This week's book: "Beyond Belief" by Nir Eyal and Julie Li.
"You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."
Marcus Aurelius
It's Saturday, so let's pull the week together.
This week came down to a single, powerful idea: the beliefs we carry, most of which were chosen for us by family, friends, teachers, etc., quietly run our lives. They shape what we see, what we expect, and what we're willing to attempt.
Here's the week in a few lines. We started with the beliefs we inherited without questioning. One of mine was "success is money," and I chased it for years before realizing it was never really mine. Then we looked at how our beliefs shape what we see: I told you about the multi-city business I indirectly helped invent and then walked right past, because I didn't see it. And finally we got to agency, the belief that you can steer your own life, and my own hard earned lesson that nobody was ever going to steer my career but me.
One idea from the book stuck with me more than any other. The size of your life tends to track the size of what you believe is possible. Believe you're capable of little, and life will contract to fit your limiting belief. Believe you're capable of more, and it starts to expand. So, please, choose beliefs that lift you up, not ones that hold you back. I know so many people who can live way bigger than they do, but because they always act like a victim, they can’t seem to break through and see the possibilities right in front of them.
That one got to me, and I remember clearly it became a turning point in my own life.
Before I got the chance to help start a commodity brokerage firm, my life felt like it was shrinking. I'd come through a health scare, I'd taken one job that didn't sit right with my principles, then another that felt like a step backward. Bottom line, I wasn't where I wanted to be.
Then I sat down with the guy who would eventually offer me the chance to help build the firm. And I remember thinking: This is it. This is what I should be doing and where I can really succeed. I just have to prove myself. It is still so clear in my mind. He called in the guy who he had originally tagged for the job, and I told him there was a change of plans and he would now be working for me. I couldn’t believe those words came out of my mouth. He was older and had the perfect resume to take on that role.
But something shifted in that moment. My circumstances hadn't changed at all. But my belief about what was possible had. And the actions followed from there, from that change in belief.
Looking back, I think that's what Eyal is really getting at. Real belief isn't wishful thinking. It isn't rose-colored glasses or a rah-rah pep talk. Real belief is knowing you're capable of more than you've previously shown, then putting yourself in a position to prove it. When you truly believe you can succeed, your actions start to line up behind it.
My honest take on the book: it's genuinely useful, well-researched, and the three powers; attention, anticipation, and agency, give you a real framework rather than just a pep talk. A few sections lean more on interesting studies than on what to actually do with them and that’s ok. I like studies to back up your claims. But the core idea, that beliefs are tools you can change rather than facts you're stuck with, makes this well worth time investment. I “believe” (haha) that you will get a lot out of this book. And I’m giving it a solid 8 out of 10.
If you take one thing from the whole week, make it this: you are almost certainly capable of far more than you give yourself credit for. Don’t worry, you’re not alone, we’re in the same position. Yep, even Elon Musk. Remember: belief comes first, proof comes after.
One challenge for the week ahead
Name one belief about yourself that's been quietly shrinking your life, some version of "I'm not the kind of person who could ever do that." Write it down. Then ask yourself honestly: is that a fact, or just a belief I've never tested? Pick one small way to test it this week.
What's one belief you're ready to stop letting limit you? Hit reply, I read every one.
I'll go first: for years I believed the meaningful work had to wait until after the money was made. It didn't. This newsletter is me testing a better belief.
Next week
We're reading "The Wisdom of the Bullfrog" by Admiral William H. McRaven, the Navy SEAL who led the raid that got Bin Laden. It's a short, punchy book of leadership lessons from a remarkable career, and given I grew up in a Navy family through age 10, this one's personal. If you'd like to read along, this weekend's a good time to grab a copy, and the Kindle version is instant.
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I'll be back Monday,
Mike
Practical wisdom for the life you're building