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Friday, February 26, 2010

Beliefs 'R Us

The Bible says, "the truth shall make you free." That is a powerful statement...to those who believe it. Before you can even tap into the divine power of that statement, there is one thing that can propel you forward or hold you back. That one thing is...

BELIEF!

Your belief system holds the key that unlocks your present and future success. I can almost guarantee that any failure" you've had or currently in the midst of, your belief system probably had (has) something to do with those "failures."

Think about this: your beliefs directly affect your thoughts which, ultimately, affect your actions/behavior. Here's an example. If you believe the economy will not get any better anytime soon, more than likely your thoughts will say to you, "there aren't any jobs out there, so why look for one?" Not only will you fail to actively look but you probably won't do anything to improve your skills either.

Now the opposite belief, that the economy is on the road to recovery will lead you to think I need to position myself to be ready for opportunities that will become available. In positioning yourself, you are taking action to ensure opportunities don't pass you by. Les Brown, renown motivational speaker and author, said it best:

"It is better to be prepared and not have an opportunity than to have an opportunity and not be prepared."

So what is a belief? The best definition I've seen is from the book, "Get Off your But" by Sean Stephenson. His definition is as follows:

"A thought is like an acorn. by itself, it is a solid little object that can't do much. If you keep it in a tin can, it will never grow. but if you plant it in soil and give it the right amount of sun, nutrients, and water, it will sprout roots and grow into a huge oak tree.

In order for a thought to become a belief, it has to be nurtured by evidence that proves its own existence. With each piece of evidence, it sprouts a root, and its foundation grows stronger. Soon, that thought (true or false) becomes a sturdy belief planted in your mind, growing stronger every day." (p.93)


This definition can't be more on point. After reading this, you should be able to evaluate your beliefs and determine which ones are limiting and which ones are empowering.

You may be familiar with the saying, "as a man thinketh, so is he." Allow me to build on that by saying, "as a man believes, so he thinks." In either case, you have the power to choose those beliefs (and thoughts) that will have you reaching new heights in your life; or you can continue to choose those that keep you comfortably lacking.

NOW BELIEVE THAT!

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