The Power of Belief
“Just believe in yourself and all your dreams will come true!”
If you’re rolling your eyes, I understand. “Believe in yourself” has got to be one of the biggest clichés out there. It sounds like one of those holiday movies where if the kids believe in Santa hard enough, he will appear and save Christmas. In real life, belief doesn’t actually have any power. Does it?
Don’t underestimate the power of belief! Belief is a powerful force, and that’s true in your life and in everybody else’s lives. But it’s not just a force for good. It can be a powerful destructive force if you’re not careful. To succeed at your goals and make other great things happen in your life, you’ve got to understand the power of beliefs and mindset.
Why beliefs are powerful
Everyone has their own way of looking at the world. We all form beliefs in our childhood years. As children, we observed the world around us and soaked up everything like a sponge, and that’s how we created beliefs about ourselves and the world. People form beliefs after childhood, too, but childhood is when it happens the most. And a person’s beliefs have a very strong effect on what happens in their life.
Do you know what “limiting beliefs” are? Every single person needs to know this, because limiting beliefs can create limits to your happiness! Limiting beliefs are negative thoughts you have about yourself and what you think will happen to you in the future. These negative thoughts are often caused by bad things you’ve experienced and things you’ve struggled to accomplish. You may start to think that because you struggled with something in the past or experienced a bad incident, that’s how things are always going to be.
Our brains try to keep us safe by recognizing harmful situations so that we learn to avoid them. However, sometimes, our brains go into overdrive and see more problems than there actually are. This leads to us thinking negative thoughts and telling ourselves stories about how everything will go wrong. Business mindset coach Nina Cooke explains it this way: “Mistakenly, we think these stories are keeping us safe, protecting us from rejection and humiliation. The reality is, they’re just stories we make up in our head by attaching made-up meanings to events. And they cost us dearly all our lives.”
You may have limiting beliefs in your head right now without even realizing it -- they’re that sneaky. Do you sometimes feel like you can’t achieve something because it’s too hard for you? Do you sometimes think that you “aren’t cut out” for a certain type of skill you wish you had? Do you compare yourself to others and think there’s some mysterious, special thing about them that you don’t have? Those are signs of limiting beliefs.
Watch out, because limiting beliefs can make you sabotage yourself! You may intend to try to accomplish a certain goal or make a positive change in your life. But if deep down, you don’t truly believe you can do it, you aren’t going to try your best. That’s what makes limiting beliefs so dangerous: If you don’t know how to identify them, you will likely fail to achieve the things you want, and you’ll be confused because you won’t understand why you aren’t succeeding.
How to conquer limiting beliefs
The first step of conquering limiting beliefs is identifying the limiting beliefs that you have. Take some time to think about any negative thoughts and fears you have about yourself, your abilities, your personality, and your goals. Write all this into a journal. The second step is to question the evidence. After all, fear stands for False Evidence that Appears Real! When you look at the negative things you’ve written, ask yourself, “Do I have any evidence that proves that this is a fact?” “Is this an actual fact, or is this just my brain jumping to conclusions?” You will start to realize that even though your limiting beliefs feel true, they aren’t real, solid facts.
Next, you’ll want to have a positive mindset shift. There are many ways to do this. One way is to remember your past successes so that you’ll feel more motivated. Another way is to give yourself some positive self-talk, meaning that you tell yourself encouraging, loving things as if you were comforting a friend. Another mindset shift method is forgiving yourself for past mistakes and failures. Let go of guilt, shame, and embarrassment you’re holding on to so that you can make room for self-love and optimism.
Conquering limiting beliefs and shifting into a positive mindset isn’t always easy. It’s a habit you’ll have to get used to over time. Here’s a little trick: If you’re thinking about your limiting beliefs and you’re having trouble trying to shift your mindset, it may help to try simple things such as doing some stretches, going outside for a walk, or listening to your favorite songs. Little things like this will give you a mood boost and make it easier to think positive thoughts.
When you know how to get rid of limiting beliefs, you’ll start believing in yourself. Believing in yourself is amazingly powerful because when you truly believe you can achieve what you want, you'll stop at nothing to make it happen. You’ll get through obstacles and setbacks because your brain is going to constantly work hard thinking of solutions. This unstoppable version of you is not going to come out unless you sincerely -- not half heartedly -- believe that what you want will happen.
What’s a big goal you have right now? Do you believe it will happen, or do you have doubts? Don’t fall into the fear and negativity trap! Remember these mindset shift methods. “Believe in yourself” is not a meaningless cliché. It’s an absolutely necessary thing to do in order to get what you want out of life.
“Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny.”
- Gandhi
Guest Author:
Jasmine Clark is a freelance writer from North Carolina. She enjoys writing about topics such as stress relief and positive thinking. She likes to encourage others to find ways to calm down and relax. In her spare time, she loves to write fiction stories and watch TV and YouTube. You can find her on Instagram @cozysachi.