How to Change Beliefs

What Do You Believe?

Tell me your beliefs and I’ll tell you what your life looks like!

Fundamentally, your life is ruled by your beliefs.

For example, recognizing your limiting beliefs and deciding to eliminate them can completely change your life, can completely change your world.

So here’s how beliefs drive success.

Let me ask you some simple yet relatively profound questions:

What are your beliefs around success and business?

What are your beliefs around love and relationships?

What are your beliefs around money?

What do you believe you deserve in your life?

Do you deserve to be happy?

Do you deserve to be successful?

Do you deserve to truly have the life of your dreams?

Take a second look at the last question.

To paraphrase: Do you truly deserve to have what you want, to live the life of your dreams?

So, if your beliefs guide and control your thinking, your feelings and your behavior then the actions you take and the results you achieve will largely depend upon your beliefs.

If some of your beliefs are limiting your success then this leads to another simple question:

Is it possible to restructure, unlearn, and change your existing beliefs?

If so, how do you do it?

Well, all personal breakthroughs begin with a change in beliefs.

This short series will concentrate on beliefs and why they are so important.

And why having the right set, adopting the right beliefs can really change your life. I’d like to discuss beliefs from a biological, neurological and scientific mindset.

But first let’s briefly discuss how and why beliefs get formed.

Here are some accepted “facts” about beliefs:

Beliefs have a very powerful influence on behaviour.

If you really believe you can do something, you will do it.

If you believe something is impossible, no amount of effort will convince you that you can accomplish it.

Your beliefs about yourself and what is possible greatly affect your day-to-day effectiveness in a given context.

Now we all have beliefs that serve as positive resources as well as beliefs, other beliefs that limit us.

Limiting beliefs are one of the chief culprits around why we do not enjoy the success that we truly deserve.

Many people prefer to argue for their limitations based on their beliefs rather than acknowledge, step up, and change them.

Many of our beliefs were installed by our parents, our teachers, our social upbringing, even the media, before we became aware of their impact on our lives.

This conditioning occurred generally before we were able to exercise any form of personal choice.

So, a simple question: are you aware of your own beliefs?

Particularly those limiting beliefs that may be preventing you from getting the results that you would really love to have, that you could easily achieve.

Now I began by making a statement: Tell me your beliefs and I’ll tell you what your life looks like!

In the next part I’d like to continue with this discussion around beliefs and what choice really means.

PART Two – Exercise Choice

Here is a simple truism: The results in your life are based upon your behaviour.

In the previous part I said: Tell me your beliefs and I’ll tell you what your life looks like.

Well, the most productive and effective way to change your behaviour and hence alter your results is to change and tackle your beliefs.

Now, virtually all behaviour is chosen.

The choice is almost always yours. It’s more or less entirely up to you.

So, what is implied by choice?

Well, let’s take a step back and put first things first.

Choice for many people is only psychologically accepted once their basic needs have been met.

When this has been accomplished then people think about what needs to be done to satisfy their future needs.

Now most of your beliefs were formed when you were quite young.

What happened to you in the past has everything to do with what you are today.

And what you probably will be in the future.

In truth, the only behaviour you have complete control over is your own.

And behaviour is made up of how you think, how you feel, and how you choose to act.

All of this is driven by your beliefs.

Even though how you behave is your choice, for it to be different you have to first control how you think.

How you feel is indirectly caused by how you choose to think and how you choose to act.

How you feel about yourself is based on your beliefs.

And this includes patterns of positive and limiting beliefs.

In life, virtually all problems are relationship problems and the most important relationship you have, well you guessed it, is the one you have with yourself.

How you think about yourself and how you feel about yourself is cobbled together through your beliefs.

Given your beliefs totally dominate your present life; it makes perfect sense to take a forensic look at some of them.

Once you begin to rework your beliefs, and begin the process of change, you will gather momentum and before long you’ll find yourself running not walking.

You may even find yourself leaping as you run.

You will gain enormous energy.

You will lose all fear.

You will very quickly find yourself surrounded by an explosion of action and the insights you will experience and enjoy will be just so absolutely breathtaking.

It is likely that the bumpiest ride you will take in your life has already happened.

At the very least you know how to deal with adversity.

To become the most effective person you can be comes down to exercising personal choice.

You can choose to put aside your habits, those thinking patterns and actions that you have established overtime, by modifying your beliefs.

And you can do this creatively and imaginatively.

Once you pass through the comfort zone that your beliefs represent, you will overcome those limitations and all that uncertainty, and pick up speed.

So, why not reconsider your beliefs?

And be bold.

You are not saddled with them forever, they do not need to be permanent.

You will look back at those grey areas that your beliefs did represent and be proud and delighted that you decided to act.

Next I would like to take a look at determinism and the role it plays in the way beliefs are formed.

PART Three 

Beliefs are formed through experience, so it’s small wonder we hold on to them with a firm, vice-like grip.

Since a belief is accepted as being true, we continue to find the evidence to support and confirm the view.

When you think something is true you will always find proof.

We make such a huge unconscious investment in our beliefs.

We rarely stop and ask: Is this belief actually true?

And does it even make sense?

Has it outlived its purpose?

Not only can a significant problem have its roots in a belief, the belief itself can play a major part in an ongoing problem.

So, if a belief causes a problem, it’s the root cause of a problem, it makes practical sense to at least challenge the belief.

But, how are beliefs formed? Well, put your scientific hat on.

It can be asserted that all actions including human actions and the choices made can be determined by preceding events.

This is a deterministic, scientific and philosophical point of view.

Sounds a little bit like cause and effect, doesn’t it?

In physics it is stated that the variables of a system and the forces acting on the system will determine the values of the same variables at a later date.

One thing determines another.

This is the natural laws of physics in action.

Now superstar scientists such as Newton and Einstein expressed their theories in terms of deterministic equations.

Mind you, it does raise a question whether freedom of choice actually exists.

Now, in deterministic physics, all processes can be deemed as being time-reversible.

This ultimately means that all processes can be reversed through time, although with some phenomena this is hotly disputed.

Beliefs are not facts.

Generally they can’t be proven, “I am a slow learner”, kind of thinking.

But they do become self-fulfilling prophecies.

Now it does make sense to accept cause and effect – very much in the vanguard of NLP thinking, but a scientific approach to beliefs doesn’t always fit nicely since an emotional response can’t really be proven.

Men are from Mars and women are from Venus, as we know.

Now the consequences of how we think, how we feel, and how we act produces our behaviour and it is all based on what we believe to be certain, what we believe to be true.

Many beliefs have outlived their usefulness, they should be jettisoned.

They can be questioned with just perhaps a modicum of scrutiny you can decide to let them go, just by being objective.

And if you change a belief, you can open up areas in your life that were closed off.

Now by adopting a deterministic stand, readily accepting that beliefs are formed through time, they therefore can be reversed through time, it can be unlearned.

Well that’s great, but how is it done?

By simply adopting, ironically, a scientific approach.

All facts must be proven. Is this belief actually true?

Start by writing down your beliefs, particularly your limiting beliefs.

Don’t just think it, ink it! What you measure you can change.

Keep this process quite simple for the time being, we will be covering more on limiting beliefs as we go along.

Once you identify a limiting belief you can begin the process of challenging it.

Challenge its authority; challenge the hold that it has on you.

What does it allow you to do, more importantly, what does it prevent you from doing?

Does it stop you from moving towards something you would dearly love to have?

Ask these questions:

“What do you believe about this that limits you from achieving a goal?”

“What would be a more empowering belief?”

“If you adopt this new belief, what would you be able to pursue?”

At this point you can come up with new ways, new ideas of moving forward towards the goal that you would like.

Now you can reinforce this by adopting the new belief 100%.

Absolutely take it on and absorb it and you can do this by acting “AS IF” it is 100% true.

Just simply accept it as being rock-solid, completely true.

And if you keep on doing this, new ways of behaving, new ideas, new choices will definitely emerge.

PART Four 

Most of the big decisions you make have a direct link to your memories.

This is particularly true when it comes to those important decisions you make about your skills, talents, attributes and personality.

They go to the very heart of your identity and unfortunately some of these decisions in turn become limiting beliefs and they can impact several areas of your life.

So, the big question: Why settle for limitations when you could just as easily be unstoppable?

In the vast database of your memories, beliefs about yourself have been created, validated and stored, almost in perpetuity.

They are formed through experience to become, well your version of reality.

Now many of these beliefs were established at a time when you didn’t have the resources to properly put the decision into perspective.

In this part I would like to challenge such a belief. 

Given so many of these limiting beliefs are formed when we are quite young, perhaps it is timely to revisit them and begin the process of reassessing their true value.

You know, it is really surprising just how so much of what you think and do is unconscious.

Virtually all your responses are based on your values, your beliefs and your memories.

Now in the last part I mentioned how incredibly revealing and even cathartic it can be to write down your limiting beliefs.

Once a belief is identified, a limiting belief is identified, you can confront its authority, the grip that it has on you.

What does it allow you to do and what does it prevent you from doing?

Does it stop you from moving towards what you really would love to have?

Let’s take a simple exercise.

Assume a belief has been formed that “Learning a new belief is too difficult.”

You can begin the process of unburdening yourself by reframing the belief.

Take a look at a few examples.

1. Look at the consequences of continuing with the limitation.

“If you refuse to give it a go, you will never know how adaptable you can be.”

2. Alter its size, its dimension.

“Imagine transforming your success!”

“How tough can it be to alter just one belief?”

3. Get the evidence the limitation is actually true.

“How do you that?”

4. Redefine the belief.

“You don’t have to learn a new belief; you only need to be open to the possibility it can be done.”

5. Create a counter example.

“Have you ever discovered you had a skill you never thought you had?”

Here’s a few more challenges that you can make, again just by simply reframing the belief.

6. State the intention of a new way of thinking.

“The intention is to permit yourself to let go of something that was formed such a long time ago.”

7. Change the timeframe. Can it be made longer or shorter?

“The sooner you accept it can be done, the easier it will appear.”

8. Establish the criteria behind the belief.

“Don’t you think it’s more important to give yourself the chance to see how capable you truly are?”

9. Look at the relevance of the belief.

“The problem is not that learning a new belief is difficult, it is that you haven’t realized how easily it can be done…yet.”

10. Rethink how the belief applies to them.

“It’s impossible to not learn once you decide to persevere.”

Now take one of your limiting beliefs and apply a few checks and balances, really to challenge its validity at this time in your life.

Write down everything associated with that belief, how you think, feel and act.

Fully empty out.

Once you have completed this then write down your new belief.

Now here’s a tip: Once you’ve written down the new belief, I want you to act as if it is 100% true and do so enthusiastically.

Steadfastly refuse to consider the old belief.

Keep at it.

Keep that new belief at the forefront of your mind.

Don’t buckle, refuse to bend.

This is who you are and if you keep at it, what will happen?

Well, new behaviours will emerge.

There will be more on changing limiting beliefs as we continue to discuss beliefs from a biological, neurological and scientific perspective.

Why not begin the process of challenging those limiting beliefs that were formed so long ago and decide which of them you no longer need and get rid of.

You know, perhaps it’s time for them and me to go!

PART Five 

Several of your beliefs were established at a time when you didn’t have the necessary resources to resist their influence.

Perhaps it’s time to reflect on how well some of them are serving you today. 

Let’s say you can come up with a number of limiting beliefs you have.

If you write them down, this incidentally loosens their grip, you will be able to consciously read a few of them out loud in a minute.

But these thoughts loop unconsciously through your mind countless times a day, not just a few times.

They become unconsciously automatic thoughts.

And they get firmly entrenched to form your unconscious programming.

Beliefs and the set of rules you have about yourself are now established.

And this is the challenge of change and change essentially begins with an assessment of the rules you have about yourself, your beliefs.

Why is it such a struggle to change a belief?

Well, the 2^nd law of Thermodynamics states that things, if left to themselves, tend towards increased entropy.

This leads to the disorganization of a system.

The second law asserts that all of nature is on a one-way ticket to disorder and decay.

However, the notion of entropy is slippery.

It is next to impossible, to pin it down as a measure of disorder in a person.

Everywhere in nature you see patterns.

Some are orderly, some disorderly.

Nature reveals numerous instances of disorganisation and decay, but there is also always growth.

Nature, through the seasons, alone is a measure of this.

Now a living cell itself is a self-organising structure, a self-organising system and this perhaps explains why interventions such as Emotional Freedom Technique, tapping, can be highly effective.

Epigenetic medicine is definitely more popular today.

In spite of conflicting tendencies, most people are perfectly capable of self-organisation and growth.

You know, our thoughts, feelings, behavior, interactions with others, ideas, creativity, inventiveness, and so on, are rarely ever “left to themselves.”

Everything affects everything else.

This is the nature of a human being.

Empowering beliefs and limiting beliefs are bound together. In many of us, they become inseparable.

So, if your beliefs become your rules, why not reassess their value?

It’s your rule book, it belongs to you, only you can change it.

Go ahead and consider one of your limiting beliefs.

Check its true validity in your life right now.

If you decide it has outlived its usefulness you are primed for change.

I mentioned in the previous part that you can use a reframe to challenge a limiting belief.

Well, a more powerful way of challenging a limiting belief using reframes is to combine several statements with a simple linking mechanism.

Just play around with your own statements and come up with a challenge that combines several reframes.

I’ll bring up the first five again and come up with something.

You can play around with similar ideas.

“How tough can it be to alter just one belief, given you don’t even have to learn a new belief, you only need to be open to the possibility it can be done, and if you refuse to give it a go, you will never know how adaptable you can be, so why not give yourself permission to discover a skill you may be unaware you have, in the same way you have probably done unconsciously so many times in the past?”

Well, that was a bit wordy, so I’ll have another go and this time come up with something simpler, perhaps being a little more creative with some of the reframes.

“Why not give it a go, then you will know whether it’s true, since altering just one belief will be more than possible for you, which means you will be able to discover a useful ability, and realize just how adaptable you can be.”

After combining a few reframes the person’s conscious mind tends to get overloaded and they tend to give up trying to process the information consciously. In this state a person’s unconscious mind will simply absorb the information.

They are far more likely to take action.

Why not begin the process of assessing your set of rules with a view to challenge those limiting beliefs that may be holding you back.

PART Six

Do you ever find yourself getting tangled in what seems like a web of problems?

Or find yourself duplicating behaviour that doesn’t get the best results?

If so, perhaps it’s time to take a look at your beliefs.

You know it is an eye-opener to take a personal inventory of your habits.

Many people get caught up doing the same things in the same way each and every day.

Taking a more creative approach to the day seldom makes any to-do list.

Habit is like an infinitely long highway.

You get to a place, but you miss so much on the journey and your curiosity is compromised and stifled.

Life is so much more exhilarating when you exercise choice.

To become a highly effective person requires having choice, being able to choose one or more ways to reach a specific destination.

Now the human mind is a complex system that seems to thrive on curiosity and creativity.

It is stimulated by chaos.

And it is natural to produce habits borne out of your beliefs, but it is rare to look at your own inventory of beliefs and decide where an adjustment would be beneficial, even transformative.Limiting beliefs play a significant role in the habits that you learn.

They strengthen the rules that govern all of your actions.

As you know, everybody experiences problems.

They are unavoidable.

Yet, it is surprising just how many of these problems are caused by and exacerbated by the beliefs we unconsciously hold to be 100% certain.

Perhaps it’s time to pause and reflect.

You see problems can get coiled and twisted together and you can easily feel snared, confused and trapped.

Once in this state it becomes troublesome even hopeless to see a way clear.

Yet, on reflection, just how many of these problems are self-created, almost certainly unknowingly?

Just how do you free yourself from the maze?

Well the ultimate and most effective way is to confront your limiting beliefs.

Take them on.

Recognize, acknowledge and challenge them. 

In life, I think it’s fair to say you get what you ask for.

The flip side is also true.

You don’t get what you don’t ask for!

Do you ever enlist your unconscious mind to help you get what you want?

Have you ever enlisted your unconscious mind to confront and replace a limiting belief?

So many problems are the result of beliefs that have outlived their usefulness, they are like museum pieces. Identifying your own limiting beliefs is the first step and it is smart to write them down.

This act alone loosens their grip.

Change and improved results begins with an assessment of the rules you have about yourself, your beliefs.

And you can be confident that they can be spontaneously changed.

Choice with determination is the pivot upon which change is finely balanced.

You need to take action.

Take some time out.

And take two or three of your limiting beliefs and write them down.

If you prefer, you can start with one of the big ones.

Then I want you to be creative, use your imagination and actually create one of more images to represent each belief and draw them.

Simple drawings will suffice. Just think creatively: a bowl of spaghetti, highway madness, a brilliant rainbow, the circus, a fireworks display, traffic lights on red, a caged animal, camping, mountaineering, whatever.

Do not overthink, just imagine and draw. 

The decisive thing to be aware of is that the unconscious mind is symbolic.

It is highly symbolic by nature. It is pointless trying to direct the unconscious mind through descriptive language, it simply will not respond.

Now when you interprete a drawing use your conscious mind to fathom what is metaphorically implied.

Now for example, a bowl of spaghetti may indicate confusion, not knowing how to make sense of something.

Now this is an insight.

Now you have a metaphor for the belief.

Now if the metaphor does signify confusion, then you may need to create a new metaphor based on clarity and simplicity.

Ask yourself: What is it about each belief that traps you, that engulfs you?

Take each of the images and begin to think of ways to unscramble the belief.

But be thorough.

You need to cut through the psychological habits that empower each of these beliefs.

Consider in depth how to get rid of each of these beliefs.

Do not rush this.

Take your time and get a bird’s eye perspective on each of the beliefs.

You are looking for metaphors.

Ask yourself: Do I really need to hold on to this belief?

Is there a payoff for me? Imagine what you will see, hear and feel on the inside once the limiting belief has vanished.

What will you now experience? What will you now believe?

And how might your life be different?

Take a deep breath and imagine being finally free of its control.

It will be nothing short of a personal transformation and it could well lead to something absolutely magical.

You may be surprised how the solution to a limiting belief is captured by the images that you create.

What do your images represent?

What do they imply?

And where do they lead?

And importantly, what are you destined to do now you that have put your beliefs under the microscope?

So many of your problems can be eliminated by exploring belief change.

Once a limiting belief is tackled through analysis, curiosity, creativity, and choice, it loses its power.

The shackles are broken.

You are then capable of self-organisation and growth.

Decide to exercise choice.

Choice is never a single highway, a road to one place.

All of your mental pictures, feelings, sounds and self-talk contain specific qualities.

These qualities are how you unconsciously structure a belief.

You can change any belief by altering these qualities.

Start with images.

In the meantime, don’t delay, choose to identify and then write down your limiting beliefs.

PART Seven 

Would you like to change the results you are getting in well, ANY area of your life?

If yes, this is the perfect time to look at your beliefs.

There is a direct correlation between the results you get and the beliefs that you hold.

And beliefs that limit you play a significant role in the habits you learn.

They strengthen the rules that govern all of your actions.

So many of our problems are exacerbated by the beliefs we hold to be 100% certain.

And acceptance of certain beliefs can cause fear and uncertainty, and block your progress. It’s time to free yourself from the problem maze.

Perhaps the most effective way to improve your results is to confront the limiting beliefs that hold you back.

In the previous part I said you need to take them on.

That is, recognize, acknowledge and challenge them. 

In chaos and order theory, there is a term called the “bifurcation point.”

This can be also be called the point of “overwhelm”.

Now you may know that once that you get overwhelmed with one thing, there is a tendency to get overwhelmed with everything.

Limiting beliefs can grip hard and fast.

They can be a catalyst for overwhelm and will not easily let go.

In health, for example, a bifurcation point is the moment where the body either breaks down, or moves towards a better state.

Disease can be manifested, or the body can be elevated to a higher order.

This can be regarded as a Moment of Truth.

A bifurcation occurs when a small change is made to the parameters of a system and causes a sudden change in its behavior.

At every bifurcation point there is the possibility, a choice of some kind that acts to stabilize the system.

It can go two ways.

At a less functional state if the part is part of a downward trend, or it could reorganize at a higher functional level if it part of an upward trend.

If you have ever watched a person falling down a number of stairs, like in a movie, you might notice there seems to be a point where a pause occurs.

It is as if the frame is frozen, time seems to literally stand still.

Even your brain as you watch it seems to freeze over.

Now either the pause will stop the fall, or the pause is swiftly followed by an acceleration in the fall.

So, what has happened?

Well, the existing chaos or entropy has been brought to a point of resolution.

I am suggesting that all beliefs experience a bifurcation point.

Initially they get loosely formed, and can be either discarded, or made permanent.

So, the big question: can you push a system back to its original state once it has been established?

A limiting belief can be resolved once you recognize, acknowledge and challenge it.

See, once you recognize and acknowledge how a limiting belief is affecting your results and you decide to take action you are reaching a bifurcation point.

Now the first step is simple: Go ahead and identify a limiting belief, something substantial, something really significant.

And write it down.

Now a big decision needs to be made, a decisive decision.

The opportunity to change is there.

Decide to take it.

The challenge is centered around the fact that the mind and the body have been so conditioned by familiarity that it finds its stability in its present state. In other words, it is much easier to retain the status quo and give up on the idea of change even if the outcome can result in something transformative.

If you step up and challenge the belief you are about to enter a bifurcation process, and it is more than possible to move through it successfully if determination, discipline, diligence, dedication and desire fire your momentum.

So, a bifurcation process can bring possibility once you take ownership, and decide it’s time to make real change.

Let’s begin the creative of looking at your beliefs with a view to challenging those limiting beliefs that defy progress and stop you being the success you could easily be.

PART Eight

Certain specific beliefs can hold you back.

So, why not begin the process of identifying and then challenging them?

Beliefs can be tracked.

You can take the biggest problems in life and with a little investigation uncover the problems that limit you, the beliefs that hold you back.

You can deduce how a person makes a decision from their language, even from everyday conversation.

Basically it is an exercise in pattern matching.

You know, you can recognize and eventually unpack a person’s whole belief system.

We all have rigid, atomic beliefs that guide our behavior.

These are the choices we make and learn through experience.

If you can rewire a limiting belief of a person, you can provide them with more choice.

And the good news is that all beliefs can be mapped or tracked.

You can convert all decision making to a simple IF-THEN statement.

People who like maths or logic will adore this!

Once you have a simple IF-THEN statement you have got the basic structure of the belief, and you can take it one step further and discover what the limiting belief means to them, what is its purpose, and why is the belief so important to them, and this generally will lead to a value statement.

This can be kept quite straightforward, given it is relatively easy to uncover a limiting belief.

They literally abound in a person’s conversation.

I mean, ask somebody “how was your morning?” and they will reveal a belief. It is that simple.

Now everybody would like to win the lottery, wouldn’t they?

And a person will not say something like:
“IF I won the lottery, THEN I would give up my job, WHICH MEANS I would enjoy freedom for just about the first time in my life!

Yet this is what it means to them, the belief and value the money will provide.

Once you tune in and listen in a different way to the statements a person makes you will be amazed just how impoverished many of their beliefs actually are, and need not be.

Yet they drive their behavior.

So, you can detect a person’s limiting belief by simply listening to the surface structure of their language.

Now beliefs do not change easily.

People are pulled in particular directions because they unconsciously choose this, or because of their learned experience.

As soon as you analyze the language, and convert it to a belief form, it will indicate what is happening at a deeper structure.

You know, it is a real eye-opener to convert the statement into a simple IF-THEN, WHICH MEANS structure.

Now you will have the information and the knowledge to help you map or track a person’s whole belief system including your own.

You will have the conditions, the context, where the belief is applied, and also the intention behind the belief, its purpose.

Now you have something really powerful to question and you can go ahead and challenge a limiting belief.

You know, it is essential to avoid being hypnotized into the same problem state a person you are talking to might be in!

Just remember beliefs are rules and rules are followed to make decisions.

The challenge when uncovering someone’s beliefs, or your own beliefs, is that once they are evaluated, they can be described in literally dozens of ways, language being so rich.

So, it is really important to avoid being hypnotized into the same problem state.

An important aspect to realise is that all beliefs have a values-based intention.

However, the value is generally apply to one context only, unless, of course, it is a universal belief.

So, the task when you listen to a person, or consider your own statements, is to take what has been said, and alter it into this form:

“In a specific context, a result will happen, which means this to me.”

Once you have the condition, the IF, you will know what decision has been made, the THEN, and the value it presents, the WHICH MEANS.

“If it snows again tomorrow, I’ll clear the pathway.”

“If it snows again tomorrow, then I’ll clear the pathway, which means everybody will be safe from slipping.”

Once the specific circumstances of a rigidly held belief are known and how it affects you, it can be challenged to provide you with more choice.

And, after all, we all want more choice, do we not?

IF you do this back yourself, THEN you will begin to recognize your own enormous capacity, WHICH MEANS you will further empower yourself.

PART Ten

If you want a personal breakthrough decide to tackle, confront and eliminate a limiting belief. And now is the right time!

As you learn and grow, as you develop, you unconsciously register your memories and life experiences.

More specifically, all significant emotional events are stored in your subconscious.

And often these experiences result in negative emotions and limiting beliefs.

So, why is this?

Well, they often occur at a very early age when you would not have the wisdom nor the capacity to properly deal with them.

However, this information is organized so that later it can be accessed. 

Unfortunately, mental barriers get formed, and you can get easily disconnected from your own true capabilities.

Before long you can abandon attempting anything outside your comfort zone.

At least, you can steadfastly refuse to go through any door that may challenge how you think, and how you genuinely feel about yourself deep down.

And once your mind is boxed in, in this way, it imprisons your potential, it can blur your creativity, and it can even dash your ability to be everything you could possibly be. 

Your brain is constantly making connections.

It is a pattern matching machine.

Its purpose is the search for meaning through these connections.

To do this it assembles thoughts, feelings, self-talk, memories,possible actions, past decisions, behavior, and so on.

It strips out and reengineers this information in its attempt to make complete sense of it. 

So, once you form a powerful and emotionally attached limiting belief you can be prevented from taking advantage of what may be possible for you.

The door remains closed.

The challenge is to take one of these connections – a limiting belief – and investigate whether it holds true for you today.

In all probability it doesn’t, even though it can be stopping you from getting even better results.

Determination and willpower are wonderful attributes to have but they are not enough.

You can use the analogy of Russian dolls as a way to think about yourself.

On the outer, the surface, everything appears to be, well, quite normal.

As you peel away the layers – open up the dolls –the more dolls you open up, the less is concealed.

Now you are getting closer to how you really think and believe about yourself – the deeper structure of your meaning.

And before long everything can be revealed. 

Now flip the switch.

Select a belief, a limiting belief, that you feel may be preventing you from getting the results that you could get. Just label and write it down.

Now, see the outer doll, the larger doll as this limiting belief.

Then use your imagination, and remove the outer doll.

Look at the smaller doll and ask yourself some specific questions: 

What implications exist for accepting this limiting belief at this age and stage of your life?

How has this belief affected your recent activities?

What more could you possibly achieve if you didn’t feel weighed down by this belief?

Just be aware that this is a relatively recent representation of your life when you’ve saddled yourself with this belief.

Again, use your imagination and remove the next layer.

Ask yourself the same or similar questions.

Now begin to question when and why the belief was formed and see if you can get to root cause when it originally occurred, and then consider what have you done to challenge its validity.

And continue with this until you comfortably feel you are at the smallest doll.

Now you should have when and why the belief was formed. Ask your unconscious if you’re not sure.

If necessary, just close your eyes, ask your unconscious, and it will tell you. 

By now, if you take your time, you should have a thorough understanding of the derivation, your ongoing experience through various life stages, and whether the belief has current merit, any future merit in being held on to.

Chances are it’s served its purpose and should be consigned to a museum. Make it a museum piece.

You could even elicit this information by drawing your experience, your journey with this limiting belief as a kind of mental mind map. 

A diagram of your subjective experiences with this belief will help you to let go of the belief, and then you can go ahead and use this information to create the future that you want for yourself.

Make each major life stage one of the branches, and the self-imposed limitations can branch off it as you revisit each of your experiences.

At each branch ask yourself whether the belief should have been shelved.

So, have a go and discover your own history with this belief.

Then decide to let it go.

Contact me and I will send you some great tips that will help you to make a personal breakthrough in an important area of your life.

Why not decide to let go of those limiting beliefs that have basically served their purpose.

It’s time to junk them!

PART Eleven

Your results are based on your habits.

Can a frequently practiced habit be eliminated?

Yes, and here’s how.

Without changing at least one core belief it is highly likely nothing you do will change a habit.

Habits are notoriously tough to break.

Will power is useful, but like all New Year’s resolutions, it is difficult to maintain.

Beliefs become habits and habits control virtually everything you do on a daily basis.

Imagine you are determined to change a habit.

What is probably going to happen?

An excuse will pop up to keep you from stopping what you have conditioned yourself to do.

That’s the way your brain prefers it.

You have trained yourself too well.

How can you motivate yourself to beat a habit that is preventing you from becoming an even more successful you?

Given a habit is underpinned by one or more beliefs it is imperative to tackle your belief system whole heartedly.

No point in messing about, it requires dedication, diligence and hard work.

And it can be done.

Start by focusing on what you do, and why you are doing it.

In this part let’s take a look at the first five considerations:

1. Why do you want to change?

2. Understand the scale of the problem

3. Who can you choose as a role model?

4. Consider whether you believe you deserve to succeed

5. Imagine the benefits!

Let’s take a closer look.

1. Why do you want to change?

This must be compelling or resistance will quickly occur.

It must be something for you alone, not just for the benefit of others.

It’s your belief, and basically only you can alter it.

Unless there is a significant reason behind changing the belief will power will fail.

2. Understand the scale of the problem

Here you need to determine how a belief plays out in your life.

Get a feel for what it is costing you, and ask yourself why you are prepared to put up with it when there is no need to do so.

Get an idea of how big the scale of the problem actually is.

You always have choice.

3. Who can you choose as a role model?

Most of your beliefs were formed when you were quite young.

It is likely that your family circle has influenced you into developing certain beliefs.

Perhaps it’s time to look outside your immediate circle to gain inspiration elsewhere.

Look around and decide who you can choose to study either directly or indirectly.

Act as if you are this other person when the old belief crops up.

4. Consider whether you believe you deserve to succeed

Recognise the futility of making yet another resolution, and plan what you will actually do put into place.

Once you understand the consequences of a belief, and you accept that it is something only you can fully control, why not go ahead and plan how you will move forward?

Think creatively, discover what is possible, visualise yourself succeeding, and apply yourself – let nothing interfere.

Create a trigger you will use when you are tempted to fall back into your old ways.

Smile when you resist it!

5. Imagine the benefits!

Remember, at every bifurcation point there is the possibility of bringing a form of chaos to a resolution point.

You are at a tipping point and you can transition, almost abruptly to a new state.

Imagine how impressed with yourself you will be!

Remember, you have many faces, so put them to use and knock over those beliefs that have surely served their purpose.

PART Twelve

Tomorrow morning when you wake up, would you like to rise with a sense of energy and vitality?

Would you like to combine a feeling of relaxation with a sharp sense of alertness as you make contact with the world?

Such a combination of vitality and inner peace can transform your day.

Here’s some simple facts:

Your results are based on how you behave.

Your behavior is based on your habits.

Your habits are based on your beliefs.

Your beliefs drive your thinking.

And round and round it goes.

Why not start the day in the best possible way?

It all begins and can change with how you think and feel on a given day.

It’s incredibly useful to be more aware of everything going on inside you.

Becoming more connected with the present is the starting point.

Take a closer look at your environment.

Is there anything new you can see? Include smells and tastes in addition to sights and sounds.

How does this make you feel?

As you use your senses find a way to anchor each of them.

Now consider how you might add some variety to your environment.

This will directly affect your behavior in the environment.

How could you behave differently to get an improved result?

Look at a behavior you would like to change.

Find out what it is you would like to do instead.

Ask yourself what prevents you from doing what you ideally want.

Think about something that outweighs the motivation that prevents you from doing what you would like to do.

For example, you might want to lose weight, but hate the idea of exercising.

So, a higher order of thinking could be your health and self-image.

The protection of your family may spring to mind.

Go ahead and write down a statement that affirms this.

The statement could be something like:

“Even though I hate the idea of exercising I realize I could be putting my family at risk, and I would much prefer to look good, and feel healthy.”

Finally, find a way to achieve the desired behavior that does not cause you to feel bad about exercising.

In other words, what form of exercise could you begin to do that is acceptable?

Now make a plan, a strategy, for how you will begin to do this, and build it into a routine.

Once undertaken solidly, a new habit will quickly form, and the belief that your health is important will become a priority in your life.

Look for ways to alter your environment.

Behavioural change will swiftly follow and you will enjoy the results.