Let’s demystify the conversation about beliefs. A belief is simply a thought that has gathered momentum as a result of allowing it to percolate within our minds. The more we think about something, the more likely it is we will begin to believe it. Why? Because as we give our attention to a thought, it creates an energy that takes on a life of its own. The thought that we are habitually holding onto starts to shift our perspective, so that what we are thinking influences what we are seeing. Our shift in perception causes us to begin to notice evidence of our new belief in the world around us. This creates a cycle of belief/evidence/belief/evidence. We may point to something that seems to prove our belief and say “There it is again!”. Yet we often forget that the cycle started with our original thought. It doesn’t  matter whether that thought was accurate or not. It still becomes internalizes as a belief if we have held onto it long enough. Others with contradicting perspectives will find evidence of their beliefs, as well.

It is the same for all kinds of beliefs – those that we want and those that we don’t want. Focusing on disturbing thoughts or images will produce emotions that feel bad. If we allow ourselves to turn our attention to undesired aspects of our lives, then we are more likely to bring those unwanted things into our experience. Sometimes we try to get to a better feeling place by analyzing the unwanted thoughts, dissecting every aspect of our problematic beliefs. But we really can’t get to where we want to go from there. It is much like quicksand… the more we struggle, the more we sink. In my experience, nothing in the world gets better by focusing on what we don’t want to happen.

Many of us are often so stress that we barely notice when our inner beings are guiding us away from our faulty perceptions. But by tuning in, we can choose to release thoughts or images that hurt when we think about them. Sending love to  troublesome beliefs, invites  new perspectives. The situations and events that challenge us can morph into experiences that feel better. When we shift our perceptions, we change how we show up in the world, and situations often improve. Our reality transforms in response to our new beliefs. But it takes our strong intention to focus on good feeling thoughts and a commitment to do the work, that makes that happen.

The process of changing a belief is straightforward. We hold a thought in our mind and then check into our internal guidance , our emotions, to see if we have a resonance with that thought. If it feels good, then we can choose to continue to focus on that image, impression, or perspective.  By holding onto a good feeling thought, we begin to build an energetic momentum. It only takes a minute or two. When a particular thought feels disturbing, we can use our imagination to search for something better, like giving someone the benefit of the doubt or forgiving ourselves or others. When we are ready to move on to another thought, the process is the same. We check each belief out with our internal guidance to see if it feels good. That is the easiest way to change our beliefs, and subsequently, change our life experiences.

As with any skill that we want to master, it’s necessary put in the effort to shift our focused attention and to develop the “muscles” of our mind. It requires a thought-by-thought practice, but it can reap big results over time. We have much more power than we realize. We can choose our thoughts and perceptions. We can shift our beliefs and transform our lives. We have the power to be who we want to be in the world. And we can be the change that we want to see in the world.