Everyone has a belief system. I’m not talking about a religious belief system, a number of people see themselves as without any religion, I’m referring to a set of theories, values, and ideas that you assume or accept as true. A belief system could be made up of ideas as simple as “Nothing good ever happens to me”, “Good things come to those who wait”, or “Money corrupts everyone”.
We all have hundreds of these kinds of ideas, sayings and myths as a part of our life. Some are true and some are not.
A couple of important thoughts about belief systems:
If you don’t know you have one, you are in trouble – Some people don’t recognize that they have a belief system. Because of this they find themselves unknowingly controlled by a set of beliefs that they have never examined. They don’t know what they believe, so they don’t see where their beliefs are taking them. It’s always better to know what you believe even if your ideas are not fully formed yet and are “under construction.”
Deciding on your beliefs is better than blindly accepting them – We all receive programming in our youth, at work, from our friends. The culture we live in also pushes a set of beliefs upon us. Whatever set of beliefs you were given as a child, or by the culture around you, examine and study whether or not they are true, helpful, and are serving you well.
Every belief system produces results – If you believe that “Money corrupts everyone” then that will produce results in your life. It will lead you to make decisions based upon that belief, choose your friends based upon it, judge others, and make career choices. It will affect you in many seen and unseen ways. This is true of every belief – they all produce a result. If you study the circumstances of your life with absolutely honesty you’ll see that many, if not most, are the results from your belief system.
Are you aware of the messages you believe? Do you examine and question the assumptions that run your life? So many people have negative and destructive beliefs about themselves, their potential, and about life in general.
In my own life I realize that I’ve had negative beliefs about my own talents, how much my time was worth, whether I controlled my own destiny and other important issues. What beliefs did you have in the past that you now realize were producing a negative result on your life? Share your ideas with me, I’d love to hear from you
David Curry