How important are your beliefs to what you will achieve with your life? Personally, I think they are a vital part of your foundation for making the decisions that will create the behavior you will act out. The challenge for many is what they call beliefs are actually only opinions.
Understanding the difference between "opinions" and "beliefs" is important. In my working with people I have found when most say this is what I believe, what they are really saying is this is my opinion. What they don't understand is an opinion lacks the foundation to stand on in times of internal turmoil or external challenge.
Challenge most people's opinions and they crumble from the lack of internal commitment. Opinions are information you have gathered, but not run through your internal processing. They are handed you, accepted and given back during conversation. If opinions are challenged, most won't fight for them.
They listen to what is being said and change their mind based on the new information they have gathered. Opinions are not about thinking through; they are simply about accepting what they are told. Because they are not locking into your belief system, they offer very little value to your personal growth journey. Opinions are just opinions.
Beliefs carry a different meaning to your life. Beliefs are information you have been given, processed through your internal processing center and added to your foundations of principles. It is within these foundation principles you build your life. It is the depth of your beliefs that holds your life together; it is the weakening of your beliefs that causes you to lose direction, question the purpose of your life and not be able to stand tall during the storms you will have to weather.
Beliefs can be challenged without the person caving. Each time a belief is challenged it allows you to reaffirm your commitment to life. Each time a belief is challenged it allows you to strengthen your presence by examining why this principle is foundational to your life. Each time a belief is challenged it allows you to rethink your understanding and rekindle your passion for improving your life through strengthening your foundation.
What happens when a life doesn't have a strong foundation of beliefs to stand on? In working with human behavior I have found these to be the most common results.
A life without a solid foundation of beliefs will Break down internally when challenged. I have watched so many lives come apart because their life was handed a curve they weren't prepared for. Because they had no foundation that said, "This is what I believe," they crumbled under the stress. A strong foundation of belief allows you to slow down and see the bigger picture about the situation you are facing.
A life without a solid foundation of beliefs will Excuse their behavior. How many times have you seen someone do something they knew was wrong and justify it with their reasons and excuses? Without a strong foundation of belief anything goes. It is so challenging to talk to this life. Principles take away the ability to justify anything you want to justify. This is one of the real cracks in our country's moral fiber. Because many of our founding father's principles on which our nation was founded have been weakened, we have become a nation where wrong can be justified and accepted as "just a part of life." That has made us a very self-destructive society.
A life without a solid foundation of beliefs will Lack the passion to move forward. Principles are driven by passion. The things you are passionate about you will fight for. When you lack that strong foundation of principle centered living, you will also lack passion. Without passion you will move in whatever direction the predominate wind is blowing at that moment. As much as you may think you are moving forward, that behavior is all about moving in destructive circles.
A life without a solid foundation of beliefs will Increase its negative moments. Negative only exists because people lack beliefs. When you are a life driven by beliefs that create principle centered living, negative cannot attack you. You can look the negative straight in the face and say, "this is what I believe." When you do this, the negative will fall under the strength of beliefs.
A life without a solid foundation of beliefs will Entertain lies as truth. Truth is the result of a strong foundation of personal beliefs. Truth is life centered; truth is beliefs that you hold firm in the midst of any storm. The strength of the storm doesn't matter; the fact is beliefs become your anchor during the winds of uncertainty. When you don't have that foundation of truth to stand on, you tell yourself whatever you need to hear to get you through that moment. That means it becomes okay to lie to yourself if it will get you through that situation. What many fail to realize is you have not gotten through; you have simply avoided and will have to face the situation again.
A life without a solid foundation of beliefs will Fear the unknown. The unknown becomes frightening when you don't have a solid foundation of personal beliefs to stand on. Fearing the unknown is all about not trusting yourself. Not trusting yourself is about not having a solid foundation of beliefs you can stand on when you are about to enter any aspect of life's uncertainty. Uncertainty provides your life with the test of personal confidence. Confidence demands beliefs that create mental and emotional anchors.
A life without a solid foundation of beliefs will Stare at life with questions you can't answer. So many times I have had people say to me, "I just don't know what to do." They have also told me, "I don't trust myself to make the right decision." They have said, "I don't know why I was given this to deal with."
Life is puzzles you are asked to put together each day. Your ability to see the pieces and find their correct place depends on your internal beliefs. Without a strong foundation of personal beliefs the pieces all look the same. Without a strong foundation of personal beliefs you will stare at the puzzle and be totally confused by what you are seeing. The stronger the confusion, the more challenging it becomes to see the puzzle coming together. The stronger the foundation of personal belief the easier it is to identify the points of confusion, move through them and put the puzzle together.
Do you see that beliefs are much more than thoughts? Beliefs are foundations you can build your life on. Beliefs are an important part of your growth process. The stronger your beliefs the easier it is for you to stand tall in the testing moments. Here is why I think Beliefs are essential to any life that wants to live with purpose, fulfillment and a sense of mission:
B Behavior comes from your beliefs.
E Experiences are defined through what you believe.
L Life's foundation is built on them.
I Inwardly, beliefs strengthen your spirit.
E Emotions that surround them shore up your foundation.
F Fears can be managed by your beliefs.
S Spiritually, they ground you with calmness and clarity.
The essence of all you are and all you will become is and will be formed by your foundation of personal beliefs.
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