Nir Eyal

Conversely, if I don't believe in my own ability to sustain that behavior,

Maybe I have a limiting belief that tells me that I'm no good at this, or this is hard, or I don't like how this feels.

And so I'm going to quit if I don't believe in my own ability to persist.

So motivation is not a straight line.

Motivation is a triangle.

You have to not only know what to do, the behavior, not only want the benefit, but you also have to have the belief that holds it all together.

So this is a perfect way to introduce the difference between limiting beliefs and liberating beliefs.

A limiting belief is a belief that does two things.

It saps motivation and increases suffering.

That's how I define a limiting belief.

So in this example, if I want to run a marathon, how well would it serve me if I believed I can't do it, right?

What does my motivation look like?

If I'm running, running, running, and in my head is a little voice that says, you can't do this, you can't do this, you can't do this.

I'm gonna quit.

My motivation decreases, my perception of suffering increases, and I stop.

So I have 100% certainty of not achieving my goal.

Now, if I have a different story, let's say I have a different belief in my head that I believe that I can persist, I may be able to do this.

Now, does that mean it's a fact?

No, lots of people don't finish marathons.

But who are you gonna bet on?