Belief- Choosing Our's

Perhaps we all have a pretty clear idea of what we want to improve in our life, such as becoming more assertive or starting our own business, and all of us at some point of time must have begun to take a good look at the available options. 

You may have already formulated a plan but has somehow never really gotten around to carrying it through.

Over time procrastination sets in, we think of reasons not to begin and become more discouraged along the way. We think we just don’t have the time to get the plan set into action and we have too many other things to do first. 

What actually happens?

"It all comes down to beliefs. "

Understanding how our beliefs shape up

An individual can lack resources and their future plans can be little more than a few random scribbles on the back of an envelope, yet if their motivation is right and they really believe they can accomplish what they want to do, their plans can blossom. History is full of men and women who defied the odds and overcame seemingly immovable obstacles to reach their goals. These people all had one thing in common; an unshakable belief that they were exactly the right person at exactly the right moment in time to achieve whatever they set out to do, whether scaling an impossible mountain or winning a marathon.

Belief is simply a feeling of conviction about something, specifically about one self, and strong positive beliefs are the foundation for action. Holding negative beliefs or ones that no longer serve you well, has the opposite effect and keeps you stuck. Your inner critic specialises in these destructive beliefs and can produce them at the drop of a hat. 

Where do Beliefs come from? 

Some of the beliefs we hold go right back to childhood. When we were very young we genuinely held the acceptance that our parents knew the answer to everything.

Beliefs learned or ‘given to us’ in childhood can be very powerful indeed, and if negative, they can really hold us back from seeing and fulfilling our true potential. 

The beliefs that hold someone back are no truer than the beliefs that spur someone into positive action, so why not choose to focus on the beliefs that get you the great results you want? 

What are your Beliefs?

Many of our convictions are so much a part of us that we rarely have a good objective look at them. A quick glance isn’t always enough, because at face value all of our acceptances may look perfectly reasonable. Building a strong positive belief system starts with dusting off each one of those beliefs and taking the time to truly examine them. Only then can you decide which beliefs are still necessary for you to hold on to and which ones are out-dated and no longer valid with your current way of thinking. 

What do our Beliefs give us?

All the beliefs you hold are likely to feel very real to you. Even negative and destructive beliefs exist for a reason. At some point you have gathered evidence that supports everything you believe.Our most limiting beliefs about ourselves may get in the way of any action we need to take. But many of us are surprisingly attached to our misconceptions and are reluctant to let them go.

Your limiting conclusions have a function, but a very limited one. Your empowering acceptances on the other hand, serve you far better by helping you to expand the range of what is possible in your world. 

Reshaping limiting Beliefs

Sometimes, simply by recognizing a limiting belief, you take away its power.

Can you simply decide in an instant that you no longer hold a limiting belief, even if it feels that you’re playing mind games with yourself? Yes, absolutely.  

You can replace a limiting belief through regularly repeating affirmations and mantras; powerful and positive present-centred statements that help to change your thinking patterns. Your brain believes what you tell it.

New research suggests that you need to do something 15 times before it becomes a part of you. Other research suggests that you must repeat something up to 30 days consecutively to develop a new habit. Either way, practice is the key to developing a new belief system.  

Managing Fears

All limiting beliefs stem from some kind of fear. Strange as it sounds fear is often a good thing. The physical symptoms you get when you are scared are exactly the same ones that accompany extreme excitement. Compare the butterflies in your stomach before you’re about to speak before a group of people with the butterflies you get when you meet the person of your dreams on a date.

Fear gets in the way when you allow it to stop you from taking action and achieving things. 

Procrastination is often a mask for fear. Maybe you are putting off doing something because you are afraid to fail, or afraid to succeed, or afraid that you may be embarrassed or be rejected. Simply realising this fear can help you deal with your procrastination.

Fear can be a friend. Fear of a certain outcome can allow you the necessary leverage to take action. For some people, imagining the shame of failure helps them to perform better than they ever thought possible. If you are prone to move away from what you don’t want more than to move towards what you do want, then you are using fear to spur yourself into action.

Conquering Fear of Failure means embracing some or all of the following new beliefs.

• Failure is simply part of the discovery process and success comes from being willing to gain knowledge.
• I am always good enough, even when the things that I do don’t work.
• I always succeed when I try my best with good intention.
• Avoiding failure means closing myself off to new possibilities that I may never otherwise experience or know.

Sometimes we avoid activities or things because we don’t want to look silly or exposed. We learn from childhood that not everything we do is universally applauded and we are made to feel foolish instead of creative and innovative. Feelings surrounding the fear of embarrassment can be addressed with the following self-talk.

• Everyone admires someone who has the courage to say what they think, even if they don’t agree with it.
• What is the worst that can happen? If I make a fool of myself it breaks the ice and people warm to me. 

You can think of your fears as comic book monsters. Why not have some fun creating your own personalities? Be inspired by the wonderful un-scary scary monsters in the Pixar film Monsters Inc.