Have you ever considered just how much our beliefs shape our reality? Sometimes you get a clear view of this phenomenon when you encounter someone who has experienced severe trauma in their lives. One can come away from trauma with powerful negative beliefs that shape their world: There is something fundamentally wrong with me; I am defective in some way. I am not safe; the world is unsafe. It was my fault; I should have done something different. Or, I am powerless; I can’t do it. It’s easy to see how such negative beliefs create powerful negative emotions and drive certain behaviors while restricting others. How does one thrive and achieve success when carrying around such burdens? Clearly, it’s a far more difficult path to success in business and in life when perceptions are distorted with self-blame and loathing.
Consider an alternative extreme, wherein someone is protected, loved and showered with praise throughout their youth. This person ‘believes’ in herself, knowing that she can achieve anything she sets her mind to accomplishing. This person’s beliefs may be as follows: I am smart. I am a good person. I am lovable. I am empowered. And how do you think will her behaviors will differ from someone carrying around negative beliefs about self? She behaves like what she believes: empowered! Even when beliefs are unconscious, held below the level of conscious awareness (which most of them are), we can see the resulting confidence, or lack thereof, in one’s behaviors.
Our beliefs do indeed shape our behaviors and life experience. They are like the software program that defines how we experience the world. So what can you do about it if your beliefs are holding you back? First, you can take note of the fact that your beliefs are shaped by 1) past experiences and 2) messages taken in from parents, teachers, friends and all of those people in your social environment. In other words, they were learned. This is one of the most important things to understand: you have been programmed by your environment. When you understand this concept, you can begin to take charge of the experiences and messages that you absorb into the unconscious mind. And you can do that through a process called self-hypnosis. You can decide what experiences and messages are absorbed, and which beliefs are fostered…and simply allow the unwanted beliefs to fade away from lack of use. This is a proven fact and you can start leveraging it today.