How beliefs direct your life: The shocking truth
Did you ever ask yourself why you think what you think? The words that are deeply ingrained in every fiber of your personality. The structure, how you explain the world to yourself? The words that shoot through your head when you see yourself in the mirror? Well, if these are your questions, then stay with me for a while, because what follows now will blow your mind!
Almost like a funnel, what you do can be traced back to what you believe. Everything derives from the moment in life, where you became convinced about something. Like when you say “that the world is a better place when people can talk about their feelings.” There is likely no scientific evidence for its truth. Yet, people believe it. From that on we build our worldview and quite frankly – it’s really simple!
America First, Yes we can
It’s no coincidence that Donald Trump and Barrack Obama chose these slogans for their election campaigns. Both of them reflect the exact belief system and ideology their parties represent. Because of that, it’s highly unlikely that a child that grew up in a conservative environment will ever vote for the liberal party. It’s not that all these arguments to vote liberal don’t make sense, but the conservative will always find more reasons to vote for his party, vice versa. Because she or he believes in the ideology. The one believes in individualistic characteristics, where it’s about maintaining integrity and sovereignty. The other believes in the power of community and equality. In order to have the biggest impact, it’s essential to find the belief systems behind the values you advocate.
How beliefs shape behavior
Let’s walk this through together. We’ll start by creating a belief system, from which values and lastly attitudes derive. The pattern is always the same.
The Belief
I have the belief, that procrastination kills my dreams and hinders personal growth and success.
The Values
Therefore, I value
-> the importance of self-discipline to overcome procrastination and take consistent action towards goals (value of discipline)
-> personal growth and development, using time wisely to find out the underlaying causes for procrastination and to enhance my skills and abilities (value of self-improvement)
-> the significance of effective time management to prioritize tasks and avoid procrastination (value of time management)
-> a strong desire to achieve dreams and goals, motivating oneself to take action and avoid procrastination (value of ambition)
-> the need to persist through challenges and setbacks, avoiding the temptation to procrastinate (value of perseverance)
The Attitudes
Therefore, I have the attitude to engage life proactively by overcoming procrastination and to pursue my dreams. This attitude encompasses behaviors and actions such as:
1. Setting clear goals
2. Creating a schedule
3. Regular introspection and reflection
4. Prioritizing tasks
5. Developing a growth mindset
6. Holding myself accountable
But hold on... Is it really about values?
Now we’re on track. You may already figured out, that you can have as many values as you want. If they don’t align to your beliefs, they won’t be executed. Let’s say you actually want to get more things done in life, but you don’t really believe in its happening, then it will never happen. Firstly, you have to build a fortress for your values. Trust me, there are enough forces out there, who otherwise take over what you stand for. Suddenly you believe fitness is your new thing, or crypto, or financial freedom. But these are mere words. All individuals who relentlessly execute their “thing”, have bulletproof beliefs. But how to create bulletproof beliefs? Stick with me.
Using your beliefs to shape behavior
Let’s be frank: At the end of the day, all that counts is how much belief you have in yourself and what you want to do. How clear did you define your desired direction and how much are you invested emotionally into it. These are the two things that really count. Somebody who donates a fortune into children’s charity will not do so, because she or he grew up in a well functioning family environment. Her parents died in a car accident when she was 8. She knows exactly how it feels to be alone. There is likely no bigger force of adult behavior than childhood traumas. All of us are driven by the beliefs we established in childhood. Fortunately we are able burn beliefs into our mind, so that we act upon it relentlessly, like a caring mother would if her child is in danger.
Top 3 Strategies To Create Bulletproof beliefs
1. Live in an environment that embodies what you desire
If there is one factor, with a significant leverage, then it’s your physical and social environment. In this post I mentioned the miracle how American war Veterans were cured over night from their heroin addiction. Simply by changing their environment they dropped the statistically almost uncurable addiction. Surround yourself with people who believe what you want to believe. Where do they aggregate? Are they in sales? Do they perform as actors? Do you find them in martial arts clubs? Find them and surround yourself with people you can look up to. The second factor of your environment is the physical environment you live in. James Clear offered a super effective way to transform your home, so that it aligns with your desired beliefs. Give it a try!
2. Create proof for your belief
Now, our mind works like your father-in-law, who needs assurance, that you are the right one to marry his daughter. With every little sign that you offer your mind, it provides lasting confidence in exchange. Surrounding yourself with the people who are how you want to be is one thing. But creating the new belief is almost equally important. You need to proof your >self<, that you actually live what you are thinking and talking about. Every time when you set and execute boundaries you show a sign of self-respect. With every conflict, where you don’t let your emotions guide your behavior, you show a sign of emotional intelligence. Every time when you have a workout, even if you don’t feel like it, you show a sign of discipline. The little things count. There are no major accomplishments needed.
3. Maintain the belief
Now something you don’t want to read: Most of our adult character traits are formed in childhood. Were you frequently deprived from the love of your parents? Then it’s likely that you do things today, that fill the void of yesterday. This is shown by behavior that is guided to seek others confirmation and acceptance. These kinds of beliefs are already programed into your system. Every belief we try to create in our mature life takes longer to integrate. Therefore, we have to maintain its execution in order create confidence. There is no timespan when you fully implemented or changed a belief. However, one day you will wake up and know for sure