Putting Old Ideas Out Of Your Life

When we are growing up we are told lots of things. We tend to be influenced mostly by our parents, teachers, relatives and friends. When we start working, co-workers and bosses teach us things too. Unfortunately, nobody is perfect and often what we are taught ends up hindering rather than helping. Sadly the people who loved us and wanted the best for us sometimes unwittingly led us down the wrong path.

It’s important to realise that those people did the best they could. They honestly thought that they were acting with your best interest at heart. The chances are though that they were teaching you how they viewed the world – it’s limits and it’s possibilities. However, what is right or true for one isn’t necessarily right or true for all. It’s useful for us to gain a different perspective.

It is amazing how people will defend the belief system that they have even when the evidence against is overwhelming. Their ego tells them that changing will mean admitting that they or even worse, the people that they love dearly are wrong. This is something that most people can’t do. They would rather struggle through life repeating the same patterns of belief or behaviour that’s been duplicated for generations. This is why most people tend to lead unfulfilled lives.
An example of this phenomenon occurred in Japan. In the 1980s, Japanese managers were widely praised as role models for leadership behaviour. Books were written and "benchmarking trips" were organized so that leaders from around the world could learn from their success. Unfortunately, the style that worked in the 1980s did not work in the 1990s. Rapid changes in technology, the economy, the role of manufacturing and the workforce made the Japanese management approach far less desirable. It has taken two decades for many Japanese leaders to admit that their previous approach was no longer working and accept that change was needed.

Only a small percentage of people take the time to question what ideas they are carrying in their heads and how they got there. But by doing this you open yourself to releasing the patterns that invariably hold you back. If you really want to create the life that you truly deserve, it’s going to require you letting go of all those ideas that keep you from achieving it.
Successful people operate under an entirely different set of ideals to people who struggle through life. Here are 10 common beliefs of some of the most successful people I’ve met.

1. I believe I am 100% responsible for my own life.
2. Whether I believe I can or I can’t my results equal my belief.
3. I believe failure is a great teacher that leads me closer to success.
4. I believe no task is too small to give my best effort.
5. I believe it's what I know and who I know.
6. I believe in asking "What can I do right now to make things better?"
7. I believe in valuing and respecting self and others equally.
8. Whether I look for opportunities or obstacles I find what I’m looking for.
9. I believe in something greater than myself.
10. I control my thoughts, my thoughts control my beliefs, my beliefs control my actions, my actions create my success or failure.

Take a look at the beliefs that you have concerning love, happiness, relationships, money, success, debt, and motivation. Are there some ideas you hold that are currently holding you back?

If wealth is a goal of yours, why haven't you achieved it? What is it that you are missing? Do you think that it is too hard? Is it really any harder to be wealthy than to work for someone else?

Do you believe that you have what it takes to be successful? Is the way that you view yourself keeping you from moving forward? What role does fear play in your life? Is the idea that you will fail preventing you from acting? What if you believed that failure was not possible? How would that change you life?

Keep asking yourself these types of questions until you uncover what ideas are hindering your path to your dream life. Once you’ve uncovered those ideas ask yourself, “Is this belief really true?” Usually, you will discover that your limiting beliefs are baseless and that they were just implanted in your mind by someone else who themselves were never successful. Ask yourself, “What will happen if I continue living with that belief? And what will happen if I replaced this belief with a strong, supporting one?” Powerful questions can covert an average person to a success champion.

Believing In Yourself

Henry Ford once said "Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right".

We've all met a wannabe entrepreneur - the kind of person that talks about starting a business but never actually takes the dive and does anything. Perhaps they spend all their time reading books on the subject but never really do anything to get things going?

They always seem to have excuses. They say…
" I’m too old to start now."
" I don’t know enough to be in business for myself."
" I can’t afford it."
" I will never be able to get finance."
" The economy is too unpredictable."

The amazing thing is that sometimes these people don’t even like where they are right now in life. I know several people who absolutely hate their jobs but prefer to suffer rather than actually look for a better one. It’s pretty clear that these people just don’t believe in themselves. They don’t believe they can actually become a success so they just keep doing what they’ve always done never moving forward.

Here are some simple ways to start learning how to believe in yourself and your abilities.

Get some paper and list every one of those things you really believe about yourself and your abilities or the lack of them. List them whether they are large or small. Once you have that list go through each belief and examine it. Ask yourself the following questions about each:

1. Is this true?
2. What is the proof?
3. Has there ever been a time when this wasn’t true?
4. If there hasn’t, what would you do if it wasn’t true?
5. If the belief is that you can’t or shouldn’t do something, what would happen if you did?

Then go and do whatever it is you feel you can't. It doesn't matter if you do it better than anyone else or if you don't do it as well as you would like. It only matters that you do it.

So often we allow self-defeating assumptions that leave us believing we can’t succeed. Very often this is caused by people in our lives who’ve impressed their own beliefs on us. If you accept this you are doing yourself a great disservice and giving your power to someone else. To reach your goals in life, believing in yourself is extremely important.

It is time to push beyond what you believe are your capabilities. The assumptions you have about yourself may not be true. You have simply accepted these assumptions as truth without proof. Consider all the possibilities of each situation. Challenge the assumptions and have an open mind to the possibility that you could be wrong!

Once you’ve challenged your belief, found that it wasn’t true and made a start, stay motivated. This can be tough if the people around you are always telling you what you can’t do instead of what you can do. There will always be someone who wants to bring you down, that is just a part of life. Of course it hurts when it’s someone whose opinion you value, like a spouse, family member or friend, but move beyond that and stay positive. Keeping a positive outlook will also improve your motivation. Try being a little arrogant, it's OK sometimes. KNOW that you can achieve what you set out to do. Don't allow the negativity and ridicule of others to destroy your motivation. Stay focused and keep believing. You’re well on the way to success!