Change Your Beliefs to Change Your Life

“Seeing is not believing; believing is seeing! You see things, not as they are, but as you are.” ~Eric Butterworth

“The outer conditions of a person’s life will always be found to reflect their inner beliefs.” ~James Allen

“Wait a minute. I don’t want to change my beliefs. That is who I am!”

True. Your beliefs are what make you who you are. However, dysfunctional beliefs about ourselves do us no good. They rob us from fulfilling our true potential. They steal the wind from our sails. They shoot us down before we even get a chance to take that first step. We are not meant to live mediocre lives. We are Spiritual Beings destined for greatness. Instead, we let the past programming deter us from following our hearts.

“I can’t do that. I am not smart enough. Why should I bother? I will probably fail.”

Do you see how destructive our beliefs about ourselves can be? My friend, you are loved beyond belief. Despite your beliefs about yourself, the Creator loves you no matter what. The Creator loves you unconditionally. There are no requirements for this love. You don’t even have to believe in God. However, God loves you regardless. And God believes in you. You are too hard on yourself. You deserved to be loved. Do you know why? You are pure love itself. You were born from the Creator of Unconditional Love.

Beliefs are nothing more than repeated thoughts. When you think a thought enough times, it becomes a belief. For example, if an individual is constantly telling themselves they are a loser over and over, it is only a matter of time before the person accepts this as absolute gospel. The brain becomes wired to accept that as reality. This belief becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. They believe they will fail and therefore fail. On the other hand, if a person has the belief, "I can accomplish anything if I set my mind on it," then that will most likely be their reality.

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t—you’re right.” ~Henry Ford

A lot of the beliefs are formed during childhood and adolescence. Everybody in our life wants to put in their two cents. Our parents, family, friends, school, work, the media, culture, religion, spiritual institutions, science, and so on, play a part in our programming. Parents don’t often realize how impressionable children are, especially when their six and under. What a person says out of anger to their child may be detrimental to that child. When the parent tells the child that they are good for nothing, the child lacks reasoning to judge that the statement wasn’t intentional. Perhaps the parent was yelled at by his employer and just transformed that anger on his child. Nonetheless, we have to be careful in what we say to others, because our thoughts and emotions may have serious repercussions on others. I truly believe that are children are our future. If we pour garbage into their head, we won’t have a future. We can learn a lot from our children. They are great teachers.

We can change our beliefs by hanging out with positive people. These individuals have a healthy outlook on life. They see the silver lining in things. An obstacle to them is nothing more than an opportunity. They don’t get discouraged by set-backs, for there is something to learn from that experience. Perhaps it wasn’t the best time, or maybe they needed to find out more information.

We can also change our beliefs by reading inspirational and uplifting books. Many self-help, spiritual, and psychological books are great for improving our thoughts. Watching inspiration films and documentaries are also great for the mind. Then there is music. This can do wonders. A nice peaceful composition can relax the mind and body. And then there is my personal favorite, connecting with nature. Take a walk through a botanical garden and really take in the beauty. You will be glad you did. Nature is a wonderful teacher. She has a lot of love and wisdom to share with you. Talk with her. Listen to her stories. They are beautiful.

Reciting positive affirmations are also very beneficial to changing negative beliefs. It is very important that the affirmations are realistic. If not, your mind will reject them. What I find very effective is that affirmations are more effective when the mind is relaxed. There are many ways to bring about relaxation. Use your imagination.

Just to get you started, I will share some examples: Meditation or breathing exercises are wonderful for relaxing the mind. Taking a nice bath with soothing essential oils also does wonders. Getting a massage is also great for relaxing the mind. It also relaxes your body too! Drinking a nice herbal tea like chamomile is also very soothing. Petting your pets is also therapeutic. It helps to reduce stress. And then we have nature. Find a nice place to sit and just take in the beauty.

By making sure that you are fully relaxed, will ensure that your affirmation is much more effective. You see, when you are relaxed, the Ego steps aside. That is why it is a great time to reprogram your mind when you are relaxed. On the other hand, if you are stressed, your affirmations are not going to be very effective.

Warning: Don’t do affirmations when you are stressed!

Each day, think of something that you like about yourself and repeat it to yourself throughout the day (it is important to really feel the emotions). Also apply this to others. Instead of focusing on their flaws, find something positive you like about them. Do the same with nature. What do you see in the tree or flower that you like? What do you see in your pets that you like? Why do this, you ask?

You do this, because you want to feel better.

When you recognize the beauty in the flower, you are recognizing the beauty in you. The words Namaste and Aloha, when said to another, mean that you recognize the divine in the other.

“The Divine in me acknowledges the Divine in you.”