If you develop the sense of certainty that powerful beliefs provide, then you can accomplish virtually anything, including those things that other people are certain are impossible. As was said by Joseph Conrad,
“Only in men’s imagination does every truth find an effective and undeniable existence. Imagination, not in invention, is the supreme master of art, as of life.”
Dr. Martin Seligman, of the University of Pennsylvania, studied patterns of beliefs. He found three patterns that can cause us to feel helpless and destroy every aspect of our lives. They are: permanence, pervasiveness, and personal.
Permanence
Achievers rarely see a problem as permanent. Those who fail see even the smallest problem as permanent. Once you adopt the belief that there is nothing you can do to change something, you start a downward path. No matter what happens in your life, you’ve got to be able to belief, “This, too, shall pass”.
Pervasiveness
Achievers never belief that one problem controls their whole life. They see it not as, “Because I overeat, my whole life is destroyed” instead they think “I have a little challenge with my eating pattern”. You need to see that you can take control of your life, and take action to do just that. As you do this, some of the limiting beliefs will disappear.
Personal
Instead of seeing a problem as a challenge to be modified, the failing person sees it as a problem with themselves…their whole self. How can you change your whole life? That is more difficult than changing your actions in a particular area.
Remember, as long as you believe something, your brain operates on automatic pilot, searching for things to validate your belief, regardless of what it is.
Next time: How to Change a Belief
