When I began my Enlightenment journey, one of the things that immediately came up which I had never given any thought to before were my beliefs. I learned that it was my beliefs that had caused me to be where I was in all areas of my life.
John Salvino - unsplash
When I began questioning my beliefs, something that actually surprised me, was that I had no idea where many of these beliefs had come from!
In the beginning, I did spend a little time trying to trace back and determine the source of my beliefs, but ultimately I realized, all that really mattered was whether or not a particular belief was something I wanted to keep. Basically, was it serving me in any way?
Once I identified a belief that I did not wish to keep I started to write down the NEW belief that I preferred to replace it with. You see, you can't simply let go of a belief, you have to CHANGE it. And this doesn't happen overnight, the majority of my beliefs had been around for as long as I could remember, so changing them took consistent discipline, but it was SO worth it!
William Farlow - unsplash
I have learned a lot about beliefs over the years, but the most important thing is that our belief systems are powerful and affect every area of our life. In fact, American psychologist Albert Ellis had this to say about beliefs:
"Beliefs are what cause the majority of unhappiness, anger, and anxiety you experience. Problem is, some of these beliefs are sneaky. You don’t even realize they’re there. If I told you that you believed them, you’d deny it. But they’re often dictating your reactions — and making you miserable in the process."
So how did I identify these ‘sneaky’ beliefs?
I started by taking a closer look at the areas of my life that were not going the way I wanted them to go, and then I asked myself a very profound question:
This worked best when I actually sat down and wrote out the circumstance or situation that wasn’t going the way I wanted and then began asking this question while recording every thought that popped into my head.
This was a VERY eye-opening experience, to say the least!
If you are game for giving it a try, I suggest you do so when you have plenty of time and know that you won’t be disturbed as this can bring up some unexpected and powerful emotions. But I suggest you begin as I did by simply writing down one thing in your life that seems to keep reoccurring in a way that you don’t prefer and then just ask the question, “What would I have to believe is true in order to have this result?”
For example, let’s say you have not been able to find the perfect partner, some of your beliefs may be:
- Happily ever after is just a fairy tale, real life doesn’t work like that
- My career is more important to me than a relationship
- There’s no such thing as a ‘perfect partner’ that’s why divorce rates are so high
You get the idea… put down everything that comes to mind, not all of them will be your beliefs, some will just be what you have heard others say. But after you have written down everything that comes to mind, just go over the list and ask yourself, “Do I believe _____?”
WARNING this is where the emotions can get really strong, but stick with it! You will achieve more in one day than you would in a year's worth of therapy!
Once you have exposed your sneaky beliefs you will want to create a New and Positive belief that is in alignment with what you truly desire, such as:
- There are countless stories of couples who have been happily together well over 50 years
- I can easily have a successful career and a loving relationship
- I think too many people get married before they find their perfect partner, and that’s why divorce rates are so high
Now here is where the consistent discipline comes into play, you literally have to ‘reprogram your brain’ and create new beliefs. Remember, a belief is just a thought that you keep thinking! So what I found to work best is to simply use my New Beliefs as affirmations, which basically just means I repeat them to myself over and over until I accept them as My Truth.
The process is very simple, write your New Beliefs on a 3x5 card and keep them with you! Dedicate a minimum of 5 minutes every day to reading them, that’s enough. Once you memorize them you can say them to yourself anytime throughout the day. Sitting in traffic or waiting in line is a great time to do this!
Noah Silliman - unsplash
Just focus on one belief at a time so that you don’t become too overwhelmed, but I promise if you put your heart into this the results will Amaze you! I have changed so many beliefs over the years that I truly AM a different person! I am a better version of Me! And you can do the same, I know you can!
The really cool thing about this question is that it never fails to produce results! I still use it today whenever I am facing a situation where it seems like I am not making any progress, and sure enough, I uncover a sneaky belief that is preventing my desired results.
Having an effective strategy to expose and change, hidden beliefs that are holding me back and preventing me from living the life I desire is just one of the reasons why I believe that - Life is so easy!
Thank you for taking the time to read my post! If you enjoyed this ‘Enlightenment Shot’ I invite you to follow me on this thought-provoking journey as I share the things that have led me to believe that Life is So Easy!
To learn more, check out My Story
You may also enjoy these posts:
A Fish Out Of Water
Don’t worry, be 😊
Only look back if the view is worth it
