Our belief system is the bases of our world view. We have beliefs grounded in fact, and beliefs grounded in emotion and life experience.
These belief systems shape our world view, since:
“we learn our belief systems as very little children, and then we move through life creating experiences to match our beliefs. Look back in your own life and notice how often you have gone through the same experience.” Louise L. Hay
If you have not taken time to reflect on the experiences you had, and how they shaped your current beliefs, then this blog is here to help.
And if you reflect often on your experiences and world view, when was the last time you did this? This blog just may have some cognitive gems for you as well.
How False Beliefs Develop
Many of our beliefs were ingrained in our brains as children, from our parents and other influential adults. Our first 7 years have a lot to answer for!
In most cases, these beliefs serve us well until a certain point. But after that point, some beliefs become limiting and perhaps even damaging.
For example, as a child, you might have learned to clean your room so that your parents would be happy with you. As that type of motivation becomes habitual, you could develop a mindset of only doing things that get you approval from others. (Not in the Herbert house however!)
This kind of belief can be harmful as you get older.
As people age, their belief systems can cause much of the pain and suffering they experience. False beliefs are created over many years, and people cement these beliefs without questioning their validity—at the time, you were just a kid who learned to clean their room; now you are an approval-hungry adult.
Even if that example does not reflect our life experience, can you think of any belief systems you formed in your childhood, and how they influence your mindset today?
As our minds conjure thoughts, we have two choices: believe the thought or disregard the thought.
Disregarding thoughts take awareness and acute attention. Many people don’t realise that every thought that pops into their heads isn’t true, and they are unable to decipher authentic beliefs from false ones.
This inability to distinguish false beliefs from true beliefs may lead to painful emotions, even though they are self-created. Negative emotions are a necessary and essential part of life, but they are no longer helpful when they begin to take precedence over rational thinking and joyful living.
When beginning to explore false beliefs, people must realise that their internal worlds are just as important as their external worlds.
The external world of family, friends, and career is pertinent to a person’s development and contentment in life, but concentrating on one’s internal world is equally important, if not more so. The internal world is where false beliefs are created by one’s mind at a rapid pace.
Without looking inward to observe how our thoughts transform into false beliefs, we allow them to contribute to detrimental mind states and prolonged negative emotions. This usually results in feeling mental anguish, without knowing why, and then guilt for feeling anguish for “no reason.”
Taking an objective look at one’s inner states helps a person evolve, especially when growing up.
Teenagers often feel confused about what they are feeling, and they may lack the skills to self-regulate and cope. With the added pressure from schooling and peers, many false beliefs can form that make teenagers feel angry, misunderstood, and insecure. In turn, this makes parenting very difficult. Remember we were all teenagers once.
Fortunately, there are many options available to counteract the pessimism constructed by the mind and I will share these with you over the next few days..
Have a fab week and hold this thought ‘we are often the only obstacle in achieving our dreams’
If that resonates with you then book a FREE call Here