The Power of Beliefs
Copyright 2005 Ann Ronan
Your beliefs shape your life. How's your life right now? Any
areas you'd like to change? If there are, you have the key -
your beliefs. Even more amazing is that it's really not that
tough to change your beliefs. It can happen in an instant. I
know. I've changed lots of them. Change your thinking, change
your life. I've proved it -several times over.
Now - while I'm a natural optimistic, I also have a brain that
likes science, truth, and proof. And I'm happy to report that
science is starting to find evidence for this belief business.
Dr. Bruce Lipton, cell biologist and author of the "The Biology
of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness" says that we
are not victims of our genes but are co-creators of our lives
and our biology. He finds his evidence in the relatively new
field of science called epigenetics. Let me give you just a
taste of this science. Science used to think that a cell's
nucleus, which contains the DNA, was the brain of the cell and
absolutely necessary to its functioning. Well, they've since
found that they can remove the nuclei from cells and yet they
continue to live and function. It turns out that the real
'brain" of the cell is the membrane, which reacts to and
responds to outside influences, adjusting to an ever-changing
environment. This environment includes our thoughts - what we
are unconsciously telling our genes to do.
Ok, so what does this have to do with changing your life for the
better? Well bear with me a bit more in the scientific realm.
Our perceptions are in the subconscious which controls 95
percent of our life. And like an iceberg, most of this is
underneath the ocean, out of our site, out of our awareness. Our
conscious mind processes a much more limited amount of
information and is busy keeping us safe while we drive our cars,
cook dinner and check our emails. Much of what's in your
subconscious was programmed in there during your first six years
of life. And for many of us, most of these subconscious thoughts
are pretty darned limiting.
So how to change those thoughts that are limiting? Here are the
techniques I've used:
Visualization - creating images of what you'd like, on paper, in
your mind, or with words Visioning - sitting quietly and asking
yourself a few questions - letting ideas just bubble up from
your inner source, then jotting them down. Affirmations - short,
positive statements to help reprogram your thinking Meditation -
a period of quiet -either letting your thoughts just come and
letting them go or contemplating a quote or spiritual passage
Power questions - asking yourself a powerful question - ex. what
do I need to do to embrace this new idea? Role models - finding
someone who has already accomplished what you want to do or has
qualities you admire and then patterning yourself after this
person Support groups/teams - you get to be heard deeply, get
new ideas and have an accountability structure to keep you
moving forward Success! - I find it easier and easier to shift
my beliefs as I experience small successes along the way - you
will too!
if you'd like to learn how to use these practices fully in your
life, you may want to join my weekly study group by telephone on
Tuesdays: register here: www.authenticlifeinstitute.com - click
on join study group.