Most of your beliefs are bulls***.
Don't panic, mine too! And everyone around you 😬
Hear me out.
Many beliefs you hold - about yourself, others, and the world - aren’t facts.
They’re just stories you’ve absorbed over time, shaped by your childhood, upbringing, experiences, culture and background.
While some beliefs serve you, others quietly hold you back.
Once you apply a little pressure under questioning, many beliefs crumble.
Usually a belief is just a thought you’ve repeated enough to feel real. Your brain then looks for evidence to support them (“I’m bad at spreadsheets”) and ignores anything that contradicts them.
Because your ego wants to be right, your confirmation bias then pays more attention to the evidence that supports your belief and is very good at ignoring things that contradict it. So we stay stuck.
So what?
Well, every decision you make it based on a belief you hold.
Every outcomes you get in life in determined by the decisions you make.
So you see the value of checking in on them.
The good news? You can rewrite the stories. Start by asking the 'test of argument' questions:
- Is this belief actually true?
- Is it logical?
- Is the evidence I'm using to support my belief actually relevant?
- What’s an alternative hypothesis?
Want to really get into it? Write a full page of all your beliefs about an area you want to change. e.g. "I can't do this. I'm not consistent. I suck at this skill"
Then, write the opposite belief and add things that may be evidence e.g. "I can do this. I am consistent in these areas of my life, and I can apply this elsewhere. I can improve this skill and here's a time I did it well."
It won't change overnight, but it can build your confidence and create positive momentum.
Most of your beliefs are bullsh*t, but the ones you choose moving forward don’t have to be.
So, what belief are you ready to challenge today?
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