There’s an important distinction between those who have succeeded and those who haven’t yet. That distinction is belief.

Consider fit Rob and not so fit Larry. They both attend the same gym and spend a similar amount of time there. Neither sees a huge change in appearance over a twelve month period, but fit Rob is quite fit and Larry is not. They’ve crossed paths often and sized each other up. They’ve never really spoken but Rob thinks he knows what Larry’s problem is. “Larry needs to focus,” Rob thinks, “He needs to pay better attention to his diet, fix his form when lifting, and fucking lift heavier.” Larry has an assumption of his own about Rob, who is quite muscular and lean, “He MUST be on steroids. Sure he looks great but he can’t be healthy. Just wait till he gets older. He’s going to look like shit.”

Actually, sometimes these assumptions are valid. The unfit gym patron, who never sees progress, could likely benefit from better attention to the way he eats and works out. Also, there are lots of guys who use steroids. These distinctions exist but they aren’t the real reason there’s a difference between Rob and Larry.

Consider two more members at our fictional gym. Karen and Lexie also frequent the gym in similar patterns. Karen has given up on the idea of losing her pregnancy fat and Lexie freaks every time she thinks her face looks puffy. Karen believes that Lexie has an eating disorder. Lexie, while she respects how Karen works up a sweat, she believes that Karen needs to fix her diet. Again, these are sometimes valid assumptions, but the real reason for the differences between Rob and Larry, and Karen and Lexie is mental. It’s belief.

Belief is the driver of outcomes. You may already know that. What we sometimes forget is the extent to which belief counts. If you’ve ever learned about placebo effect, you’ve been shown just how powerful belief can be. It is so powerful, it deserves its own article. (Coming Soon!) For this read, we’ll look at what I’ll call the belief cycle, and examine how it produces results.

The Belief Cycle: Belief—>Action—>Result—>Emotion—>Belief—>Action—>Result—>Emotion—>Belief…

Belief is the first step. “Believing is seeing.” Believe first and then you will see. If you have a positive belief or expectation, the action you take will be appropriate to that expectation, and the result will fall in line.

If I believe that my coworker dislikes me, I’m highly likely to be tense and/or defensive around her. I will probably minimize our interaction and our teamwork will suffer. If I believe that she thinks highly of me, I’m more likely to be relaxed and motivated around her. I’d be likely to maximize our interaction and our teamwork would thrive. If I don’t have any idea or expectation about her thoughts of me, I might have a good interaction or I might not. The value of our teamwork would be average at best. In this scenario, I’m likely to have the most productive interaction with her if I start with the belief that she thinks highly of me.

A strong positive belief is what drives Lexie and Rob’s success. Admittedly it’s easier for them to expect an above average level of fitness. When they look in the mirror, the receive confirmation that what they are doing works. That confirmation makes them feel good/satisfied/accomplished/motivated. Having good results restarts a positive belief cycle, which leads to good results. 

It’s harder for Larry and Karen to have a positive belief. Unlike Rob and Lexie, they don’t have those strong results yet, and nothing is fueling the positive belief that is necessary to get them in the cycle. On their best day, Larry and Karen hope that their efforts will pay off. Hope is good. It’s better than a negative expectation, and it can lead to a positive expectation/belief. 

There is wonderful news for Larry and Karen. The truth is, they can absolutely break into a positive belief cycle. They just have to do what great innovators have been doing since the beginning of innovation. Rather than focus on today’s reality, focus on the desired reality of tomorrow. The next time Larry looks in the mirror, he should visualize himself as exactly the man he wants to be. He should see the guy with excellent health, low body fat, and a vibrant appearance. He should see the guy with a great deal of confidence. He should see the guy that randomly gets complimented by strangers. He should see the guy that is proud of himself. Larry will be focusing on the positive results of tomorrow and enjoying those results as if they came today.

Like Larry, Karen should focus on the bright future ahead of her. She should also count her blessings. Karen has beautiful hair and amazing skin. Her personality is magnetic and she is very good at her job. Until now, she had been ignoring her positive traits. It was a very human thing to do. She was focused on the things that need improvement. It seemed like the right thing to do but she was never seeing the improvement. Focusing on those flaws/negative results produced negative beliefs and put her in a negative belief cycle. Now, being focused on her positive traits, and the positive results of tomorrow, she can enter a positive belief cycle.

Like Rob and Lexie, Larry and Karen will have a positive belief, fueled by the positivity they are focused on. Their actions will fall in line with their beliefs, and they will see the results they want. This will lead to positive emotions  which will lead to positive beliefs!

Your belief and your confidence is the reason why people ask you to do that thing that you do so well. Believe, right now, that you are fit, because fitness is a mentality. Once you have that mentality, the rest falls into place.

-Mike Humphreys