Podcast Summary
In this solo episode of the Working Well Podcast, Tim Borys explores one of the most underestimated drivers of performance, fulfilment, and growth: the beliefs we rarely question.
Tim challenges listeners to examine how their “reality” is often shaped not by facts, but by unexamined assumptions formed through past experiences, memory, and emotional conditioning. Drawing on research from cognitive psychology, self-efficacy theory, and real-world coaching examples, he explains how certainty when left unchecked can quietly limit potential.
Through personal stories, scientific insight, and practical coaching questions, Tim shows how outdated beliefs create invisible constraints on mindset, habits, and results. He emphasizes that meaningful growth doesn’t start with goal-setting or discipline but with interrogating the stories we tell ourselves about who we are and what’s possible.
This episode invites listeners to move upstream, challenge their internal narratives, and consciously choose beliefs that support clarity, resilience, and sustained performance.
✅ Key Takeaways
Your reality is shaped more by belief than by objective truth
Certainty can be more dangerous than doubt when beliefs go unexamined
Memory is reconstructive, not factual your past is constantly being rewritten
Most limits are self-imposed and operate below conscious awareness
Self-efficacy beliefs directly impact persistence, effort, and results
You cannot sustainably change habits without first changing beliefs
Growth begins by asking better questions, not forcing better behaviour
Episode Links & Resources
Resources Mentioned:
Connect with Tim: https://timborys.com/book-tim/
Buy Tim’s Book: The Fitness Curveball (Amazon Link)
Book mention in Episode: https://www.amazon.com/Hogfather-Discworld-Terry-Pratchett/dp/0061059056
Podcast Highlights
Please Note: This highlight is generated by a computer and may contain errors.
Introduction: Why Reality Deserves Interrogation
Reality isn’t metaphysical it’s what you believe to be true. And often, what feels true isn’t accurate. This episode begins with a challenge: when was the last time you questioned your assumptions instead of defending them?
How Beliefs Quietly Shape Our Lives
Our brains are meaning-making machines. They create stories to keep the world predictable and safe. Over time, familiarity gets mistaken for truth, and beliefs become invisible laws we live by.
The Science Behind Memory and Meaning
Research in cognitive psychology shows that memory is not a recording it’s reconstructive. Each recall reshapes the past through present beliefs and emotions, reinforcing narratives whether they’re accurate or not.
The Cost of Unquestioned Certainty
Unexamined beliefs can turn into mental prisons. Certainty blocks growth when it’s built on assumptions rather than evidence. As Kierkegaard warned, refusing to believe what is true can be just as limiting as believing what isn’t.
Self-Efficacy and the Power of Expectation
Decades of research show belief influences performance. What you believe you’re capable of directly impacts effort, resilience, and outcomes. Expectation doesn’t just shape mindset it affects physiology as well.
A Personal Example: False Labels and Fear
Tim shares how a long-held belief about being “bad at public speaking” shaped behaviour for years—until evidence contradicted the story. Awareness changed the belief; repetition rewired the response.
Why Habits Fail Without Belief Change
Most people try to change habits without questioning beliefs. That’s treating symptoms, not causes. Sustainable change starts upstream with the assumptions driving behaviour.
Powerful Questions That Create Change
Instead of asking “How do I do this?” Tim invites listeners to ask:
Who do I need to become?
What must I believe differently?
What assumptions am I treating as facts?
Final Reflection: Choosing a Better Story
Growth requires believing differently before evidence appears. The episode closes with an invitation to question internal narratives and consciously choose beliefs that support where you want to go.
