The Power of Beliefs How Strengthening Seven Core Beliefs Predicts Greater Success and a Better Life

By: Shawn Achor

Published by Random House, 2026-05-05

The internationally bestselling author of The Happiness Advantage and Big Potential illuminates how harnessing our beliefs can influence our success in the real world.

Each of us has a lens through which we see the world, one that has been crafted by every experience we’ve ever had and is made up of our conscious and unconscious beliefs. But even though this lens has remarkable predictive power on our outcomes in work and life, we are often unaware of how much it shapes our choices—and how much power we have to change it, and our lives, for the better.

In The Power of Beliefs Shawn Achor draws from his groundbreaking work in fifty countries over twenty years to introduce a critical set of tools, the seven Core Power Beliefs:

1. My Behavior Matters
2. I Matter
3. I Am Not Alone
4. This Work is Meaningful
5. I Have Things To Be Grateful for in the Present
6. I Have Something to Give
7. There Is Something Greater Than Me

The extent to which we embrace these beliefs is the strongest indicator of positive outcomes across all aspects of our lives. Using fascinating examples from his own research and the cutting-edge work of others, Achor shows just how powerful our beliefs can be. He shows us how to undertake the often challenging work of changing our beliefs to transform our lens, opening up a world of possibilities previously unseen. And the benefits don’t stop there: Once we know that change is possible, the next step is helping to strengthen the beliefs and trajectories of our family, friends, coworkers, and the world around us.