Sunday, November 6, 2011

postheadericon Six Steps To Changing Your Beliefs (A Step By Step Blueprint For Mastering Your Belief System)








What follows is a step by step method to rid yourself of negative, limiting beliefs so you can move on and leave those beliefs behind!

Step 1) Be clear what you want to believe

You have a clear goal; all you need is the belief that the goal is possible. Notwithstanding the old quote that says "The masses need to see, then they believe. Whereas the wise man believes then expects to see," there are instances where we need to find a way to reinforce our belief system and when this happens we first have to apply focus.

Six Steps To Changing Your Beliefs (A Step By Step Blueprint For Mastering Your Belief System)

"Energy flows where focus goes" is a great phrase that describes one of the basics of firming up a belief. Once you are able to focus or concentrate on your belief the more likely you are to get the results you want.

An example of this is when you are cycling and you are going through a narrow gap between, say, a tree and a fence and you start to think "I'm going to hit that tree if I'm not careful." Then as you get closer the thought becomes more real and as it does the bike seems magnetised to the tree and, try as you may, you head for the tree seemingly unable to correct your course.

It's as if the bike knows where it's going, which actually it does because your mind controls your body and your mind is focused on a collision with the tree. Well, guess what happens? Wood and metal come together exactly as planned in your head to prove that directed focus backed by belief brings results.

Step 2) Your personal beliefs audit

Your beliefs are your take on reality or should I say what you perceive to be real (well you believe it don't you?) and we treat them as if they were true! These beliefs either serve us or they don't. The ones that serve us will take us forward, the ones that don't keep us stuck where we are.

The reason we hold onto our current perception of the world is because we are filtering out anything that disagrees with it e.g. the thought or desired belief that "I will earn enough to buy the new house I want" is met with "Don't be stupid you can't earn that much! What could you do to earn enough for that kind of place? Ridiculous, forget it, don't make a fool of yourself!. In doing this filtering we are overlooking all sorts of information that would help.

The good news is that beliefs can and do change. Do you know anyone that stopped supporting one political party and switched to another, or changed religion, or football teams because their beliefs had changed? It may be as simple as believing a certain newspaper had everything but after reading an opinion put by a writer in another paper you thought deeply about the point that was made and came to the conclusion that you aligned with that theory and after that you never read your old paper again.

You may have always believed staunchly in the justice system, however, when a family member is wrongfully arrested for something they didn't do your belief in the system changes overnight.

May I suggest you now carry out a beliefs audit! Firstly don't categorise your beliefs as true or false or right or wrong; try instead they serve me or they don't serve me or they're helpful or they're not helpful. Put a line down the middle of a piece of paper and put the beliefs that don't serve you in the left hand column. When you have done that counter those beliefs in the column on the right. If you have a goal focus both sets of beliefs towards that goal.

You could think about how hard it is to get your goal, how big the goal is, how capable you are, how you have failed in the past, what people are telling you. Just write as many in each column as you can. When you have done that underline the belief that you think is the most unhelpful or is the biggest barrier.

Step 3 The big question 'what if'?

We can be quite skillful at asking questions! However, we can also be skillful at asking questions that lead us to feel that an undertaking is fraught with danger and uncertainty. This kind of questioning starts with 'what if'. "What if I pursue my goal and I fail? Everyone will know I failed and I can't bear the thought of that." What ifs can stop us dead before we start if we let them.

The trick is to come up with a list of positive alternative 'what if' questions that will challenge the negatives and open up your mind to new possibilities. It's important that as you ask yourself these questions you do so with an excited curiosity and in a tonality that supports that state. As you start to positively question the negative's you will notice a slight shift in your beliefs and the more you present positive alternatives the greater the shift will be.

Take the belief you underlined and come up with as many positive alternative questions as you can. E.g. if your unhelpful belief was "it's impossible to earn £50,00" you may try countering with "What if it's easier than I think?' What if it's only the first step that's hard and the rest are pretty easy? What if when I actually look I have pretty much all the resources I need? What if it's like that time when I thought it was going to be hard and then it actually turned out to be quite easy?"

Step 4 Get ready for a debate

After applying the first three steps you will probably be experiencing shifts in your beliefs and you will be coming to the realisation that there is a positive alternative to the negative option. We will now build up evidence to support your new positive beliefs identified in your 'what if' questions.

In this exercise, much as you would in a normal debate you are going to put forward the most compelling case you can (as if you were defending yourself at a trial) for your new positive beliefs. Imagine a judge or judges in front of you and set about convincing them that your position is of the greatest merit and truth. Use any method you deem necessary to put over a compelling argument.

You could go through the exercise with friends if both they and you are ok with doing that, however it's something you will probably do on your own. The more passion you put into the debate the better your results will be.

Now try this. Take your favourite positive 'what if' question and put a line through the 'what if' at the start and add because at the end. If you're original question was "What if this is easier than I thought?" it now becomes "This is easier than I thought because....." and you complete the statement with as much supporting evidence as possible. Use past outcomes, creative thinking, education, events in life or environment to help you. These are only a guide you can use whatever you want.

Step 5 Believe, Visualise, Realise

Now you can see your perceptions becoming more believable it's time to start programming them in by converting the evidence into experience. You can go back as far as you care to in practically every sport and you will find evidence that top performers practiced visualization. They first mentally rehearsed the jump, the swing; the race etc, then did it for real.

The same muscles are activated during visualization as are activated during the actual event because the brain cannot differentiate between what is real and what is believed to be real. It takes practice but if you can make time each day to undertake visualising your positive beliefs you will start to create strong neuro associations with these beliefs that will eventually become convictions. This technique is a really powerful and one well worth spending time practicing.

As an example, when you first decided you wanted to drive a car you got excited and thought how great it would be and maybe even drove up and down the yard or on a car park when no one was there? Then, when it was time to go on the road, you started to think about all the complex things you were required to do like steer, use the clutch and change gear at the same time.

Just as you were getting confident the instructor told you he was putting you in for your test. Now a whole new level of negative beliefs started to emerge. "I'm not ready, just a few more lessons, It's the hill start that's the problem, I bet I don't know the area where we do the test"?

However eventually (if not the first time) you pass and today you drive without even thinking about it such is your belief in your ability.

So, you started of with a wish or desire (I want to drive) you went through a period where you had to keep reinforcing your belief that you would learn to drive (I'll do this if it kills me,) you provided yourself with evidence that you could (lessons) and you gave your desire lots of thought (visualization) and eventually you convinced yourself you could do it and did.

Step 6 Gather the evidence

The final part of this system is about you going out there armed with your new beliefs and taking the actions that are going to allow you to experience 'real' evidence that your new beliefs are true. Think of this, your beliefs are writing on a table top and without legs the table-top (belief) will at best be shaky. However, the more legs (positive references for your belief) you have to support the table-top the more stable it becomes and eventually it is unshakable.

In summary

1) Be clear what you want to believe (not what you don't)
2) Do a beliefs audit. List all negative beliefs and counter with positive ones.
3) Go through the what ifs both negative and positive.
4) Have a debate. Put your best case forward.
5) Immerse yourself deeply in your new beliefs.
6) Go out and prove how right you are

It takes just as much effort and time to think negatively as it does to think positively except that the former brings you down, stifles creativity, does not serve you and does nothing for your present or future happiness and well being. Your choice!

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