The Only Belief That Matters

I recently came across a quote from Tom Bilyeu, a mindset and transformational coach, which goes:

“The only belief that matters is that you can improve.” — Tom Bilyeu

I love this quote for several reasons, mostly because it is full of possibility: that you can improve is an attitude which is actually a prerequisite to change.

What if the biggest thing holding you back isn’t your schedule, your past, or your willpower—but your belief that you can change?

It’s easy to get caught in the loop of "this is just the way I am." Maybe you’ve told yourself:

• I’m not disciplined enough.

• I always quit eventually.

• I don’t have what it takes to change.

These thoughts feel factual, but they’re not. They’re beliefs—and beliefs can be changed. And according to Tom Bilyeu, there’s one belief that rises above the rest:

The belief that you can improve.

Everything starts there.

Why This One Belief Matters Most

Change isn’t about flipping a switch. It’s about flipping a script—the one in your head that says you can’t.

Research in psychology backs this up. Albert Bandura’s work on self-efficacy (your belief in your own ability to succeed) shows that the more you believe you can improve, the more likely you are to try, to persist, and to succeed.

Belief isn’t just a warm fuzzy feeling. It’s the engine that drives action. Without it, we don’t start. With it, we can do almost anything.

Growth Over Perfection

Carol Dweck calls this a growth mindset—believing that your abilities, habits, and health aren’t fixed traits, but skills that can be developed.

If you’ve ever said, “I’m just not a morning person” or “I’m not good at sticking to routines,” that’s a fixed mindset speaking. The growth mindset reframes those statements as:

• “I’m learning how to make mornings work for me.”

• “I’m figuring out routines that actually fit my life.”

See the difference? One ends the conversation. The other opens the door to change.

The Feedback Loop of Belief and Action

When you believe change is possible, you take small actions. Those actions create results. Those results build your belief.

It’s a loop:
Belief → Action → Evidence → Stronger Belief

James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, puts it like this:

“Every action you take is a vote for the kind of person you want to become.”

When you take even the smallest action—say, drinking a glass of water in the morning or skipping the afternoon sugar fix—you’re proving to yourself that change is happening. And with each repetition, you shift your identity:
"I’m someone who takes care of myself."
"I’m someone who follows through."

This shift doesn’t require massive willpower or dramatic results. Just consistent, imperfect effort.

How to Strengthen the Belief That You Can Improve

Here are four simple ways to start building your belief muscle:

1. Try "tiny experiments"
   Instead of trying to change big things all at once, try breaking it down into the smallest possible change -- one that you definitely agree to -- and frame it as an experiment rather that something you "have" to do. This takes the pressure off

2. Track tiny wins
   Celebrate progress—especially the small stuff. Wrote in your journal today? Checked your ingredients? Got outside for five minutes? These count. And celebrate those wins with a little gesture of self-acknowledgement, like a fist-pump to yourself, a smile in the mirror, or raising your hands in victory (For more on power moves, see Amy Cuddy's classic TED Talk.)

3. Talk to yourself like you would a friend
   When you stumble (and you will), drop the shame spiral. Say, “This is part of the process. I’m still improving.”

4. Borrow belief
   Surround yourself with stories of people who’ve made similar changes. Scroll on those "before-and-after" photos. Read inspiring stories of people who have succeeded at what you want to do. It shows your brain: This is possible. For them. For me.

5. Anchor new actions to identity
   Instead of “I’m trying to eat less sugar,” try “I’m becoming someone who listens to my body.” Identity creates consistency.

Try This: A Visualization for Growth

Take a moment. Close your eyes and picture the version of you who has made the change you’re working on.

What does she look like?
What does she feel like in her body?
What decisions is she making?
What does her daily life include that yours doesn’t—yet?

Now imagine stepping into her shoes. Breathe into her calm, her clarity, her confidence.

That version of you isn’t far away.
She’s already in you, waiting for you to believe she’s real.

Closing Thought

Change is possible. You are not stuck. You are not broken. You are becoming.

And it all begins with one belief:

You can improve.

Let that belief take root. Then take one small step—today—that aligns with it.

Because the moment you believe change is possible, you’ve already started changing.