‘Chapter 05: How to Discover Your Beliefs’

Before you can change your beliefs, you have to know what they are. Becoming aware of your beliefs requires you to draw them out from the unconscious and into the conscious part of your mind. I recommend that you jot them down as you think of them, so that you can dispute them more than once. Remember, you have to be persistent if you want to change a habit. Don’t just write down the negative ones that you want to change; if you practise the same methods with the positive beliefs that already empower you, you will be able to make them stronger.

Here are three different activities that you can use to help you discover what you believe.

Analyse your emotions
Every time you feel a strong emotion ask yourself ‘What would I have to believe to feel … when … happens?’
For example, you may ask:

1. What would I have to believe to feel anxious about making cold sales calls?
2. What would I have to believe to feel rejected by my partner when he wants some time alone?

Listen to your chatterbox
Listen carefully to your internal chatterbox. Are you generalising about anything? Are you saying something to yourself that makes you feel sad, angry, jealous, excited or happy? Are you saying to yourself ‘I can/cannot achieve what I want because….’? If so, pay attention to what you are thinking so that you recognise your beliefs.

List the beliefs you want
List at least 10 things that you would really like to have in your life, not necessarily material. They could be a new house, a healthy heart, a successful business, a million dollars, a loving partner, or whatever it is that you want. Now ask yourself: ‘What would I have to believe to get these things?’ List as many beliefs you can think of. Divide the beliefs up into ‘I believe this already’ and ‘I would like to believe this’.