Thursday, May 3, 2012

When a Thought becomes a Belief

I was watching a show on Netflix the other night (sorry, not sure which one) and heard an interesting discussion about thoughts and beliefs. The cast was arguing about whether they truly believed in a cause, or just thought somebody, somewhere should do something. As I went over the discussion in my head, I developed my own opinion on the matter. And what I came up with was this:

"A thought becomes a belief when you are capable and willing to act upon it."

There are many times when discussions of leadership and coaching turn to getting people to "believe" or "buy into" what you are saying, planning, and doing. When the people you lead believe, they're ready to act on your plan. They'll sacrifice their own glory. They'll donate their own time. They'll put their own thoughts aside and follow through with a course of action.

Another way to look at it is that, in my opinion, a thought is an abstract concept. It changes with time and evidence. A belief has been established over a period of time after collecting evidence. It's the product of many thoughts.

I'd love to hear feedback on the above statement and on thoughts vs. beliefs in general. Please comment below or, as always, e-mail me any time.

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