What is Your Life Reflecting? The Creation of Your Beliefs Part II

This is part of a series of The Soul’s Journey called What is Your Life Reflecting? This series is designed to help you begin to explore how your outer world is a mirror of your inner reality. Today we expand on last month’s article on beliefs to look at ways of uncovering the beliefs you hold on an unconscious level so you can begin to release old patterns when you’re ready. Here is a brief summary from last month:

• Beliefs are usually formed when we’re quite young as a way of making sense of the world, feeling safe or fitting in.
• Many beliefs are on an unconscious level, below our awareness, and allow in such things as love and abundance or keep us stuck in old patterns.
• Change is difficult if there’s an unconscious belief holding it in place.
• Our Soul is on a journey to move through these illusions

What if you’re not really who you think you are? And I don’t mean the you that you present to the world. The one who may appear confident, successful, loving. But the you that you’re alone with at the end of the day. The one who seems to almost lurk in the shadows and whisper, “you don’t deserve….you’re not good enough….. you’re all alone.” The you that seems to have no power in this world, yet has the strength to sabotage your best intentions. What if those fearful thoughts and ideas of lack, and beliefs that keep you small are just an illusion?

We all hold beliefs on a conscious level that we recognize. However, it’s the unconscious beliefs that can hold the keys to our enjoying life or feeling stuck. Here are some patterns that indicate limiting beliefs:
• Repeated patterns of behavior that you can’t seem to change or stop. i.e.,(procrastination, being overly responsible for others, difficulty saying no)
• Continued sabotage of an outcome (attempts to diet, quit smoking or drinking, start an exercise program)
• Overreactions to situations (outbursts of anger, getting feelings hurt easily, feeling rejected)
• Lack of fulfillment in one or all areas of your life.

The first step to changing a belief is to identify it.. The following are ways that can help you get below the surface to the deeper structure. This works best if you’re in a quiet place and feeling centered.

• Listen to the language you use in a given situation, or that your family always used. Let’s take money as an example. What is your or your family’s language about money? i.e., “I’ll never get out of this debt. Every time I get ahead, something else happens. Money is the root of all evil.” When you think about money (or whatever area you’re working on), do you feel abundant and grateful? Or, fearful and constricted?, Ask yourself, “ What are my beliefs about money?” Sometimes finding a belief is as simple as being quiet and listening.
• Think about an area of your life that you’d like to change, such as career, relationships, health, financial. Imagine yourself in this situation now. Ask yourself, “What do I know to do here that I’m not doing?... What keeps me from doing that?” Then ask, “What do I know not to do that I keep doing?...... What keeps me from stopping?”
• When you have a situation or person that you tend to overreact to, ask yourself all of the following questions, or just the ones that seems appropriate:
- How is that a problem for me?
- How did I interpret that?
- What did that mean to me or say about me?
- What judgement did I make about myself as a result of that situation/person?
• Think of an outcome you want in your life. Something within your control, such as quitting smoking, starting an exercise program, applying for a new job. See yourself out in front of you already having that outcome. Make the picture very compelling. Ask yourself, “What stops me from already having this?” You may be surprised at the answers you get.

We too often go through life on autopilot, reacting to old beliefs and negativity, settling for less because we’re holding on to these illusions. Change takes courage, because it calls for us to step in to the unknown and let go of our comfort levels. Decide if now is the time for you to let go of an old pattern. If so:

Forgive yourself for believing that you are less than who you are. Hold the highest vision of yourself, and be devoted to that daily. Loving yourself is the most important aspect of change. Love the part of you that wants to change. Love the part of you that is scared to change. Love the part that feels stuck. Life begins to flow when we learn to honor our path and accept all parts of ourselves.

May we all awaken from the dream of our inadequate selves.