Beliefs

Definition

A belief is a statement we accept to be true today. Our beliefs are based on our experiences, what people tell us, and what we tell ourselves. Our beliefs come from our culture, traditions, family, friends, coworkers, teachers, community, government, companies, scientists, religion, the news, social media, movies, etc.

 

Challenges with Beliefs

Beliefs seem like a simple concept, but there are a few challenges with beliefs:

1. Awareness. We are not consciously aware of all our beliefs.

2. Acceptance.  We rarely question our beliefs. We accept them to be true.

3. Conflicting Beliefs. Some of our beliefs conflict with other beliefs, and our goals, needs, and behaviors.

4. False Beliefs. Many of our beliefs are false. Some beliefs used to be true but aren’t true anymore. Some are true for others but not true for us. Some are only true under specific circumstances. Some were never true.

5. Immutable. We think it isn’t possible to change our beliefs. We feel obligated to believe what we have always believed.

6. Inherited Beliefs. A lot of our beliefs were given to us. They are the beliefs of others. We blindly adopted them as our own.

7. Static Beliefs. We rarely, if ever, review our beliefs to see if they are still true. We don’t update them so they remain static.

 

Types of Beliefs

There are two types of beliefs.

1. Empowering beliefs help us do better in life.

2. Limiting beliefs hold us back and generally cause problems.

 

Belief Questions

It’s important to question our beliefs. Ask yourself the following questions about each of your beliefs:

1. Is this belief really true?

2. When is this belief true, and when is it not true?

3. Where did this belief come from?

4. What does this belief conflict with?

5. How does this belief affect my life?

6. Is this belief empowering me, or do I need to create a new belief?

 

Empowering Belief Format

It is important to convert limiting beliefs into empowering beliefs. Make sure your new empowering belief meets the following guidelines:

1. Positive. Don’t include the words no or not in a belief. For example, the belief, I’m not a bad person should be changed to, I’m a good person. Don’t use words with negative connotations. For example, the belief, Old people can add value too should be changed to, People can add value at any age.

2. Unlimited. Don’t allow beliefs to limit you in any way. For example, the belief, I can get a minimum wage job limits you to entry-level jobs that pay minimum wage. It should be changed to, I can get a great job.

3. Real. Beliefs need to be grounded in reality. For example, you can’t have the belief, Dogs can fly.