Have you ever stopped to think about WHY you’re living the life you are?
Most people haven’t. If you said you had, then consider yourself an exception.

The Importance of Belief Systems

The reason you’re where you are right now is because of the beliefs you hold about yourself and “the way it has to be.” Your belief system is the foundation on which you reside. If you have a shaky foundation (aka belief system,) then no matter how fancy the house you build upon it (aka your life/work/possessions,etc…,) there stands a good chance that eventually it will crack and could even possibly tumble to the ground.

The point of the previous analogy is that if you have a disempowering belief system, then your life is going to be filled with one problem after another and drama galore.

Here are a few examples of disempowering beliefs:

· Life has to be a struggle.
· People like us never make it big.
· Money is the root of all evil.
· Working hard is a virtue.
· If you don’t dream, you won’t get disappointed.
· Others are better than me, why should anyone want to listen to me?
· If you have more money, you just have bigger problems.

Anything sound familiar?

If so, then you should really look deep within yourself and pinpoint the beliefs that are running (or ruining) your life. Think about where that particular belief came from. Who gave it to you? Was it your parents? Your teachers? Other family members?

Really think about it. Once you’ve pinned down the source, ask yourself this question:

What if they were wrong?

OUCH. Did your defense system just kick in and defend that particular person? I know mine did when I first tried this exercise. You have to get past that feeling. You’re talking about YOUR LIFE here. You have the right to question where you got your beliefs and their validity in your life.

If you got a particular belief (let’s use “life has to be a struggle” as an example) from a parent, think about where THEY got it. Probably from a parent who went through the Depression.

OF COURSE they would feel that way. It was the Depression, for crying out loud! Just because life was a struggle back then, doesn’t mean that’s how it always is or will be. Had you ever considered that before? I know I hadn’t until I took time to question my own belief system.

You can do this belief by belief and see how you feel about certain things will change.

If you get nothing else from this article, remember this phrase, “But what if.”

It really CAN change your life.

© 2007 Angie Lay. All Rights Reserved.

Angie Lay is the author of Get Your Gratitude On and founder of www.motivationalstuff.com. She has made it her life’s mission to empower others to find their authentic selves through the amazing power of gratitude. Sign up for her FREE ezine, Lay it on Me and get a complimentary subscription to her e-course, 5 Keys to Grabbing Life by the Reins: The Lessons We Wish We Had Learned in School.