If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you. If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth will destroy you.~Jesus Christ
Why Do You Think That?
Monkey see, monkey do…
We all hold on to beliefs that may not serve us anymore. These long held beliefs may not even be true for us now, or we might even hold beliefs that are contradictions.
This leads to confusion, doubt and the ability to lead a life that is in line with our actual core truths.
Where do these beliefs come from and why do we keep them? Many of them were programmed into us when we were children.
We believed what our parents and other authority figures told us without question. Their beliefs became our unconscious beliefs.
These are usually the most difficult ones to recognize and to change. They’re kind of like the operating system of how we see the world. When people choose to live an un-examined life, they operate using the default beliefs that were coded by others.
These default beliefs were passed on to us as they were probably passed on to those who massaged them into our minds… They aren’t tailored for the individual that we are. The passed on beliefs are one size fits all, and probably aren’t in line with who you truly are.
Is This What I Really Believe?
Our beliefs form the actions that we carry out on a daily basis. If I believe that stepping on a sidewalk crack will break my mother’s back, I will be sure to walk in the grass!
That’s the trouble with beliefs- many of them are untrue but we keep listening to them anyway.
To lead a life that’s authentic for us, we need to dig deep inside, find our core beliefs, examine them and decide if this is what we truly believe.
Some of them may still be true for us. With others, we’ll see that we not only don’t believe them, but that they are the complete opposite of what we believe… There they are though, living inside our heads.
No wonder we’re baffled when it comes time to make a life of our own choosing…
In our next post, Doug and I will share some of our old beliefs that weren’t serving us anymore. We’ll present an exercise that will allow you to recognize what your beliefs really are and if they’re your own or ones that were given to you.
Knowing the difference will allow you to change what you wish and to live authentically… And that’s all a monkey can hope for.
Connect With Your True Self Series Home Next: Examine Your Beliefs.
Doug Does Life 
Great post. This monkey is very grateful.
Glad you like it Ann…
haRD FOR ME TO imagine people that hold onto beliefs of hipocracy etc etc and things that do not serve them anything but fear!? … most folks will die thata way…ignorant to who they are , cuz they were taught bs an lies… oh well huhhey have a great rest of the week john 🙂 & douggy 🙂 Q
Lots of people do though, because they don’t question why they think as they do… There’s a shift in consciousness that must happen to question core beliefs.
Wow. Can’t wait to share this post with a few people who are struggling with this very issue … holding onto unhealthy beliefs, behaviors, and attitudes that they were taught from their childhood. It’s a hard pattern to recognize, and equally as difficult to break, but once it happens, freedom is found! Looking forward to the exercise you’ll be sharing in your next post!
It is difficult to examine ourselves and change our foundation beliefs… Sometimes we don’t even realize we’re holding on to ideas that don’t serve us anymore… We think it’s the truth, like the sky is blue.
“To lead a life that’s authentic for us, we need to dig deep inside” and this little monkey went digging . . . what will she find? I don’t know yet but I’m so glad to know Doug is doing this, too 🙂
Looking forward to the next post, you guys.
Peace ~ Allison
Thanks Allison- Confronting the “truths” we hold is a difficult task. The alternative is to keep leading an unconscious life…Keep digging!
Reblogged this on AbundantLifeInitiative and commented:
Great explanation on where limiting belief structures come from and how to examine them to make sure a belief is in line with our core values. Thanks DougDoesLife.com!
i think one that’s hard for me to navigate lately is this belief i was raised with that can be summed up as, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all,” & the actual speaking of un-pleasant , un-nice things (which, at times, need to be spoken). i read yesterday (i forget where): truth without love is brutality and love without truth is hypocrisy. whether or not that sums it up accurately is besides my point – i’m curious about these grey areas where no one seems to have good teaching or it’s not clear how to believe —> behave. what is the best way, i ask myself. i certainly don’t want to be cruel in my sharing the un-nice things, but it’s harder for people/ to find people who are emotionally mature enough to engage on that level without getting inordinately triggered.
i’m in the phase of creating new beliefs for myself, but especially with anger: i want to let my anger flow and not sit in my body, but i’m not quite sure how to express it well yet. and i also don’t want to cultivate anger & create an angry situation for myself, but i also don’t want to suppress it under a false peace..
Ah, all along the way… Curious about your thoughts from your journey … thanks, wren