Beliefs 7: Concluding Remarks

Are you fooling yourself?.....

Beliefs 7: Concluding Remarks

Date: 8/3/2026

After discussing the various ways people express their beliefs, you may have noticed that many beliefs fit into more than one category. This can make them a little more challenging to evaluate.

Here is a short exercise. All of the beliefs below contain more than one category. Can you identify the belief categories we have discussed that are represented by the following statements? The fourth belief is new; it was not listed in any of the articles, (Answers appear below.)

1) Americans are friendly.
2) Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.
3) You can't trust people anymore.
4) Anyone who implements the information in these articles will make better decisions.

Beliefs in Judaism

There are many beliefs in Judaism. Some are Mitzvos and some are guiding principles we live by. To name but a few:

The First of the Ten Commandments is Believing in Hashem
The Rambam's 13 Principles all begin with "I believe with complete faith that..."
There is reward and punishment for all of our actions.
"Don't believe in yourself until the day you die." (אַל תַּאֲמִין בְּעַצְמְךָ עַד יוֹם מוֹתְךָ)-Pirkei Avot, chapter 2

Here is an example of a belief that can contribute to success in business. The Aruch HaShulchan (Orach Chaim 156:3) writes that a person who is scrupulously honest in all his monetary dealings, is very careful to keep his word, acts and speaks pleasantly with others, and places his trust (Bitachon) in Hashem will have success in business.

That reminds me of a story. In 1997, when I took my NLP Practitioner Training in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, I met an unassuming religious man who fled Nazi Germany on Kristallnacht--penniless. He came to the United States and went into the truck sales business. Over the years he built a remarkably successful company, selling trucks throughout the United States, Canada, and Mexico. I asked one of the local people how he became so successful. I still remember what the fellow answered: "Oh, Mr. ___ ? I will tell you. His word is a word. If he tells you it is going to cost you $200 to fix your truck, even if it ends up costing him $900, he only charges you the $200 he said originally. Everybody trusts him and everybody likes him."

In the area of relationships with other people, the Mitzvah of giving people the benefit of the doubt ( דן לכף זכות) creates a more positive belief about the other person.

Answers to the exercise above:

1. Americans are friendly.

Universal Quantifier: It generalizes about all Americans.
Complex Equivalence: It assigns an identity ("friendly") to an entire group.

2. Early to bed and early to rise makes...
Cause-Effect: Going to bed early, etc. supposedly produces health, wealth, and wisdom.
Lost Performative: The saying is presented as unquestioned truth without identifying who established it.

3. You can't trust people anymore.
Modal Operator: Can't
Universal Quantifier: "People" is treated as though it applies to everyone.

4. Anyone who implements the information in these articles will make better decisions.

This last belief-- "Anyone who implements..."- should be true for most people. I will leave it to you to identify the Universal Quantifier and the Cause-Effect in this statement. Regarding the Lost Performative in this last belief, this has been my personal experience. Learning and applying the principles we have discussed in these articles has greatly improved my decision-making and helped me develop beliefs that serve me well in life. Of course, I still make mistakes. However, I make fewer mistakes, and I recognize them more quickly.

One word of advice: We have learned a great deal in these articles and it is important to review the material until you become very familiar with it. I also suggest practicing by evaluating and correcting different beliefs that you hold or hear from others.

In conclusion, the purpose of this series of articles on Beliefs is to help us become more aware of our beliefs, evaluate which ones are well founded and which unnecessarily limit us, and learn how to correct them. When we learn to recognize these patterns, we become better thinkers, better communicators, and better equipped to make wise decisions in our lives. This is my wish for you.