It has been said, WHEN WE KNOW BETTER, WE CAN DO BETTER. I think it is possible that
WHEN WE BELIEVE BETTER BELIEFS, WE TAKE BETTER ACTIONS, WHICH RESULTS IN A BETTER PERSONAL REALITY.
ANYTHING and EVERYTHING we choose to focus upon CONSISTENTLY becomes our truth.
A belief is just a thought we keep on thinking. To change, alter, or up-level a belief, all we have to do is THINK THE NEW THOUGHT MORE.
The quality of our beliefs determines the quality of our perceptions, and how we choose to see others, and the world in general, creates that related reality.
I LOVE what Wayne Dyer teaches about beliefs:
UPGRADING BELIEFS LEADS TO AN UPGRADE IN PERSONAL REALITY.
FIRST, WE CREATE OUR BELIEFS, THEN, OUR BELIEFS CREATE OUR HABITS. OUR HABITS CREATE OUR LIVES. The quality of our beliefs, therefore, creates the quality of our lives.
This Beliefs Project has been one of the most useful and empowering tools I have acquired and practiced.
Please view and share this short 8-minute video on the importance of personal beliefs:
https://youtu.be/_m5vndrKE2k
The most important and useful beliefs we can upgrade are the beliefs we hold ABOUT OURSELVES.
“An UPGRADE in our BELIEFS OF SELF will automatically lead to an UPGRADE IN HABITS.” -Maxwell Maltz
“ALL HUMANS FEEL, ACT AND PERFORM IN ACCORDANCE WITH WHAT THEY BELIEVE TO BE TRUE ABOUT THEMSELVES.” -Maxwell Maltz
- WE WILL NEVER OUTPERFORM OUR SELF IMAGE.
- The good news? SELF IMAGE AND BELIEFS ARE UPGRADEABLE!!!
“YOU CANNOT CONSISTENTLY PERFORM IN A MANNER WHICH IS INCONSISTENT WITH THE WAY YOU SEE YOURSELF.” -Zig Ziglar
“HYPNOSIS IS SIMPLY THE POWER OF BELIEF.” -Maxwell Maltz
It has been scientifically proven that the ONLY way we can upgrade our beliefs as adults is through hypnosis or REPETITION. The work of Dr. Bruce Lipton shows REPETITION to be a HIGHLY EFFECTIVE upgrading and reprogramming tool for the subconscious mind, which is the hardware within us that contains and runs the automatic programs we call personal beliefs.
When we were younger, we had younger minds. As we grow and change, so does our life experience, knowledge, wisdom, and perspective. When we were younger, we had not yet developed into the person we now are, and our minds were not developed into what they now are. Misconceptions and misunderstandings were much more commonplace then than they are now.
That is normal. It’s okay! As we grow and have new experiences to draw from, we perceive and understand things differently than we did back then. Our parents or guardians were also not as developed and experienced then as they are now. Because of this, the belief system we adopted at an early age may still be in play. Some of us are still using the beliefs we acquired when we were younger.
I know that, for me, my own beliefs and personal philosophies acquired as a child ruled my world and disabled me, rendering me unable to optimize my own life more fully, and navigate through life’s inevitable difficulties and challenges with ease, until I decided to start to intentionally recreate those beliefs and philosophies in 2014, at the age of 42.
We may now be living with beliefs that served our young minds well, but which are now no longer beneficial to us. Admittedly, this was the ineffective practice of my life until the age of 42, when I realized that if I kept doing the same things and believing the same things, the results of my life would also be the same. (Yes, I’m a late bloomer, but thankfully I have started to be more and enjoy more.)
It very well may be worth it to take a good look at some of the beliefs we were raised with and ask the questions: “Do the beliefs I have now benefit me and my loved ones around me and add value to our lives? Are there beliefs I could possibly adopt and gain even more benefit and value?”
Here are some of my beliefs from my old belief system that ran and ruled my life into my forties. The beliefs I had would dictate the choices I made, which would then result in the consequences I deserved and earned from those choices. My mind literally created my reality throughout my entire life through and because of my belief system. When I replaced old beliefs with new ones, my life changed. As I began to make different decisions I began to enjoy different consequences as a result. WE CREATE OUR LIVES WITH OUR MINDS. Success is an inside job. We must accept FULL responsibility for our own thoughts, words, actions, and lives. The Beliefs Project is an excellent way to start doing this.
Remember, these were beliefs I thought I was being taught from a young age which, in reality, were probably mis-perceived off-shoots of what I thought my well-meaning parents were actually trying to teach me. This is just a few pages from the beginning of this experiment:
By comparing these old beliefs to the new beliefs, it can easily be determined why my life has changed so much since 2014.
- “I’ve tried everything!” -This belief makes our brain give up and quit looking for additional ways to solve problems or fix things. I replaced this belief with, “There is always going to be another way to do things-anything, really. There will always be something else I can try. If I can’t think of other ways, I can and will ask for help, suggestions, and wisdom from others who have already gone through what I am facing, no matter how big or small. This will help me to connect with others and come up with more solutions to any problems I may encounter.”
- “I must be perfect and strive for perfection always. If I can’t be perfect I must at least appear to be perfect. Appearing to be better than I actually am is important to get people to like me. Appearances matter!” -This belief was overwhelming and I always fell short of perfection. It developed within me an all-or-nothing mindset and I grew up with very little or no confidence or feelings of accomplishment. I felt like I was never good enough. This belief made me extremely judgmental towards myself and others and I had difficulties making friends and enjoying deep, meaningful connections because of it. I replaced this belief with, “It is okay and completely acceptable to just be myself! Appearances don’t matter nearly as much as character. I don’t need to waste my time caring what others think of me. I will care more what I think about myself. I will choose to be proud of who I am and what I have become.” I AM ENOUGH.
- “Ignorance is bliss. What I don’t know won’t hurt me.” This belief made it okay to overlook any and every situation I thought would cause me pain. I lived a life filled with pain because of this belief. I thought I was taught to not be confrontational, and so confronting my problems or challenges was never an option in my mind. It turned out that, “Kill the monster while it is a baby,” and confronting problems when they are small and easy to deal with was some of the greatest advice of my life. I didn’t hear this until I was 45. I replaced this old belief with, “Ignorance is poverty. Ignorance is pain. The things I don’t know have the potential to hurt me. I choose not to be a victim. My learning and curiosity must never end. I will do something every day to learn tips, tricks, tools, strategies, methods, and short cuts which will make my life less painful and empower me with the skills to deal with the pain which will inevitably come my way. I will create a life more filled with joy, and I will always strive to share what I learn with others.”
These are just a few of the beliefs I decided to change. It is an incredibly difficult, time-consuming, effective, and very helpful exercise. It is so worth it. I plan to re-evaluate my beliefs and philosophies from now on, as part of a continual, self-development, evolutionary process which I know will benefit me and those I love. This exercise is a game changer! This exercise is a MASSIVELY useful life-improvement tool.
Growth, progress, and upgrade the WHO we identify as while in these human bodies is a LIFE-LONG PROCESS.
Today I will begin thinking about, paying attention to, and writing down beliefs that I was raised perceiving I was supposed to believe. I will pick these beliefs apart and analyze then and decide if there are tweaks, changes, or improvements I can make to these beliefs that would benefit me even more in some way and add value to my life and the lives of my loved ones.
https://youtu.be/EFhkdzj-x80
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Remember: Mindset matters. Character counts. That which we choose to consistently focus on is what EXPANDS in our lives. WE CREATE our realities.
The core belief process is a cycle where early life experiences form deeply held assumptions about oneself, others, and the world, which then influence thoughts, feelings, and actions. These beliefs, which can be positive or negative, act as a filter for interpreting new situations and guide behavior in a way that often reinforces the original belief. The process can be identified and potentially changed by examining how automatic thoughts stem from deeper, often unconscious, assumptions.
The cycle of core beliefs:
- Experiences: Core beliefs begin to form in childhood based on upbringing and life events.
- Beliefs: Experiences lead to the development of fundamental, deeply held assumptions, or core beliefs. These can be about one’s own worth (e.g., “I am worthless”), the value of others (e.g., “people can’t be trusted”), or the nature of the world (e.g., “the world is a dangerous place”).
- Thoughts: Core beliefs create a framework that gives rise to automatic thoughts in specific situations. For example, a core belief of “I’m not good enough” might lead to the thought, “I made a mistake on that report”.
- Feelings: Automatic thoughts trigger emotions, such as anxiety, sadness, or joy.
- Actions: Feelings influence behavior, leading to actions that are consistent with the original core belief. For example, feelings of inadequacy might lead to avoiding new challenges or people-pleasing behaviors.
- Reinforcement: The outcome of these actions then provides new experiences, which can reinforce the original core belief, creating a continuous cycle.
Challenging the process:
- Identify automatic thoughts: Start by noticing the surface-level, automatic thoughts that pop into your head.
- Look for underlying assumptions: Ask “What does that mean?” or “What’s bad about that?” to delve deeper into the meaning of the automatic thought and uncover the core belief.
- Examine the evidence: Evaluate whether the core belief is still accurate or if it’s a product of past experiences that may no longer reflect current reality.
- Develop new beliefs: Through self-awareness and sometimes professional support, you can challenge and begin to replace unhelpful or negative core beliefs with more balanced and realistic ones.
8 step Core Belief Process by Marc Allen (who says he learned it from Ken Keyes, Jr.)
It has been found that this works very well and hits many levels, though it might seem a mental exercise upon first glance.
Try it when you are in a funk or having a tough time of it.
Remember that doubts and fears coming up can indicate you could be making real progress! That’s when the old, limiting beliefs come up for clearing.
1) What is the problem?
2) What are you feeling?
3) What are you feeling in your body?
4) What are your thoughts?
5) What is the worst case scenario, the worst thing that might result?
6) What is the best case scenario? What is the ideal for this part of your life?
7) What deep belief is preventing me from getting that best case scenario? State it so simply a 5 year old could understand it.
8) What affirmation completely contradicts this negative belief? What affirmation could be the antidote to this belief?
9) And then, plaster that written affirmation everywhere in sight. Example: I’m a fool with money vs. I am sensible and in control of my money.
Notes: Napoleon Hill: Within every adversity is an equal and opposite benefit.
Within every problem is an opportunity.