Everybody
has beliefs. No matter who you are or where you're from, you hold
beliefs about life. They may not be religious or spiritual beliefs, but
rather beliefs about life and what it holds. Beliefs about how you
should live. The problem is, it's easy to let your beliefs control you,
instead of you controlling your beliefs.
Who
is in Control?
It's
true, you can control your beliefs! And even better, being able to
choose what you believe is a step toward building self-confidence. Some
beliefs can be self-defeating; why would you want to follow such beliefs
when you could build your life after positive, self-affirming beliefs?
What
is Underlying Belief?
Take,
for example, somebody who cleans their plate every time they eat, even
if they aren't hungry for more. Why do they do this? It's part of their
belief system. They don't want to waste, because they want to save
money, because they were brought up in the Depression, and there are
starving children in Africa. These are the underlying beliefs that
explain why they always clean their plate.
Is
the Belief Still True? Was it Ever True?
Think
about it, though. Will cleaning your plate each meal truly save you
money? It might give you a stomach ache, but it won't feed children in
Africa, nor will it bring back the money you already spent on food. So
why make yourself uncomfortable when you don't have to?
The
beliefs that cause this person to clean their plate are beliefs that
control their actions. However, you don't need to let beliefs like that
control your life! It is truly up to you what you believe in and what
you don't. Maybe you were brought up made to believe certain things. But
are those beliefs leading to self-confidence and happiness, or are they
simply holding you back?
