What if your motivation problem is actually a belief problem?
We often assume that knowing what to do and understanding why it matters should be enough to change our behavior. Yet knowledge rarely produces lasting action on its own. The missing ingredient is often the belief that our effort will make a difference.
In this episode of The Good Leadership Podcast, Charles Good speaks with Nir Eyal, New York Times bestselling author of Hooked, Indistractable, and his new book, Beyond Belief.
Nir explains how beliefs function as working models of reality, shaping what we notice, what we expect, how we feel, and what we ultimately do. Rather than treating beliefs as unquestionable truths or relying on empty positive thinking, he offers a science-backed approach to developing beliefs that are useful, empowering, and open to revision when new evidence emerges.
This conversation is not about pretending that obstacles do not exist. It is about developing beliefs that help us see reality more clearly, persist through discomfort, and recognize where our actions can meaningfully influence the outcome.
NIR EYAL is a globally recognized authority on behavior change and human potential. His frameworks have empowered millions to build better habits, enhance focus, and unlock greater agency in their lives and work.
He is the New York Times bestselling author of the international bestsellers Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, which have sold over one million copies in more than 30 languages. Hooked was a finalist for the 2014 Goodreads Choice Awards. Indistractable won the 2019 Outstanding Works of Literature (OWL) Award and was named one of the Best Business & Leadership Books of the Year by Amazon, Audible, and The Globe and Mail. His third book, Beyond Belief: The Science-Backed Way to Stop Limiting Yourself and Achieve Breakthrough Results, became an instant New York Times best-seller and reveals how to identify and replace the hidden beliefs that define our limits.
His writing has been featured in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, The Atlantic, and Psychology Today.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction to Beliefs and Human Performance
01:07 Nir Eyal’s Background and Work
02:12 From Habits to Behavior Change
03:38 Why We Don’t Do What We Know
05:03 Beliefs as the Linchpin of Motivation
06:55 What Is a Belief? Fact, Faith, or Tool?
07:49 The Three Powers of Belief
09:16 Beliefs Filter Our Reality
11:09 Seeing Through the Lens of Beliefs
13:01 Beliefs and the Perception of Opportunities
16:34 Anticipation and Experience Loops
20:25 The Power of Expectation in Experience
25:39 Beliefs and Behavior: Building Hope
28:37 The Role of Limiting and Liberating Beliefs
30:22 The Impact of Beliefs on Performance
34:58 Pain, Discomfort, and Growth
36:56 The Problem With Positive Thinking
38:24 Mental Contrasting and Preparing for Obstacles
40:06 The Dark Side of Labels and Nocebos
42:00 The Power of Expectations and Placebos
44:08 Changing Limiting Beliefs for Empowerment
45:18 Actionable Steps to Re-Engineer Beliefs
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