Beliefs
There is an old story about a patient who was being treated by a psychiatrist. The patient wouldn't eat or take care of himself, claiming that he was a corpse. The psychiatrist spent many hours arguing with the patient trying to convince him he wasn't a corpse.
Finally the psychiatrist asked the patient if corpses bled. The patient replied, “Of course corpses don't bleed, all of their body functions have stopped.”
The psychiatrist then convinced the patient to try an experiment. The psychiatrist would carefully prick the patient with a pin and they would see if he started to bleed. The patient agreed. After all, he was a corpse. The psychiatrist gently pricked the patient's skin with a needle and, sure enough, he began to bleed. With a look of shock and amazement the patient gasped, "I'll be darned...corpses DO bleed!"
How beliefs run our lives
Have you ever taken the time to stop and think about your beliefs and values? Asked yourself where they come from? How they guide your life?
We all have beliefs about our behavior and what type of person we are: ‘I’m intelligent’, ‘I’m an optimist’ ‘No one could find me attractive’, ‘I am not good at math’ ‘I know how things should be done’.
Our beliefs about ourselves, about others and what is possible in the world around us greatly impact our day-to-day effectiveness. They are a very powerful force in our behavior. We all know that if someone really believes he can do something he will do it, and if he believes something is impossible, nothing will convince him that it can be accomplished.
Beliefs help to organize one’s life. They drive our behavior. Most of our beliefs go way back into our childhood, when we received all kind of messages, rules and values from our parents, our family, school and society, like ‘You should not make mistakes’, ‘You should not trust people’, ‘You should not ask questions’, ‘You have to stay out of trouble’, ‘You must be kind in order to be loved’, ‘Once started, see it through’, etc.
Our beliefs have served us and were functional when we were young(er). We have developed reactions and patterns which helped us then, but which now, many years later can be a formidable hindrance. These patterns however are so deeply ingrained, that we subconsciously use them again and again.
The more we become aware of our beliefs and their influences in our lives, the more we can take responsibility for those beliefs, examine them, test them against reality, change them if necessary, and listen to others and be open to what they perceive.
If you feel that things do not work out for you, start to sort out what belief is torpedoing you and see if you can start to take another path. Consider other options or listen to the feedback a dear friend is giving you. Sometimes it is really about making new choices. Regardless of how much time and energy you have spent to get things done. That is what is called being more flexible. Choosing does not mean that you give up.
You can never lose if you give yourself the opportunity to do something new.
