Monday, March 12, 2007

Change Your Thinking Change Your Life

Did you know that each one of our beliefs is a choice?

Even those we aren't consciously aware of. We still choose. We've chosen to accept most of our beliefs "without argument." That is, we unconsciously buy into what others have told us about ourselves and the world around us. Or we simply accept a certain interpretation of a past experience and assume that future events hold the same meaning.

For the most part, this allows us to function in a relatively healthy manner. Imagine trying to evaluate every detail of every decision we make every day to determine if we truly believe it so that we can act on it. We'd be paralyzed. We live life on faith for the most part, and this is good.

But in many cases our beliefs should be challenged.

Especially when we begin to realize that we're holding negative and self-limiting beliefs because "that's what I've always been told." Beliefs like: "I'm no good at math." ~ "I'm not a people person." ~ "I've never been good with directions." ~ "I'm a terrible cook."

Who says?! Who told you that? Probably a person, a cultural expectation, or past experience. But we can choose a different belief. Some people say that they aren't readers. Well, if you read a book guess what? You become a reader! It's a matter of choice. That's great news. It means we aren't victims to past influences or patterns of behavior.

So how do we change our beliefs? The answer is by thinking about our thoughts. Whenever we make a statement to ourselves or about ourselves, become aware of that self-talk. Bring it to light and then change your thinking about it. It's a choice.

And when we change our thinking, we change our lives. We'll explore this topic further, but for now look at the progression this sets in motion.

When you change your thinking, you change your beliefs;
When you change your beliefs, you change your expectations;
When you change your expectations, you change your attitude;
When you change your attitude, you change your behavior;
When you change your behavior, you change your performance;
When you change your performance, you change your life!

You already choose your beliefs. The question is, will you choose to evaluate them and change them if necessary? It's up to you.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Your article is very true indeed.
I'd just like a add a point that beliefs changing isn't a one-time process. It should be done through repetitive self affirming.