‘Chapter 02: Your Beliefs’

‘If you believe you can do a thing, or if you believe you cannot, in either case, you are right.’ – Henry Ford

Our beliefs are feelings of certainty about an idea. They determine how we feel and how we behave in a range of different situations. They are like a set of rules about how we choose to live. We have each become what we have believed ourselves to be. Whether we are rich or poor, successful or unsuccessful, fit or unfit, our beliefs make us that way. We are the result of our thinking. Our beliefs evolve throughout our lives. They form in response to our own experiences (the most deeply held beliefs may have been ingrained since early childhood) and others’ experiences. The people we associate with throughout our lives and information from reading, our education and the media strongly shape our beliefs.

Beliefs only become formed once we feel there is enough evidence to back them up. We can believe anything at all with enough evidence, and that ‘evidence’ can be entirely subjective. The evidence may come from our own views of our personal experiences, other people’s experiences, or even imagination. Whether the beliefs are accurate makes no difference. In fact, many studies have shown that people can be led to believe things about themselves and their past that never happened, such as being kidnapped as a child. It does not matter if our beliefs are true or if they are completely false, they will still hold true for us.

Our beliefs are essential for getting through the day, because they reduce the range of choices in our day-to-day decisions. After repeated experience with certain problems, we learn methods that work and others that don’t. When we are faced with the same problem, we use the method that works. For example, when driving you strongly believe that putting your foot on the brake will slow you down, and so you choose that approach rather than considering alternatives. Our beliefs allow us to quickly adapt to different circumstances and decide whether a particular choice will mean pain or pleasure. Once we believe in something, it becomes an automatic filter when we make decisions.

The strength of our beliefs depends on how certain they feel. Our beliefs become stronger if they result in feelings of emotion and/or they are reinforced often.

There are three different levels of belief: opinion belief and conviction. Opinions have the least amount of certainty and are easily changed. Beliefs are much stronger and may have emotional ties. Beliefs have to be acted on if they are to mean anything, and therefore are principles of action, not empty ideals. It takes some persistence to change our beliefs.

A conviction is a belief that is so emotionally tied that someone may feel threatened or angry if it is disputed. For example, a person who rallies against a political decision or attends a workers’ strike is acting with a strong sense of conviction. Trying to change a conviction is difficult because of the emotional intensity involved. On the other hand, having an empowering conviction is a source of strength and persistence.

‘Sometimes I have believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.’ – Lewis Carroll

All advances in technology came about because of individuals with strong beliefs. For example, there was a time when most people did not believe that anything man-made could ever fly. When the Wright brothers succeeded with their first aircraft, people all over the world had to quickly adapt their belief system. Since then, aeroplanes have become much larger and faster than anyone might have imagined. This example shows that our beliefs don’t have to be backed up by events that have happened in the past. If we develop a consistent and impassioned focus on something, we can experience it.