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It seems to me Spencer’s confusion is due to the fact that people often do a lot of “believing in” around what they’ll get done in what time period (wisely; they are trying to coordinate many bits of themselves into a coherent set of actions)
Those "bits" you talk about remind me of the concept of parts from the book "No Bad Parts" by Richard C. Schwartz. In his work, Schwartz highlights how different aspects of ourselves (called parts) often want our attention and influence our behavior. He shows how to get into contact with these parts and shift from being a neglectful into a caring parent figure for them. This parent figure is a part called "Self" which helps coordinate all the needs and wants of all parts within the larger system.
The idea of "believing in" resonates deeply with me, especially in relation to the parts work I've been practicing. Today, I realized that I "believe in" openness, curiosity, and connectedness. Meaning, I thought during my meditation that it is effective and efficient to invest my resources by aligning my behavior according to these values. Then I read your article about "believe in" and it struck the same tune, reinforcing my reflections. Granted, I am not sure how long this "believe in" will last. But right now it seems obvious to me that my current goals will flourish when I keep investing in those "believe in"s. This also shows that, as far as I know, my parts are in harmony with them and are likely to follow suit.
One and a half years prior, I struggled to even understand the meaning of having values like that. I would never have been able to make such sweeping statements about my values without the help of the meditation practices and the concept of parts, unblending, burdens, and Self, as they are outlined in the "No Bad Parts". At the time, I was not able to process the emotional information my parts had to offer, nor did I know they needed me to help them make sense of it.