our math and the chances of something happening. Other’s beliefs about us can be our life’s trajectory if we adopt them. Achor argues that no farmer would plant seeds if they believed nothing would grow. It’s better to live in a space where evidence meets hope and action! Positive beliefs may not guarantee an outcome, but it increases the likelihood of it.

Beliefs can change. Christopher Columbus believed his ships had landed in India. When we encounter new information that contradicts our beliefs (cognitive dissonance), our brains find new ways to seek coherence. It’s why we use anchor points to judge the weight of something. If the coldest you ever felt outside was 60 degrees, 30 can feel cold. But if you are used to subzero temperatures, 30 doesn’t seem so bad. Sometimes a single event or idea can cause you to change beliefs. Another person’s single comment might cause you to want to follow in their footsteps. Belief change can require years of repetition or be instantaneous. It can happen overtime or all at once.

CORE POWER BELIEFS

Achor’s seven core beliefs are based on threads of psychology over decades as the most impactful and predictive beliefs for your future success, happiness, life satisfaction, and well-being.

He offers vivid descriptions and examples of each of these core beliefs. In addition, he also offers terrific strategies to apply your beliefs to successful change. For example, he suggests neuronscaping our best and happiest memories, so we have a storehouse of positive experiences on which to base our beliefs. He reminds us that where our words go, so goes our brains. Repeating negative mantras (i.e., I always mess up, life is unfair, no one likes me, etc.) are like releasing a button that poisons your body and exhausts your brain.

The author says he is often asked who wins more—positive or negative people? He suggests neither. Rather, it is the person most verbally or nonverbally expressive of their optimism or pessimism. What you believe and how you act on your beliefs determines whether you win.

Publisher: Crown Currency, New York City, NY, 2026