Neuro Linguistic Programming

May 6 1954 marked a turning point in world athletics. Up to that date it was believed to be impossible for anyone to run a mile in under four minutes. No one had ever achieved it. The last time the record had been broken was in 1945, and it stood resolutely at 4:01:4. But one man, Roger Bannister, a 25-year-old medical student from Harrow, believed it was possible - and on that date he proved it, crossing the finishing line in a time of 3:59:4. Yet within 46 days, his great rival John Landy, whose best time thus far had been 1.5 seconds outside the four-minute barrier, ran even faster than Bannister, recording a time of 3:57:9. And over the next three years, 16 runners were to log sub-four-minute miles.

We may not be planning to beat a world record, but beliefs play a crucial role in all our lives. If we believe something is possible we may seek to achieve it. If we believe it's impossible we probably won't even try. Once Roger Bannister had made the four-minute mile a reality, others were able to believe they could do it. They broke through their psychological barriers and, literally, followed in his footsteps.

Beliefs are not trivial, unimportant things. People are willing to die, and kill, for them. When, on 11 September 2001, two American aeroplanes were hijacked and flown into the Twin Towers that dominated the New York skyline, razing them to the ground, it was a belief in something more important than life that motivated those responsible. And when President George Bush responded by attacking Afghanistan and then Iraq, his actions were underpinned by an unswerving and absolute belief that terrorism must be defeated whatever the cost.

Understanding beliefs and values

Our beliefs arise within a specific cultural setting, and are often shared by others in our family and social circle. As a result they are invisible much of the time. We take them for granted and, more importantly, accept them as true. It's typically only when we encounter someone who has a different set of beliefs that we become aware of our own.

'Pure' beliefs are largely emotionless. You believe them but they evoke no feelings. You believe the sun will set at the end of the day. You believe your house will continue standing. It's no big deal, it's just the way things are. Some beliefs, though, are also judgements about the way things should be. These are called values, because they imply an evaluation.

'Values,' says Anthony Robbins, 'are private, personal, individual beliefs about what is most important to you. Your values are belief systems about right, wrong, good, and bad.' Values, then, are a guiding principle, an internal compass, by which we live our lives, shaping the kinds of experiences we seek out and those we avoid.