Rational beliefs

Or, how to leverage the psychology of belief if you’re rational to the bone.

I realized something about beliefs recently.

They say, “Believe in yourself.” Henry Ford echoes: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t — you’re right.”

But I find that I, with my super rational brain, can only believe in something that firmly rests on what I know to be true. So, beliefs about accomplishing something, in my case, must be a) transformed into beliefs that “I’ll try to do it, and I’ll try very hard,” and b) reduced to their building blocks, which I know to be true, and then put together again and reframed as a possibility instead of absolute certainty.

For instance, take my health. Do I believe that I’ll be able to solve my health problems? I don’t know. That’s the only true answer; everything else is superstition. But I do believe, hell, I know that I’ll try very, very hard. Why? Because I know, from past experience, that I’m a determined motherfucker who doesn’t quit. I also know that I’m disciplined, resourceful, and pretty smart. How do I know that? Again, I got proof.

So, based on these building blocks, do I believe that I got a good shot at fixing my health? Of course I do! HELL YEAH!! But that’s a rational belief, and that, for me, makes all the difference, because concentrating on a rational belief unlocks that immense energy & motivation that beliefs are so famous for, whereas concentrating on an irrational one does nothing.

P.s.

When I re-read this draft a few days after I wrote it, it occurred to me that there’s one more component to whether I believe in something or not, and that is my current state of mind. If I’m elated and I feel good, the answer to “whether I’ll solve my health problems” that my brain spits out is “HELL YEAH!!” And vice versa. So, in order to really leverage beliefs, in addition to reframing and reducing them, it’s also helpful to maintain a positive state of mind. Positive thinking, huh?

Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Unsplash