How we act and react (our behaviour) largely determines the outcomes and results we get.  Our behaviour is the consequence of a psychological and neurological sequence. It all starts with our beliefs.

If you put your best efforts (behaviour) into something, you will likely get a better result. The more an athlete trains (behaviour) the better their performance (results), and vice versa.  In sales, the more calls you make (behaviour), the more orders (results). The more exam revision (behaviour), the better the grade (result).

That’s not rocket science, believe me.

How we behave is largely dependent upon how we feel.  When I feel positive, engaged and happy the harder I work at the gym (behaviour) and the fitter I become (result).  When I feel fed up, glum or sad, then don’t do the extra set (behaviour) and don’t achieve peak condition (result).

How we feel is determined by the complex emotional processes within the brain (here’s an explanation of you’d like one) which is triggered largely upon what’s happening around us, what or what we are doing (the stimulus) and our beliefs about the stimulus.

(Secret insider tip, beliefs are memories)

If you believe something (or someone) is good, positive, possible, etc your brain will respond with the necessary hormone release to make you “feel” that way. if you believe something (or someone) is negative, bad, impossible then you'll trigger the appropriate hormone release, and feel that way about that person or situation.

Those feelings (positive/can or negative/can’t) will determine your physiology (body function) and your psychology (mental function) and therefore your behaviour. Which in turn will yield the corresponding result.

So, results are determined by behaviour, and behaviour is determined by our feelings, and our feelings are determined by events and ultimately our beliefs about someone or something, based on our memory of them.

That makes our beliefs really important. It also stimulates the question:

“Where do our beliefs come from?”

Some are embedded in our DNA such as humans are the most intelligent or superior species. We just know that don’t we.

Others come from our forefathers and ancestors. lions eat humans, given the chance.. I believe we all believe that, but very few of us have ever witnessed it.   

A huge number come from our parents or up-bringers. Don’t eat yellow snow

Many many more come from our teachers, law makers, politician, doctors. Smoking is bad for you.  

Finally, the few vital ones which we teach ourselves through our experiences. I am, I can, I will. I’m not, I can’t, I won’t.

So, next time you think (believe) you can’t or it won’t, or he/she is, or they are; just check where that belief came from, then you won’t be surprised by the outcome (result).

To read more about our neurology and psychology check my blog here.

Paul Roebuck
Behavioural Psychotherapist
PGCEE, FETC (A.Dip).
paulsroebuck@gmail.com
+44 7838 371155