The Truth Behind Beliefs

By Jim Phillips 9/22/10

Have you ever considered that most of what you believe to be true you have never experienced first hand? Think about it, most of what we believe we have been told by someone else, have read it somewhere or heard it somewhere and then have come to the conclusion that it is true. Take for example the much used experience of the people living on Earth prior to and during the time of the Columbus expeditions. It was thought and believed by most (there had to be a few who thought otherwise) that the world was flat. This was their belief even though they had no definitive evidence to prove it, or for that matter to prove otherwise. Science is another area where we can look at what was believed to be true at a particular time but as advances were made in medicine and technology much of what was held to be true is no longer true.

Now, you might question the importance of understanding our beliefs and the truth behind them, but it is in accordance with our beliefs that we make important decisions that affect our overall life experiences. And what if what we hold as true is not the truth? What does this mean to the decisions we have made that were based on these beliefs? How different might our life experiences be if our beliefs were actually based in truth and therefore our decisions based in truth?

It was about four years ago when I began to look at what I believed and how I had come to accept those beliefs. Throughout this process I examined my beliefs about everything in my life including, but not limited to, politics, religion , society, relationships, spirituality and family . But nowhere was what I believed more critical than in what I believed about myself. I looked at decisions I had made that resulted in less than favorable outcomes or that prevented me from doing things that would appear to bring me greater joy, greater success, greater life experiences. I questioned why I made those decisions because I certainly would not have made them if I knew I would create the results that I experienced. What were the underlying beliefs I held about myself that lead me to these specific decisions? Did I hold beliefs about being unworthy of certain things, experiences or people? Did I hold limiting beliefs about my ability to do or accomplish certain things? Did I hold limiting beliefs about my intelligence, my physical body and on and on and on?

You see the fact of the matter is that we all hold beliefs about ourselves that are very limiting and detrimental to the overall quality of our life experiences. We have somehow formed and held beliefs that lead us to make decisions which are not supportive or beneficial to who we truly are and to what we want to experience and express. And keep in mind that this process of making decisions and choices against our beliefs occurs whether we are consciously aware of it or not.The time has come to examine our beliefs, all of them, but especially those we hold about ourselves. Release those that do not serve us, and create new beliefs based on the truth of who we know ourselves to be and what it is we desire to experience.

If there is one thing I can leave you with that might prove beneficial in this process it would be the following quote that I wrote (which has now become my mantra) while personally going through the process:

“Today what I know to be true, tomorrow might not be”

Copyright2010 Jim Phillips- Path of Enrichment©