“You begin to fly when you let go of self-limiting beliefs and allow your mind and aspirations to rise to greater heights.”—Brian Tracy
I have been experimenting with EFT in recent times to overcome several limiting beliefs. Some were acquired from family, friends and relatives at an impressionable period of my life, so it is worth examining whether they still hold true.
Your beliefs may not cause concern until they trigger internal conflicts with your desires.
Firstly, let’s take a step back and examine the theory.
What is a belief?
A belief is a set of principles that guides your thoughts, words and actions. They are responsible for your view of reality—whether good or bad.
Here’s an example of my beliefs.
“I believe the world is a beautiful place. I believe joy and magic exists in every moment when you are receptive to it. I believe in the goodness of man. I believe love is the most powerful energy in the universe. I believe we are intended to enrich the lives of others and ours. I believe in following your bliss and revealing your greatness to the world.”
Some of you might think, “Haven’t you been watching the news with the: devastation, death, suicide and other horrors in the world?” In spite of it, I hold firm to my beliefs because they paint the canvas of my reality.
Why do people hold different beliefs?
Who is right?
You can share the same upbringing and yet hold different beliefs. Imagine the artist, Michelangelo’s world had he been born a beggar? The Sistine Chapel and The David would not have been created. He saw beauty and majesty in everything he touched because of his beliefs.
The same is true of the great composers: Mozart, Beethoven & Bach. Consider if they shared a belief that the world was a horrible place. They would not have composed the great musical concertos of the past century.
How Beliefs Affect Your Life
Your beliefs shape your world. They add colour and vibrancy to your perception of the world. I often hear people complain how tough life is. They talk about misery in their lives as though they are merely existing. They’ve conjured a story based on their past conditioning.
“I’m not interested in your limiting beliefs, I’m interested in what makes you limitless.”—Brendon Burchard
Here’s a scientific explanation about perception from a book titled, Iconoclast: A Neuroscientist Reveals How To Think Differently by author Gregory Berns. He states: “Perception is the brain’s way of interpreting ambiguous visual signals in the most likely explanation possible. These explanations are a direct result of past experience. Experience modifies the connections between neurons such that they become more efficient at processing information.”
I want you to note, past experience. Your past shapes your future. Your mind is adept at taking snapshots of the past and using the information to make sense of the present. It tries to guess the scenario most likely to occur. This is the brain’s role, to predict the future.
Life can be bleak when you reference the past as a preface to the future. It influences your thoughts, words, and actions. Beliefs are powerful and shape your interaction with life.
Have you met people affected by great misfortune? Most will tell you how the tragedy served as a catalyst for living consciously, thus creating greater meaning in their life.
The most inspirational leaders in the world are those struck by adversity. They used their hardship as a catalyst to live intentionally. You have what it takes to change your limiting beliefs which may hold you back.
How do you recognise a limiting belief?
Look at the state of your life. Are you happy with your current circumstances? If the answer is no, there are limiting beliefs preventing you achieving the life of your dreams.
If you were to ask: Tony Robbins, Kobe Bryant or Oprah Winfrey whether they are satisfied with their current circumstances, I’m certain they’d respond with a resounding “yes.” They began their careers by overcoming an adversity which led to triumph.
The message is, choose beliefs which serve your personal growth and empower you to become the person you want to be.
Don’t pursue material desires alone, since they will not make you happy. Focus on what you can become to live a rich, and prosperous life.
If the belief doesn’t serve you, drop it, like hot coal in your hands. Choose one that brings you closer to your ideal life. Apply this to your: relationships, career, health, community and environment.
For example, if you find it difficult being in a loving relationship, examine your beliefs around intimacy and commitment, then upgrade them. This is enough to move you towards your dream life.
Make an inner declaration from this point forward to choose beliefs which serve your ideal life.
Afterall, you owe it to yourself to live purposefully.
