Belief in oneself is one of the most important bricks in building any successful venture. ~ Lydia M. Child
Belief – what you believe controls what you experience
Have you ever wondered what makes some people so optimistic while others seem to be drowned in misery? You may say that life’s experiences have made them like this. However, I would disagree. What we feel, how we react, and how we interpret life does not depend on what we experience in life. Yes, our experiences do not shape our beliefs, but it is the other way round. What we believe controls what we experience in life.
Our beliefs create our identity
What we are today is a sum total of the beliefs we had since our childhood. These beliefs are not created in a day. They are shaped slowly and seldom change. These beliefs define our identity too. They control our thoughts and the way we react. Our beliefs even control the way we feel. The way we look at things and measure successes and failures are also determined by our beliefs.
When it comes to changing our beliefs, many people believe that through experiences, our beliefs get transformed. However, if you study closely, you will realize that this is not true.
Our beliefs define our experiences
Experiences are incidents that happen in life. They become experiences because of the way we interpret them. Maybe, you were trying very hard to get a particular job and one day you succeed in your attempts. How do you react to it? You get elated, you feel proud of yourself, you feel like being on top of the world, and you feel that you are a winner. So, your feelings and your belief regarding success and life make this incident a memorable experience for you. Similarly, when you go through a bad phase in life, it is the way you take the struggle and the belief system that makes you feel victim of the situation actually plays a great role in creating the experiences.
So, your beliefs are far stronger than your experiences. The interpretations are a direct result of our beliefs and some people even consider them as beliefs also.
People, who are optimistic and believe in working hard towards their goals, take every situation as positive, no matter what. On the other hand, there are people who find fault with everything and are never happy. These people have developed their belief system in a way that makes them see the negative things always. Every incident becomes a bad experience for them.
To lead a happy life, it is important that we create happy experiences and to do that, we may have to change our beliefs. Changing beliefs is difficult but can lead to revelations that change the course of our lives.