Am I good at this because I like it or do I like it because I am good at it?

This question excites and terrifies me at the same time... could it be that we deceive ourselves thinking that we like our work because we are good at it; or that we like painting more than sports because we don't feel good in any sport?

The truth is, if we think about it for a minute, we can think of people who work in things that we don't like and, nevertheless, they are good at it... I agree, so what we should ask ourselves in these cases is if they could be given even better if they like it.

We constantly make judgments about ourselves and others, but do you know what effect it really has? The reality is that it can condition behavior so much that it ends up being fulfilled.

In Psychology this theory is called “self-fulfilling prophecy”; and it is a prediction which, once made, is itself the cause of its coming true. This means that if we believe that we are going to obtain a concrete result, it is very possible that our behavior will be modified little by little and the efforts will vary so that the expected result is fulfilled.

For example, if we think that we are going to fail in a project, we will pay less attention to the details and spend less and less time on development, which is why, in the end, we will probably end up failing.

For this reason, this psychological and/or emotional mechanism is so important, because it can condition and determine the aspirations and achievements of people.

There is a phrase by Henry Ford that sums up all this very well: "Whether you think you can, or you think you can't, in both cases you are right".

To finish, I will tell you that many studies have been carried out regarding the self-fulfilling prophecy in boys and girls. Thus, it was discovered that if a teacher has low expectations of his students, they will perform poorly. Instead, if expectations are kept high, students will achieve amazing results. Do you think that as a leader you should change your attitude towards your team to positively influence them? Do you think as a person who is part of a work team, that your manager should expect the best from you to improve your performance?

Stephen R. Covey already said “Treat a person as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a person as he can be and he will become what he can and could be.”