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A belief is the psychological state in which an individual holds a proposition or premise to be true.
Collectively, we hold some interesting beliefs:
- Earth’s orbit. In a Gallup poll, 18 percent of Americans indicated that they believe that the Sun revolves around the Earth. (See Copernicus.)
- Healthy eating. In a poll undertaken by Consumer Reports, 89.7 percent of Americans believed that they eat a healthy diet. (In actuality, 35.7 percent Americans are obese as defined by the Centers of Disease Control.)
- Cloud computing. In a survey by Wakefield Research, 29 percent of Americans believe that cloud computing involves actual clouds.
Ha-ha. Funny stuff! Look at the silly people.
Our Beliefs
It is interesting, however, to flip the mirror around, and focus on those beliefs that we hold to be true about ourselves.
Jeff Staggs, is an ICF Master Certified Coach (MCC), with a background in clinical psychology, and a ClientWise coach. Jeff provides a helpful definition of a belief from a coaching perspective.
Beliefs are fixed patterns of thought by which we make sense of and navigate the world. They are generalizations about ourselves and others and how the world works…what we take to be true…and are relatively consistent over time. To use a metaphor from the world of computing, beliefs are like the operating system for our computer. The operating system defines how our computer runs and what it will do, and won’t. Our beliefs do the same for us.
Jeff also offers three trenchant coaching observations:
- Beliefs drive behavior and behavior drives results.
- Beliefs are not true or false; right or wrong; they are either powering or disempowering.
- When you change your beliefs, you change your life.
Beliefs and Coaching
At ClientWise, one of our core beliefs is trust in the future potential of all. This underlying precept is an essential element of our coaching framework. Much of our work revolves around helping financial advisors to identify beliefs that steer behaviors, recognizing those beliefs that might be holding you back, and creating new beliefs that expand upon what you believe to be possible.
Henry Ford, the quintessential American success story, knew the importance of the belief prism. He had it right when he said:
“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”
Have a nice/good/fun day!
Expand your marketing beliefs! Download the complimentary ClientWise Learning Tool below:
Topics: Coaching
