Have you ever had times when you question your beliefs? You wonder if what you have believed in life is correct? With so many different people out there telling you their theory on life, it's sometimes difficult to navigate through all of that.
Where do all our beliefs come from? Beliefs are a series of thoughts gathered together to create a belief. Those thoughts create certain feelings, which then we go out and find evidence for if those thoughts ring true for us. And we become the results of our beliefs.
For example, I really believe in family. Where did my beliefs come from? Well, I was born into a family as the third child. So living in that environment was my normal. As I grew up, I had thoughts about that environment I called "family" which consisted of a mom and dad and siblings. I had thoughts of feeling safe, being happy in my home, always having a friend. I was taken care of and was provided with all of the necessary things in life to survive. I would watch my parents and siblings and had thoughts about how to live life. I also saw how conflict was resolved, that sadness was part of life, and that I didn't always get what I wanted. We fought, made up, had time out, and learned a lot of lessons from home life. And all of these thoughts created certain feelings in me. I felt loved, appreciated, secure, and I also had negative emotions of grumpiness, shame, sadness, fear, and pain. So as I took actions and used these thoughts and emotions to drive the actions in my life, the result has been a series of thoughts which have created the belief that I really believe family is an important part of life. When I think the thought, "family is an important part of life," I feel passionate and happy. And so the result is, family has become an important part of my life. Growing up I formulated beliefs which drove my emotions and my actions for what a family is and what it provides. So what did those beliefs drive me to do? I wanted a family of my own because my thoughts were positive about creating a family. I have a very normal, often dysfunctional, totally imperfect family, but because I believe in it, I enjoy all of the aspects of family life and have focused much of my life to creating a family, because that reflects my life beliefs.
So with this example, take a look at how those thoughts and beliefs have literally driven my actions and my life.
So often we question our beliefs. When we do that, I would ask how you want to feel. Sometimes I hear of people who have grown up believing in God, and then as adults, leave that belief and go another way. Well our feelings are driven by our thoughts. Maybe something bad happens, and so the thought our brain tells us is, "there must not be a God". Well how does that make you feel? And what actions would you take depending on how you feel. I see clients abandon all their beliefs because something doesn't go as planned and then they turn away from all their thoughts and beliefs of God. And that's okay if that is what you choose to believe. But pay attention to how you feel. In most cases, I have watched people abandon their beliefs only to find that they are miserable and sad. They find that those thoughts and beliefs were the very thing that brought them peace, hope, and joy. So before you abandon everything you believe, question that and ask how thinking those thoughts makes you feel?
If you have questions about your belief system, or any other questions about you and your life, please contact me at Directyourlifecoaching.com and sign up for a free no obligation mini-coaching session with me. I can help you with any questions you have. I love helping people! It is my passion!