Breaking Down Old Beliefs

Let's cut right to the chase - the main reason we experience failure in our lives is because we never believed we could achieve success.

That's a bold statement, I know.

Initially, you may not even recognize it as truth. But, it is. You see, we develop many of our belief systems when we're young - before we're even able to rationalize. We are, in many respects, a product of our environment. From our parents, we learned how to fold towels and wash dishes and how to feel about money. Do you still fold clothes the way your mother taught you? Probably. Similarly, you probably manage money in a similar way.

This reminds me of an old story I've heard often that draws attention to questioning why we do things the way we do. I'll retell it here the best I can. A mother was in the kitchen preparing a pot roast for Sunday dinner when her young daughter entered and asked, "Mom, when you prepare the roast, why do you always cut off the ends?" The mother responded, "Because that's what my mother did." While that answer satisfied the child's curiosity, it left the mother wondering. So much so that she asked her mother. Interestingly enough, her mother replied the same, "Because that's what my mother did." But, this still doesn't really answer the question that begs the reason for cutting the ends off of the roast. Eventually, the question was posed to the oldest living mother in this family, who responded, "I cut the ends off of the roast because it was too big for the pan I used."

You see, so much of what we do and believe comes from a place that no longer applies but we rarely assess our beliefs to see if they are still valid or even necessary.

This is your life and you get to choose the rules that apply to you.