Many people think that the beliefs they have can’t be changed but that isn’t so. If you are not living life to your fullest potential that may be the reason why.
Whether this means enjoying the best job, making the most money in your field, enjoying the best relationships or being physically fit, beliefs play a major role in life. Even though you might know very little about the role that beliefs have, they will continue to remain important in your life.
Do Beliefs Have Power?
Beliefs are like glasses. Depending on the grade of your glasses, the world may look crystal clear or it may look very fuzzy and you might get a nasty headache when using glasses that have the wrong lenses.
Beliefs work the same way. I’m talking about the things that you can see, hear, touch, taste and smell, they are filtered by something in your mind. This is where your belief system comes into play.
When you filter this information, you give it meaning. You give it color. You see it a certain way. What do you think happens next? Your analysis of the things that you choose to perceive impacts the things you say, the things you do and the things you feel about yourself and the rest of the world.
In other words, beliefs are actually important. However the problem is that a lot of people believe that the way they think is their actual reality. They confuse objective reality, which everyone could agree with, to their own subjective take on the things that they perceive.
Also, other people excuse their own warped way of perceiving reality by saying something like, “well that's just who they are” or “its part of their personality.”
The truth is that self-limiting beliefs can keep you stuck.
They can make your life miserable, you can hold on to anger, you don’t achieve what you want and, you can end up lonely. They can in fact prevent you from achieving anything and everything in life that you want.
Beliefs tend to be chosen. Just as you can choose your clothes, you can choose your beliefs. I’m not saying it's easy but old beliefs, learned in childhood, can become harmful and habitual after a while and often changing them to more positive thinking can change your life in ways you might never have believed.
There's something about the self-limiting beliefs you have that give you enough benefits for them to be worth hanging onto. However, if you look at your belief system, are the beliefs you have at present really helping you or are they creating negatives in your life and holding you back?
It's a bit like wearing really old beaten up shoes. You probably have some in your closet. They look grungy but, for whatever reason, you like wearing those shoes because they're comfortable. You know that they don't look great, but you prefer their comfort. In your mind, they are still good enough so you keep them around and use them every day.
Even though you may know things are not happening the way you want them too and maybe you’re not even very happy, in all areas of life, personal and professional, it’s much easier and less fearful to stay in an old comfort zone rather than take a risk to make some changes.
The same applies to your beliefs.
There are many belief systems that have simply outlived their purpose or usefulness. If you want to achieve more in life and/or business, it’s important for you to take a long, hard look at your beliefs and perhaps ask yourself a few hard questions like:
- Am I really happy with the way things are at present?
- What am I willing to do to make some positive changes?
- When will I make them by? (give yourself a date on your calendar)
If you’re not willing to do this, you might be living far below your potential. You would continue to look at reality with tools that really don’t serve you. Don’t allow fear to sabotage you.
There’s never a better time than NOW to take a risk and make changes in areas of your life that are not fulfilling to you.
I’m Hazel Palache, success coach, clinical hypnotherapist, stress management counselor, author and entrepreneur. If you have any questions I would love to connect with you. Over my 30 years as a Mindset Expert I’ve helped many hundreds of people to change their lives and businesses so they are living a life they love with less stress and more fun.
Everything I write about I’ve been through and come out the other side myself so, although I have lots of training, I speak from vast personal experience.
Be sure to follow me on Twitter and Linked In to keep up with new programs and products. If you would like to receive the International Weekly Wisdom to kick start your week, visit www.LiveYourAbundantLife.com.