How can you see if a belief is empowering? Ask yourself: is this making me better, happier, more successful person?
The important thing here is to realize you can change any aspect of your personality if you chose to. There’s nothing you ‘must’ do. There’s no such thing as ‘this is the way you are’. These things are largely within your power to change. You can choose to feel good about the way you spend your time. You can choose to lead a balanced life. You can choose to be a better listener. YOU are in control of your fate.
· Getting rid of a disempowering belief
If you feel bad, ask yourself: “Is my feeling bad about this making it better?” “What belief am I holding that’s causing me to feel bad?” Associate pain with the old behavior / belief. Realize you have the power to change any part of your identity simply by deciding to.
But if the change is to be complete, you have to replace the old belief with a new one.
· Replacing old beliefs, building new, more positive ones
Before you move on to this, you must make sure you have already identified any disempowering belief that might have been holding you back. Now you will replace this with an empowering belief. Here are five simple steps to follow:
1. The Desire to Change. Have a good chat with yourself; make sure this is a belief you want to hold. Visualize yourself holding this belief, how you would become a better, happier, more successful person. Concentrate on your desire to be this new person and how rewarding that would be
2. The Information You Need for the Change. Seek to know as much as possible about the subject. Read a book, ask a friend, seek advice from a specialist.
3. Boosting Your Commitment. Even if you don’t seem to need it, seek help from some significant other. Apart from any new insight you might gain into the problem, this will hugely increase your commitment to change.
4. The Implementation. You have to (immediately) start acting like a person who holds this belief. If you wait for this to happen all of a sudden, it won't. Think how this person would walk, talk, treat other people, and then start acting like that.
5. Seek New Ways to Grow. Now you have succeeded, you are a better person. But don’t sit back and relax just yet! First of all, reward yourself for your success. But then… there’s plenty of ways in which you can grow! Being a better person is a never-ending task!
