Believe

I recently finished watching a show called Ted Lasso, in which a successful small-time American Football coach gets hired to coach a major English football (the other type of football) team.

Now, Ted is a rather unorthodox coach who cares more about the players becoming the best versions of themselves than wins or losses. And in one of the first episodes, he tapes a large hand-painted sign on the wall above the door to his office that reads, simply: Believe

And throughout the series, through his winding stories, quick wit, and pleasant-naturedness, Ted inspires the team—and everyone else around him—to be the best versions of themselves. Coincidentally enough, they also happen to win many games.

It's a great show, I'd highly recommend it. And it got me thinking about a conversation that I had earlier that same day.

The Question I Couldn't Answer

I was talking with someone about the dog sanctuary that my wife is building (with some incredible help from some incredible people), and I was trying to explain logically and linearly how this was going to happen:

How we would acquire a 1+ acre piece of land in North County, San Diego, one of the most expensive parts of the country; how we would get the funding; how long it would take; how, how, how.

And I found myself at a loss in my attempts to logically answer these questions. And I felt bad about that. I felt like I should've had a better answer. I felt like I was missing something.

But after finishing Ted Lasso later that day, it dawned on me:

I wasn't at a loss because I was missing something. I was at a loss because the truth is I don't know how it's going to happen, but I believe that it will.

Belief has a quality that transcends logic and linear thinking.

Belief allows for the multiplicity of possibilities.

And belief has a way of making things happen.

As it turns out, belief isn't just a feel-good idea. It is something that’s been studied in the science of recovery. 

Belief & Recovery

You may be surprised to hear that research consistently identifies two of the strongest clinical predictors of success in recovery from musculoskeletal pain as:

• Self-efficacy: the personal belief in one's capability to perform specific tasks, manage situations, and achieve desired goals.

• Positive expectation of recovery: the belief that one will recover.

Let's let that sink in for a moment.

Two key factors, neither of which is a physical factor (age, BMI, health status, diagnosis, genetics, etc.), and both of which are modifiable factors (factors that can be influenced by the individual).

What do you believe?

So if you are reading this and you are struggling with pain, or maybe you have a dream that you are working toward, or maybe you just want to be happy.

You can ask yourself:

• Do I believe that it's possible for me?

• How strongly do I believe it? Do I believe it more than the doubting thoughts? Do I believe it more than the doubting people?

• And importantly: What am I willing to do to achieve it? Am I willing to learn? Am I willing to grow?

Growth

But it's not actually all about belief. 

Ted didn't just inspire the players to believe that they could win. That wouldn't have worked. Because every time they lost, their belief would have been shattered.

More importantly, Ted inspired the players to believe that they were worth more than winning. 

He inspired them to realize that their own growth was more important than winning. 

He inspired them to learn, grow, and be the best versions of themselves. 

And paradoxically, it was this very focus on growth over the outcome that allowed them to achieve the outcome they desired.

This focus on growth sounds a lot like factor #1 above: self-efficacy. Self-efficacy is the ability (and belief in that ability) and willingness to learn, grow, and change.

And it turns out, Ted was cultivating it all along — in his players, and in everyone around him.

What can I learn from this?

So if you're running into a snag in your work with pain, your dream, your happiness, or something else, you might ask yourself:

• What's the lesson here? 

• What can I learn from this? 

• How can I grow through this?

And you might just find that the more you allow yourself to believe that what you want is possible, and grow through whatever process you're going through, the more successful you will become, and the closer you will get to achieving your goal.

But the real beauty is that the process of growth has this way of showing us what's really important in life. Perhaps something even bigger than our goals and pursuits. So that when we are truly growing, our problems don't get solved; they dissolve.

And sometimes, that's exactly how healing works.

Happy growing, 

Andrew

References

1. Martinez-Calderon, J., Zamora-Campos, C., Navarro-Ledesma, S., & Luque-Suarez, A. (2018). The Role of Self-Efficacy on the Prognosis of Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Systematic Review. The journal of pain, 19(1), 10–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpain.2017.08.008

2. Cormier, S., Lavigne, G. L., Choinière, M., & Rainville, P. (2016). Expectations predict chronic pain treatment outcomes. Pain, 157(2), 329–338.