Belief System

A belief is something we consider to be a fact. It is anything that we assume to be true. We use our beliefs to understand and navigate this world. We also use our beliefs to keep us safe. That is why we generally try to preserve our beliefs after they are formed and guard them carefully.

Beliefs are generally formed in two ways: by our experiences, inferences and deductions, or by accepting what others tell us to be true. Most of our core beliefs are formed when we are children.

When we get older and start to attend school and meet new friends, our beliefs start to get influenced by a whole new environment and set of people. Our teachers tell us things that we accept as fact. For example, let’s say that we do poorly in math class. Our teacher might tell us that we are not very good at math or that we are lazy. We then start believing what we are told, especially if the experience is repeated more than once. Before long, we start believing that we truly are bad at math or that we are inherently lazy.

Beliefs can be empowering or limiting in nature. Limiting or negative beliefs prevent us from fulfilling our true potential, hold us back, and give rise to negative thoughts and emotions. Empowering or positive beliefs, on the other hand, allow us to act resiliently, believe in ourselves, and invoke positive thoughts and emotions. In a sense, our beliefs create our sense of reality. Yet, most people are not aware of their own beliefs because they have never taken the time to analyze them carefully. This explains why some people thrive and succeed despite the most difficult circumstances while others fail. It all boils down to our beliefs.