It’s the belief that kills. But a belief can also propel action. In many ways, it is the best medicine in the world, a placebo nocebo.
Without belief, we’d never try. Without belief, we’d never stick to our gut and strike up the confidence to take a risk.
Without some form of fabricated hope, we’d never even start.
“Dream big. Start small. But most of all, start.” — Simon Sinek
Belief is a wonderful exercise in absurdism. No matter how fantastical, our minds can give it life. And we become antifragile.
The reason belief works is because we give it life. Even accidents or failures that reject our beliefs and display our vulnerabilities reroute us into clearer directions.
Beliefs inculcate the feeling of knowing. Whatever we attach to our beliefs, they manifest themselves in real life.
But here’s the thing: we can’t try too hard. Beliefs were never meant to be forced. At the end of the day, all believing is betting.