599: Replace your limiting beliefs with liberating beliefs – with Nir Eyal

Choose useful beliefs to become a better product manager Watch on YouTube

TLDR

In this episode of Product Mastery Now, three-time returning guest Nir Eyal discusses his latest book, Beyond Belief. The conversation dives into how our underlying beliefs shape our actions, careers, and the products we build, with science-backed strategies for challenging limiting beliefs, reframing workplace motivation, and building liberating beliefs that help teams thrive.

Introduction

There are guests you have on once. And there are guests you keep coming back to because as the field keeps moving so do they.

Nir Eyal keeps moving, learning, and informing us on how to make better products and how to be better ourselves. Twelve years ago he joined me on episode 30 to talk about Hooked — how great products are built on human behavior, not just features. He came back on episode 259 for Indistractable — how we take our attention back in a device-filled world. 

Now he’s gone deeper. His new book is Beyond Belief — a science-backed look at the hidden assumptions that decide what we think is possible and how our psychology impacts what we can accomplish. And for product managers and leaders, the beliefs we carry about our work, our teams, and ourselves shape everything we accomplish, including the products we ship.

Summary of Concepts Discussed for Product Managers

Nir New Book, Beyond BeliefNir’s newest book, Beyond Belief, was inspired by conversations with people who had read his previous book, Indistractable, and complained that it didn’t work for them, despite not having actually tried any of the practices the book recommended. Nir wondered why, in an age when we know so much, we often fail to put information into action.

What Are Beliefs?Nir distinguishes between facts, faith, and beliefs. He defines facts as objective truths, faith as convictions that do not require evidence, and beliefs as convictions that are open to revision based on evidence. Beliefs are malleable. Nir explains that many problems come from not realizing that many of the things we think are facts are actually beliefs. In order to change our behavior, we should ask ourselves, “Is this belief serving me or hurting me?”

Beliefs change what we see. If you don’t believe something is possible, you won’t stay motivated to do it. Long-term motivation requires a behavior, a benefit, and belief. You must believe that you are capable of performing the behavior and that by doing so you will receive the benefit.

The Three Powers of BeliefNir introduces three powers of belief.

• Attention: Our beliefs change what we see.
• Anticipation: Our beliefs change what we feel.
• Agency: Our beliefs change what we do.

Together, these powers of belief determine who we become.

Preparing for the PainNir critiques “manifesting,” which focuses on outcomes. Res