What do you believe about yourself?
Do you believe that you are…
- A strong person or a weak person?
- A hardworking person or a lazy person?
- An intelligent person or a dumb person?
For every belief out there, there is an equal and opposite belief as well.
(I.E. If you believe you’re smart, then you believe you’re not dumb.)
Your Beliefs Shape Your Life.
Let’s say that you want to lose 20 pounds.
That’s a great goal to have.
But if you believe that you are an unhealthy person, then you’re never going to lose that weight.
Or if you do, then you’ll probably gain it right back after losing it.
Why is that?
Because losing 20 pounds goes against the beliefs that you have about yourself.
- An unhealthy person does not lose 20 pounds.
- Only healthy people can lose weight like that.
If you believe you’re an unhealthy person, then you’re always going to be an unhealthy person—because that’s what you believe about yourself.
Listen closely…
First you must believe before you can succeed.
If you want to lose weight, then you need to believe that you are a healthy person.
(Even if you were not a healthy person until today.)
By believing that you are a healthy person, you will start to do things that healthy people do:
- You will eat whole foods instead of processed garbage
- You’ll take the stairs instead of an elevator
- You will exercise instead of sitting on the couch watching TV
You’ll do these things because you believe that you are a healthy person, and doing healthy things confirms those beliefs.
I believe I’m a healthy person, so when I’m in the grocery store I walk straight past the junk food isles.
They don’t interest me because eating those things goes against who I believe I am.
(Except chocolate chip cookies sometimes. Ugh. So good.)
Likewise, if you believe something negative about yourself, like you’re lazy, unattractive, or dumb, then you will also do things to confirm those negative beliefs.
You’ll procrastinate your work, not take care of yourself, or do stupid things—not because you want to do those things—but because those things line up with your beliefs about yourself.
Moral of the story?
Before you can change your life, first you must change your beliefs.
Easier said than done, I admit.
But like anything worthwhile in life—it takes time, practice, and persistence to achieve the results you want.
Here’s a good exercise to start with:
- Identify 1 good belief & 1 bad belief you have about yourself
- Think about 1 situation that confirmed each of those beliefs
- Then plan & carry out 1 action you can do that will confirm the good belief & 1 action that will deny the bad belief you have about yourself
Here’s another great exercise to do (Props to friend Supernova for the tip):
- Every evening before going to bed say 5 positive beliefs about yourself
- Every morning after getting up say 5 positive beliefs about yourself
(Say out loud: I believe I am hardworking. I believe I am intelligent. I believe I am healthy. Etc.)
By doing these exercises you get to actively choose what you believe about yourself.
Cherrypicking the good beliefs and discarding the bad beliefs one at a time until you wake up one day and realize you are exactly who you want to be.
Right now there is a lot of uncertainty and fear floating around the world.
The Coronavirus is rampaging all over the place and it’s completely upended many peoples lives.
Most people are stuck indoors, temporarily unemployed or working from home, while our brave Nurses, PA’s, and Doctors go out there to fight on the front lines against this menace, COVID-19.
You have been given the opportunity of a lifetime!
2-weeks (minimum) of uninterrupted time for you to really get a good look at yourself in the mirror.
Evaluate your life:
- Who are you?
- What are you doing?
- Where are you headed?
There is no better time to turn a new leaf than during a time of crisis.
Is there something about yourself or your life that you do not like?
Is there something you want to do that you’ve been putting off forever?
Why is that?
What beliefs are holding you back from being the best version of yourself?
Now is the time to find them and defeat them.
If you are reading this, then have access to the internet, and the world is at your fingertips!
If there is something you want to change, want to learn how to do, want to accomplish—THEN USE THIS TIME OF CRISIS WISELY.
Research, learn, grow, use all of the powers of the internet to transform yourself into the person you believe you are.
Don’t just read the news 24/7 freaking out over what may or may not happen.
Accept that things are the way that they are and do your best to protect yourself and your family.
Everything else? Leave it up to God.
Focus on what you can control—your beliefs—and watch as everything else in your life falls into place.
This time is going to pass regardless.
Will you spend it in fear or will you spend it building yourself up?
I pray that you choose the later.
As always, feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Best,
Steve