Have you ever noticed yourself avoiding certain situations, even though you really wanted to participate?  Do you hold back even though your heart is longing to do something?  You are not alone, many people would like to live their lives a bit differently, but something keeps holding them back.  Discovering your beliefs and where they originated from can help you understand the limits that you have placed on your life.

Finding the source of your beliefs and ideas is important to fully understand just how they came about and the falsities within them.  When you recognize how and where they originated, you can see that these ideas and beliefs may not be true.  The way you interpreted the situation, at that time may have fit the situation, but more than likely it is no longer valid.   When you know where it started you can:

1. 1. 1. Appreciate how it came about
      2. See the “flaws” in the belief that was formed
      3. Can easily change that belief/idea into a more harmonious one

If you don’t understand how it originated, then your subconscious may keep you operating from an idea that no longer serves you. Knowing what the source is, assists you in eliminating the belief.  For example, if you have believed that “you are too old to start a new career,” and know that this belief comes from fear and a belief you formed when seeing a parent fail while trying to change careers, you can understand why you formed this belief and you can also see the flaw in it.  Recognizing this, you can now easily say “No, that is not true!”

Beliefs and ideas that negatively influence your life are frequently formed by our experiences and our interactions with others. Let’s explore these.

Experiences are events that influence how we think and interact with different situations, people, and life. These events can be traumatic, fun, joyful, or just plain uneventful.  Our beliefs about life and ourselves are often formed at these times.

For example, if you are struggling in a situation, perhaps a certain subject in school, or a game with friends, different ideas are formed about yourself and the world from these situations.  Ideas such as:

• • • life is challenging or hard
    • it is difficult to win
    • I’m not smart, intelligent or good

These ideas can then become beliefs, that then influence your actions in life.  If you think you can’t win, you might not enter any contests, or try out for something you would like.  If you do enter a contest, you might pursue it with the belief that you are probably not going to win and your actions will reflect this belief.  Recognizing your beliefs started with a certain situation, i.e. struggling in school or in a game, allows you to see the falseness in that idea. The idea/belief can’t be applied to every situation, however, we seem to do that quite frequently.

Another example of how experiences can influence your beliefs could be an argument that escalated to the point where you may have lost a friendship or a valued relationship. You may come away with beliefs such as

• • • standing my ground only results in loss
    • there is no way to peacefully resolve anything
    • why should I try to present my point of view, I will only get hurt

These beliefs become embedded in your subconscious, then affect your behavior and how you react.  It is important to understand that the argument was specific to that time and is not a reflection of future situations.  Future situations may appear the same primarily because of your expectation and belief.  Our perceptions and beliefs often cloud the reality of any situation.

Now let’s look at how people can impact our beliefs.  People are important, however, our relationships with them can impact you significantly in how you view yourself.  Some interactions are positive and others are not.   Take, for example, you are constantly told by family, friends, and/or teachers that you won’t amount to anything.  You may adopt that belief that “you lack any value.”   This often creates self-fulfilling prophecies. It is important to recognize that their words do not represent the truth, but only their perception based on their own limiting beliefs.

Everyone is not a scientist or a mathematician, just as not everyone is a musician or artist. Just think how boring our world would be if we were all the same.  Learn to appreciate and value yourself and every person.  By doing so eliminates the judgments of others and yourself, and the world becomes a nicer place.

What can you do?

• • • Be an observer of your thoughts, this way you’ll catch yourself when you are limiting your actions.
    • Ask for help, for your personal guides, and from others.
    • Recognize where the belief came from, this is important so you can understand its’ flaws.

These are just a few things you can do. For more information on these ideas and more see my book “Your Personal Guidance System:  Unlock the Door to the Universe and Experience the Magic!”

Featured Image by Augustin Fernandez