Choose Your Beliefs Wisely

I've been fortunate to study and put to use some of the top psychological material studied by the greatest Ivy League colleges in the nation.  One of the basic, although most difficult task to rearrange for a better life, is the belief system currently inside us.  Again, our subconscious is a literal mechanism so be careful of who you listen to and the words you accept as true, as well as the way you talk to yourself.  If you say 'I can't' or 'I'm not smart,' and 'I have to,' you won't experience the ingenuity inside of you.  The only thing in life that you 'have to' do, is die.  The rest is a choice, 'indecisiveness = decisiveness because your choosing to be indecisive.'  

We all have beliefs and depending on our background, we assimilate certain beliefs from parents, friends, teachers, jobs, managers, the military, and so forth.  Have you ever noticed people always wanting to tell you the 'truth'?  Like when you were a child, your parents probably told you very positive things which sets the stage for potential to be higher, but wait, maybe your parents told you 'not so nice' things like 'You're not smart, you can't do that.'  Even as adults we still encounter these 'beliefs' from people, 'You won't get that job, its too good for you.  Why are you even applying?'  This is the moment you choose to accept the words as true, or disregard them as false.  This is our belief system.

So let's back up, as children we are influenced by our parents and loved ones or the astronaut on TV, it doesn't matter, we don't know any better to not listen.  These are the beliefs we carry with us into adulthood and have the hardest time getting rid of.  So, taking a scenario I really enjoy telling is about a little 5 year old boy, Timmy.  Timmy was coloring in his room on a Saturday morning and thought to himself, 'Wow, I did a good job with this picture, I am going to show sister!'  Samantha, who is eight, was in her room playing with her Barbies and all of a sudden Timmy barges in on her pool party saying 'Sammy, Sammy!  Look at my picture I colored!'  Now, Samantha is annoyed by her brother because he barged in and frankly, she doesn't care about his picture.  Sammy goes forth saying, 'That is dumb!  You can't draw, you don't even know how to stay in the lines!'  So Timmy leaves the room, sad and wondering if he really can't draw.  The following day, Timmy gets an idea to try again with a new colored picture, of course, but this time he decides to ask his older brother, Johnny.  Timmy is thinking, 'Oh man, is Johnny going to like this, I did a good job!'  Johnny, twelve years old, is outside playing with his neighborhood friends when Timmy interrupts him saying, 'Johnny, Johnny!  Look at the picture I drew!'  Johnny is annoyed and tells him, 'Go away, that is a dumb picture, you can't draw!'  Now, Timmy is sad, both brother and sister say he can't draw.  Although, a few days pass and Timmy runs down the stairs to get mother, this one is real good!  He just knows mother is going to love it and tells mother to come look.  He takes her hand and is smiling from ear to ear, but when they get to his room, she smacks him across the head and says, 'Wash that off the wall!  You cannot draw!'  Timmy then has decided he cannot draw and it is even sometimes downright dangerous!  Timmy accepts the belief.  On Timmy's first day of kindergarten the teacher says, 'Okay, class, we are going to do something really fun and exciting now, we are going to draw!'  Timmy stops dead in his tracks and thinks to himself, 'Like hell I am!  I can't draw, its downright dangerous!'

Folks, listen, 'the absence of truth will set you free.'

This is what your thinking when it comes to math, reading, or applying for a high performance job.  Your belief system needs to be readjusted.  Timmy has all the potential in the world to be an artist, but he is not going to take art classes in the future.  You have all the potential in the world also, you must tell yourself you are good enough.  You should ask yourself what you want and then envision it.  Your creative subconscious is a genius -meaning you are a genius- it will get you what you want in amazing ways, it will lead you to people you need to know and create opportunities for you to gain the knowledge.  Don't get me wrong, it takes work, but when you have the dream it gives you the energy, or motivation, to do it.  Dream BIG.

More to come - JLO