Our beliefs are what we bring with us and shape the roads of our life. So before we get to it, let’s do a little belief testing and try this quick exercise. Think about a problem or something you are facing right now and tell yourself it is impossible. Notice how you feel and how motivated you feel to engage in coming up with alternatives. Now, ask yourself this question, what if this problem is challenging and you don’t know the solution right now, BUT you know there is a solution. Do you notice
a shift? The way you approach anything is based on your beliefs. Your approach changes your possibilities. There will be surprises along the way but you can design your life’s journey by following the steps below.
- First and most importantly, take a look at old messages, limiting beliefs and thoughts. Our beliefs and old messages often get installed before the prefrontal cortex area of the brain is fully formed. So often times, we hold other people’s beliefs and messages as our own. Some examples of limiting beliefs are “I’ll never find the love of my life”, “I am not smart enough to really achieve what I would love to achieve”, “I can’t do that because…” Pay attention to these beliefs and messages you tell yourself and ask, do they serve you and bring you closer to your desires or do they keep you from what you want?
- Test them! Make a list of what you notice as your self talk messages and explore where they came from and the true validity of the messages. Whose belief is this? Maybe it is a parent or an adult who you cared about when you were growing up. Or maybe it is just faulty reasoning.
- Figure out what you DO want to install as supportive and empowering messages. Working with the messages that no longer serve you involves
noticing them, identifying
the ones that are
sabotaging you, and then
coming up with a counter
message. This is essentially
a brain exercise. You have
to practice new thoughts
and beliefs to replace the
old. This is based on
neuroscience, as all of our
practiced thoughts and
beliefs have actually been
wired in our brains as neuro
pathways and the more we
use them, the more quickly
they are activated. When you begin to practice noticing your thoughts and installing a new belief and more empowering messages, this creates new neural pathways. The more you practice these, the more solidified they become.