After contemplating Gregg Braden’s work in The Divine Matrix, I thought of another groundbreaking work in the New Sciences that was published last year. The Biology of Belief, by renowned cell biologist Dr. Bruce Lipton, showed that genes do not control our behavior, instead, genes are turned on and off by influences outside the cell, which include the messages that come from our positive and negative thoughts. These influences include our perceptions and beliefs, so, it is our beliefs that control our lives.

According to Dr. Lipton, “the new science takes us from victim to creator; we are very powerful in creating and unfolding the lives that we lead. This is actually knowledge of self and if we understand the old axiom, ‘Knowledge is power,’ then what we are really beginning to understand is the knowledge of self-power. This is what I think we will get from understanding the new biology.”

This paradigm shift in the biomedical sciences has lessons for business. Leaders can help people trust and believe in themselves, and each individual can know that life is not out of his or her control. As we go about our daily work, we can stay constant in the belief that the work and the outcome will be successful. As Henry Ford said, “If you believe you can or if you believe you can’t, you’re right.”