Just Because You Believe Something Doesn’t Make It True

How often do you take time to challenge your beliefs? Unless you are very intentional, my guess is that you rarely do this. The majority of us don’t challenge our beliefs because they have been around for so long. They are what we know. They are comfortable (even if we don’t necessarily like them). They inform how we operate, what we think is possible, and the overall success and quality of our lives. Yikes! If they are that influential, shouldn’t you be checking in on yours?

Your beliefs form because you have certain thoughts about yourself, those around you, and the world in general that have been playing on repeat in your mind over time. They may be the result of something you heard someone tell you when you were young. They may be the result of something you witnessed happen to someone else. They may be the result of what kind of media or social media you have consumed over time. Whatever it is, you “digested” some form of information, put it on repeat in your brain (likely unconsciously), and now you believe it to be true. This is because your brain does not evaluate what it true versus what is false. Instead, it hears what you tell it the most and the loudest, logs it as factual, and then looks for every little nugget of evidence to reinforce that it is true.

The more evidence it finds to support your thought or idea, the more ingrained your belief becomes. Your beliefs can become so ingrained that you don’t even realize that they are there influencing your behavior on an ongoing basis. Yikes again! Have you heard of the Bannister Effect? This is the phenomenon of one person showing others that something can be done, and therefore changing the beliefs of others so that they believe something that they once that was impossible, is possible. Roger Bannister was an athlete who ran a mile in under four minutes in 1954. Up until that point, everyone thought it was impossible to run under a four-minute mile, because it had never been done before. After Roger Bannister proved otherwise, another runner ran a mile in under four minutes, then another, then another, and more and more have continued to do so.

Runners from around the world held the belief that running under a four-minute mile was impossible, and therefore they did not do so, until someone challenged their belief by showing them otherwise. You have beliefs about what is possible for you, and about what is not possible for you. Whether they are beliefs about how much money you can earn, what level of education you can attain, how well a partner will treat you, your skills related to a hobby or interest, the type of home you live in, your weight / health, your overall worth, or any other area of your life, your beliefs are unconsciously impacting how you feel and what actions you are (or are not) taking. Your brain has accepted your beliefs as the truth, and continually looks for and stores evidence to support them, which further reinforces them.

The good news is that now that you know this, you can do something about it. You can start to challenge those beliefs, question them, and create new beliefs that support what you want to achieve. For example, if you say you want to earn more money, however, you have not increased your revenue for a few years, your beliefs could be holding you back. You may unconsciously be thinking that you are only capable of, or worth, earning a certain amount of money. When this is what you believe, your actions are not in alignment with someone who earns the amount of money you say you want to earn. You may say you want to lose weight or be healthier, however, you have some underlying belief that you are not capable, or worthy of this. Once you examine your beliefs, challenge them, and focus on creating new beliefs on a consistent basis, you will see different results.

Let’s start to change this now. Take a few minutes and answer then questions below.

• What is something you say you want to achieve / have different in your life, however, you have not yet accomplished it?

• What are the things that get in the way of you moving towards, or achieving this thing?

• What do you think about your ability to achieve this?

• If you were someone who achieved this, what would you have to think (about yourself, others, etc.)?

• If you were someone who achieved this, what actions would you have to take on a consistent basis?

 Next, I want you to take a few minutes at the end of each day to review your answers, and ask yourself if you thought or acted like someone who could achieve your goal that day? Find evidence that you are that person (or are moving towards becoming that person), every single day. If you start to have doubts, or feel your old belief creeping back in, remind yourself that you can choose to hold onto your old belief, or you can choose to believe something else that will move you towards your goal.

If you want to take a deeper dive into challenging your beliefs that are holding you back, you can grab my 9 Steps to Overcoming Your Limiting Beliefs Guide HERE. If you have questions about any of this, you can DM me on social media on Instagram @bestbossladylife, on Facebook @KarenVincentSolutions, or you can send me an email at [email protected]. Learning how to examine and challenge your beliefs can change your life so I hope you take the time to answer the questions above or grab by deeper dive guide HERE and see the difference it can make in your life.

Live your best boss lady life.

~ Karen

Karen Vincent Solutions