Old Beliefs Be Gone!
As a woman, I love that so many inspirational women are around on the speaking trails these days giving us insights and sharing the knowledge they have gained during their careers to date. These women have now beautifully morphed from once being students themselves to becoming the sensei, paying forward their learnings and life lessons. Don’t get me wrong, I love men equally as much, this isn’t a staunch feminist rally and there are of course many amazing guys out there too who continue to inspire and ignite the masses of which I am proudly amongst. However, bear with me for the sake of my musings today as I fly the flag for the sisterhood and talk a little bit about a topic that sparked my interest levels by one of the chicks I dig.
I had the privilege of attending a workshop with Dr. Libby Weaver last week. It wasn’t the first time I have heard her speak but this session was a more in-depth one and I had so many light-bulb moments as I sat there listening to her that I can’t deny my urge to share a bit with you.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with her work, she is a bubbly, vibrant woman who has dedicated her working life to nutritional biochemistry. Her mission is “to educate and inspire, enhancing people’s health and happiness, igniting a ripple effect that transforms the world”.
She is a wealth of knowledge in the nutrition arena, as well as an expert in knowing how we are made up as humans and the effects and ramifications of what we put into our bodies. In her work and books which get to the bottom of the different reasons that the body behaves in a certain manner, she addresses not just the biochemical, but also the nutritional and emotional aspects of what’s going on as a whole.
In my role as a purpose and resilience coach, one particular part of her workshop resonated with me surrounding beliefs and behaviours. I have always been a firm supporter of creating your own way in life by assessing the situation, weighing up your options and choosing the most positive path that is right for you. I often see outwardly strong, independent, proud and well educated people who know what they should be doing, struggle with certain areas of their lives that hinder their progress, cause them to trip over repeated stumbling blocks and bring them disappointment and angst, when on paper it would appear that they should know better. Dr. Libby posed this question to us simply and perfectly:
“Why do we do what we do when we know what we know?”.
She explained that these beliefs are something that people have absorbed and not something that we choose. According to Dr Libby we develop these belief systems between the ages of 0-7years old and that they are embedded in our psychology which reacts automatically when we encounter situations, on a subconscious level….
This naturally begs the question – if these beliefs and behaviours that have been embedded in us from a young age are not a choice, then what hope have we all got? How can we then create the life we want, follow our dreams and conquer the goals we set for ourselves???
The good news is that as adults, we can consciously work to change these long held beliefs from childhood and create a new reality for ourselves, one that serves us better. Hallelujah!
Part of the problem we’re faced with though, is that often we are unaware that these beliefs even exist and are what are driving our behaviours in the first place.
Humour me for a second and consider some of these questions and see if it they ring true for you?
Do you ever feel like you are doing the same old things and not getting any further ahead with where you’d like to be?
Do the results you are getting from the way you live at the moment completely satisfy your deepest wishes for yourself?
Are you at a point where you would like to make the transition from where you came from and how you were brought up to where you want to be now?
If any of those questions resonate with you then you’re likely being held back by some of your own limiting beliefs.
Don’t despair though – it’s not all bad.
You can move past these limiting beliefs by exploring some of the thoughts and fears that sit in front of them.
Changing the belief once you’ve identified it is relatively easy. You can actively adapt new beliefs that are in line with where you really want to be.
One of the hardest parts of the equation for us humans is having that awareness to recognise our own behaviours that are not serving us well and work on them.
Once you make this shift, the positive changes that you’ll see are amazing! You can do anything you set your mind and new belief system to – like riding 1600kms across Thailand on a charity bike ride in 16 days with a monk for instance! Trust me, whatever you want to do is totally achievable with a little adjustment of your mindset.
If it sounds challenging (not just the bike ride but life in general and creating some new beliefs) then I’d love to help you so please get in contact.
Live the life you want.
M xx
“If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have the capacity at the beginning .”
MAHATMA GANDHI