Beliefs → emotions → actions
from the book “Useful Not True”:
Let’s look again at that example of the daily run.
If you believe there’s danger right behind you, you’ll feel scared and focus entirely on avoiding it.
If you believe there’s a big reward at the end, you’ll feel determined and push through your current pain — a small sacrifice for the eventual gain.
If you believe this is meant to be fun, you’ll feel playful and find creative new ways to entertain yourself with no pressure.
Beliefs create emotions. Emotions create actions. Choose a belief for the action it creates.
Picturing one future makes you quit. Picturing another future makes you jump up, full of inspiration and action. A single thought can exhaust you or motivate you.
One thought makes you act selfish. Another makes you act generous. One thought makes you do something stupid. Another makes you do something smart.
Which belief is right? Wrong question. Which belief leads to the action you need now?
Beliefs creating emotions is actually very profound. Especially for those of faith.