Beliefs and How They Shape Your Future

Have you ever had such thoughts like "I always fall short", "Why am I always the looser" and the like? Who do you think you are? How would you describe yourself?

How do you know? You know what you have experienced. You know by remembering events and how they affected you. You know by your past.

Whatever happens to you at any moment in time, your brains tries to answer 2 basic questions.

1) Will this mean pleasure or pain?

2) What must I do to avoid pain?

The answers to these questions are based on our beliefs. They are based on what we experienced in the past. Why don't we touch a hot stove? Because at some point in the past we all had the experience that touching a hot stove causes pain and our brain has stored this information. Next time we face a hot stove we avoid touching it.

That's not a belief, come on. Well, it is the basic way our brain works to predict. Prediction is very helpful. If you predict something to happen, you can take steps to either avoid it or support it. But prediction per definition is to suppose something that has not happened yet. So how do we predict? How do we measure the probability? What do we base our predictions on?

We base our predictions on what we already know or better belief we know. If our brain wouldn't have a process to retrieve former experiences there was no way to prevent us from touching the stove over and over again. Yet, fortunately our brain has a process to predict. It is called generalization.

A generalization is simply an identification of patterns. Patterns are simplifications of the information our brain gets through our senses. Think about it, at every moment in time we are bombed with information through our senses. Our eyes literally encounter every single object that is within the field of view, yet we do not realize them all. Our brain decides what is important at any moment in time and destroys information it does not find to be useful. A quick exercise can help you understand how it works.

For a short time, say 15 seconds, please look around in the place you are right now and try to remember anything that is green. Only read on after you done that.

Now close your eyes and try to remember all the things that are BLUE.

You will have a hard time doing so even if you are in a place you are very familiar with. Why? The reason is that your brain focused on what was important for you (all that is green). Your eyes obviously sent all the information available to your brain, but your brain deleted those parts it was not interested in at that moment.

Basically that shows that we don' know what really is, we only know what we are focusing on.

Using patterns our brain puts another layer of abstraction on top of this selective experience. It asked what certain information has in common and builds a case to decide if an event is going to be painful and what steps to take to avoid it.

Generalizations are kind of an auto-pilot. Event A-B-C occurs and triggers reaction D-E-F every single time. The more references we have, the more often a certain event happens with the exact same outcome, the more stable the generalization gets.

If we have only some experiences about something, our brain might not go into auto-pilot mode on deciding about what this something means. It will evaluate consciously. This is what we usually call an opinion. We have an idea about what a certain event means but are not really sure. We evaluate the event consciously.

If we are certain about the meaning of an event, and we have a lot of references built than our brain goes into auto-pilot mode. This is what we call a belief. A belief is just a very strong generalization with lots of references stored. A belief is something we are certain about.

Just for the record, there is an even higher level of powerful generalizations we call convictions. Convictions are generalizations so strong that they literally build the foundation of our life. Changing beliefs is sometimes hard. Changing convictions is sometimes impossible.

Bottom-line, our beliefs are powerful generalizations build on selectively distorted patterns of sensual information.

And because generalizations are build on measuring the pain or pleasure attached to a certain reference ? a single event ? beliefs are powerful tools to ensure avoiding pain.

Pain and pleasure are states. We either are in a more painful or more pleasurable state. Pain and pleasure trigger emotions, or more exact, emotional states. All we ever want in live is a consistent pleasurable emotional state. We want to feel good and we want to feel good in a way that does not trade feeling good now by feeling pain later. Even though many of us do exactly this. Think about using drugs like alcohol.

Beliefs help us to achieve these states. There is however a challenge with beliefs. They focus on preventing pain immediately. And this is why beliefs can limit us in our lives significantly.

Think about it, if you where raised by abusive parents, you might have developed a generalization to avoid being punished, maybe you learned not to show affection because every time you showed affection you been hurt, emotionally or physically. What kind of generalization you think you would have developed. Probably something like "Do not show affection".

Now, having enough experiences this generalization will go on auto-pilot one day building a belief like "Affection is painful". Do you think this is a limiting belief? You bet it is as it takes away one of the most powerful tools you possess to communicate with others. And, do you think this belief is a natural law? Certainly not, there are many more parents that love their children dearly and love their affection at the same time which in turn leads to a belief that being affectionate is pleasurable.

As you can see, it is not the events that shape our life but the beliefs we have developed about what those events mean.

But if our beliefs are nothing but learned patterns, we can probably replace them by new patterns? Yes, we can. This is the exciting news on having that knowledge. Once we know what beliefs are, how they are developed and that they are not based in the rational area, we can take steps to change our beliefs.

Actually you can change any belief you have, limiting beliefs as well as empowering beliefs. Obviously you want to keep your empowering beliefs and change the limiting ones. How? You already did the first step by realizing that our beliefs are made by us to avoid pain or to gain pleasure. If you accept this basic fact, you also realize that we can control our beliefs. It is us we build them and it is us that can change them. Find those beliefs that limit you and think about how to link massive pleasure to them rather than pain.

You can also join a seminar or training that helps you do that process in a shorter time and with proven methods to ensure success. Whatever you do, start asking why do I believe this or that? How does that belief help me avoiding pain or gaining pleasure? If you ask long enough and consistent your brain will come up with an answer.

I like to finish this article with a quote of a man that once ruled the known world. He speaks to you from 2000 years away but his words are still as true as they ever where.

"If you are distressed by any external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your own estimate of it; and this you have the power to revoke at any moment." - Marcus Aurelius (Consul of the Roman Empire)

This article may published freely only in its whole including all appendices.

? 2005 by Norbert Haag

Online Business Coach (http://www.onlinebusinesscoach.com)

Norbert Haag is a business consultant, entrepreneur and sought after speaker for more than 20 years. His company - Online Business Coach http://www.onlinebusinesscoach.com - provides information and services for online businesses, small business owners and freelancers.

You can reach Norbert at http://www.onlinebusinesscoach.com.

Oswego taxi to Midway ..
In The News:

Hackers and scammers keep looking for ways to break into your Facebook account. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson has some tips to make sure your account is secure.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson shows you how to create group texts to reach multiple people at once — and also how to leave them if you get annoyed at the volume of interruptions.
Tax fraud is on the rise, and hackers are now using identity hijacking and artificial intelligence for tax returns in someone else's name to get a refund.
Toyota's Punyo soft robot mimics human behavior, using its chest, hips and arms — in addition to its hands — like a human to handle objects,
Hackers used third-party information to break into Roku accounts, according to the streaming company. Roku says it has secured affected accounts.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains the simple steps for setting a Wi-Fi hot spot on an Android. If you have internet on your phone, it's easy.
Dubai recently hosted the first jet suit race with a backdrop of skyscrapers, and one observer says it was straight out of a comic book.
Kim Komando introduces ways to keep you and your devices safe while traveling. The clever hacks mentioned can protect you from hackers and jackers.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew published a video Wednesday urging users to "protect your constitutional rights" against a bipartisan bill that would force China to divest from the app.
Tech guru Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson says you can never be too careful with tech passwords. He explains how to keep your information safe.
The Lighthouse in New Zealand rotates 360 degrees, constantly giving those inside different views around the clock. Built in the 1990s, it's up for sale.
High school students in Colorado are learning how to design their own AI model projects, including cameras for self-driving cars and apps that can teach other languages.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Vehicles collect sensitive personal information, which is used to set auto insurance rates. That's partly why auto insurance premiums are rising.
Honda's Uni-One is a hands-free electric mobility device that can reach speeds of 3.7 mph and support a user weighing up to 242 pounds.
Kim Komando puts three AI chatbots head-to-head to decide which is the best assistant for modern problems. Compare Google Gemini, ChatGPT, and Perplexity.
To safeguard personal information on iPhones, users can employ built-in security measures and iCloud Keychain for enhanced privacy. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson shows you how.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson introduces you to the City Transformer’s CT-2 electric car, which can seamlessly transition from 8 feet wide on the road to a compact 3 feet for parking.
Hackers are always looking for new ways to trick targets into downloading malware. Now, they're after cryptocurrency folks via Calendly. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson has the details.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals how the Microlino Lite, a compact and eco-friendly vehicle, tackles city traffic congestion with its chic design and small dimensions.
A new funeral scam targets surviving family members of those who recently died. Scammers reach out to the survivors and pose as funeral home officials.
Merlin Labs' autonomous pilot could soon hit the commercial airways and may help alleviate a looming pilot shortage, according to CEO Matt George.
There's a simple way to check your subscriptions on an Android and cancel them. Tech guru Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains how it is done.
Hackers use pirated software to target macOS, Android and Windows devices in search of stealing cryptocurrency, according to Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson.

Belief And Action Succeed

For centuries Protestant Christians have argued that you can reach... Read More

The High Cost of Doing Nothing

Cost is sometimes a difficult term to define. Here, we... Read More

10 Tips for Sensible Living

Here are a few suggestions that I try to put... Read More

Own Your Success

Are you getting frustrated because the work you continue to... Read More

Self Esteem

Self-esteem is very important. It is the way we view... Read More

5 Key Ways to Attract Abundance and Prosperity

When you hear the words "abundance" and "prosperity", what immediately... Read More

Success: Beware The Arrival Syndrome

There is a saying that goes something like this: Getting... Read More

Reach Your Goals - Aim For The Impossible

Choose "impossible" goals When faced with a hard-to-reach goal, your... Read More

7 Ways to improve Your Listening Skills

Do you know how much time do you spend listening?... Read More

Filling Your Bucket - How Negativity Can Make Or Break Your Business and Personal Success!

I received an advanced copy of a book called How... Read More

The S.W.P.D. Recipe for Success

A wonderful quote by author and scholar William A. Ward... Read More

Keeping Your Mind Tuned for Success

Absolutely no one can underestimate the power of the mind... Read More

Take Care of Yourself to Achieve Maximum Results (part 1)

All too often, we push ourselves past the limits of... Read More

Its Your World--Own It

Hello,You are reading this article because you are one of... Read More

The Power of Mind-Imagery

Today I feel inspired that I should speak more to... Read More

Why the Elephants Dont Run

A number of years ago, I had the rather unique... Read More

Self-Improvement Secrets

* Perfectionism is a time waster.Strive for excellence on important... Read More

Getting Comfortable with Being Uncomfortable

They say that if you really want to stretch yourself... Read More

I Have Failed Before

Have you failed before and wished the earth could open... Read More

Mastering The Habits Of Success

The difference between success and failure is based on behavior.... Read More

Success Lessons I Learned From My Single Mom

I was at a dinner party the other night when... Read More

Modelling Your Way to Success

The fastest way to succeeding in anything, be it online... Read More

Attitude Is The Key To Success

We all want success in life. We want success in... Read More

The Definition of WIN!

When you look into the eyes of a winner, what... Read More

Falling Up the Stairs

There have been a lot of really good movies made... Read More

shuttle from Midway Morris ..