Today I want to look once again at beliefs, only this time in relation to achievements and under achievements. Before I get into it, there are some questions that I want you to pose to yourself. You really do need to answer these as truthfully as you can and without judgement. We are not here to judge ourselves but to learn about our beliefs and how they are affecting our success. So with that in mind, here are the questions:

Do your beliefs help you achieve your dreams and goals, or do they keep you in your own private mental and emotional prison?

Do your beliefs allow you to explore your potential and do amazing things, or do they keep you in your safe, familiar, predictable little world?

Do your beliefs help you to see things clearly and objectively, or do they predispose you to looking at the world through a very small window?

Are your beliefs flexible and subject to change depending on your experiences and life lessons, or are they set in stone?

Do you determine your beliefs, or do they determine you?

What if your beliefs aren’t true?

Have you ever thought about living your life with a different set of beliefs?

Have you ever considered the possibility that some of your life-long, set in stone beliefs might actually be completely wrong?

Have you ever considered that your beliefs are what have caused you to live a life that you don’t enjoy?

Does it make you uncomfortable to consider the possibility of having to completely change the way you think and believe about certain things in your life?

There are a lot of questions above and they all really do follow each other and give you a lot of insight into the inner workings of your mind and your beliefs. Some of the questions may feel very uncomfortable and you need to really question why they make you feel this way. If you find that you begin questioning some of your beliefs, or even realise that they aren’t even your beliefs, you need to write them down and look at them a little further.

You may very well surprise yourself with what you come up with after you ask these questions. You may also discover why you haven’t reached your goals yet, or why you seem to under achieve all the time.

The Difference Between Healthy and Unhealthy Beliefs

When looking at the difference between healthy and unhealthy beliefs, you also have to factor in positive and negative beliefs. Healthy beliefs can be healthy thinking and this is not necessarily positive thinking. The biggest different between the two of these has to do with the factual aspects of the belief. I have included some examples below to explain a little better.

An unhealthy belief could be – I will be in overweight no matter what I do
A positive belief could be – I will be fit and healthy two years from now
A healthy belief would be – I can be fit and healthy two years from now and what I do is going to make all the difference.

Now while positive thinking is always better than negative, it can ring untrue for many of us and can often be the reason that we fail. Have you ever tried saying affirmations? If so then you probably know what I mean. We have all been told to look in the mirror and tell ourselves that we are beautiful or that we have the perfect body. Unfortunately for many of us, this doesn’t work because the positive thinking does not align itself with the facts, or what we actually see in front of us. The affirmations are not in alignment with our current reality and they feel wrong. We feel like we are telling ourselves lies and in many cases it can make you feel worse. The goal is to try to be in harmony with what is real and that is why healthy benefits work better because they are factual. So if you were to look in the mirror and tell yourself that you may be overweight but you are getting fitter every day thanks to all the walks you are doing, this will have a ring truer and make you feel better.

When it comes to achievements and how you are progressing in life, it is really important to identify if your beliefs and the feelings they provoke are healthy or unhealthy. To do this you have to be honest with yourself and the five questions below that were created by Maxie C. Maultsby, MD., are really helpful.

Are your thoughts/beliefs based on fact?
Do your thoughts/beliefs help to protect your life and your health?
Do your thoughts/beliefs help you reach your short and long-term goals?
Do your thoughts/beliefs help you avoid your most undesirable conflicts?
Do your thoughts/beliefs make you feel the way you want to feel?

If you answer “no” to any of these questions, you need to look at your beliefs again and try to change them so that they are healthy and not unhealthy. Your beliefs help to shape your life and if you want a successful and happy life, you need to remove and change unhealthy beliefs.

Here’s a great video from Tony (Anthony)Robbins on the power of beliefs:

I would really like to suggest that you take some time today to think about your dream life and your goals. Do you really believe that these are achievable? Do you believe that YOU can achieve them? If you don’t believe you can achieve them, you need to ask yourself why. What beliefs are stopping you? How can you change them? Do they benefit you? Are they real? Have you proven them to be true? Take some time to question your beliefs and see if they are the reason your life isn’t changing.

If you find it hard to release beliefs that don’t serve you or you would like some help in removing limiting beliefs and creating the life you desire, I can highly recommend getting a life coach. Every successful person you meet will probably tell you that they have a coach or mentor, someone who helps them when they are feeling stuck.  This can also be someone who helps them face their fears, reach their goals, and assess their lives.  Wendy Tomlinson of www.wendytomlinsoncoaching.com is an amazing lady and coach who has helped me to turn my life around and go after my dreams. She offers some amazing coaching packages and her website is full of great information too so be sure to check it out.

Until next time,

 

Amanda