Unlock Your Potential: Believe in Yourself

In her wonderful book You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay says that each one of us has feelings of inferiority that are manifested in the conclusion that we are not good enough. We think that we are not as good as other people, and we feel that we are not good enough to achieve and enjoy the things that we want in life.

The fact is that you deserve every good thing that you are capable of achieving as the result of the application of your talents. If you want something badly enough, nothing in the world can stop you from getting it, if you are willing to persist long enough and hard enough. We have high hopes and dreams and aspirations, but we let doubts creep in and undermine our competence and effectiveness. Men and women who accomplish extraordinary things are just ordinary people who developed themselves mentally to the point where they were able to overcome the obstacles that stood in their way, and they kept on until the goal was attained.

William James, the father of modern psychology, said that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude. This happens because we always act in a manner consistent with our innermost beliefs and convictions. If you believe yourself capable of accomplishing good things, you will walk and talk and act like it. Your behaviors will actually make your beliefs a reality.

The most destructive beliefs that you can have are what we call “self-limiting beliefs.” Sometimes you, or others, will say that you cannot achieve certain goals because you did not get enough education. Sometimes you will say that it is because of your gender or race or age or the state of the economy. Many people blame their parents or their bosses or their families or their current relationships for their failure to make progress in life. Others say that there is no opportunity in their particular area. Some complain because they have no money. Others complain because they received poor grades in school or did not go to, or finish, college. Still others say that they have never had a natural talent or ability for a particular field. I would like to propose this concept. Argue for your limitations and they are yours.

Question your basic premises. Check your assumptions. Ask yourself, “What assumptions am I making about myself or my situation that might not be true?” We fall in love with our excuses and our assumptions. We fall in love with our reasons for not moving ahead.

Even if someone comes along and challenges those reasons, even if someone tells you that you have the capacity to accomplish marvelous things, you will argue with him/ her. We fall into the “ya but…” mind set.

If someone tells you that you can do far better than you’re doing right now, you will come up with reasons to dispute this person’s greater belief in your potential. We dispute and argue and attempt to prove to ourselves and others that our limitations are real.

What beliefs might you have that are holding you back right now? We do not behave according to the truth, but we behave according to the truth as we perceive it to be. These believes are based on information and ideas that we have accepted as true, sometimes in early childhood, we accept them and they become our reality. You can always tell what your true values and beliefs are by looking at your actions.

It isn’t what you say, wish, hope or intend. It’s only what you do that counts. It’s only the behaviors that you engage in that matter. It’s only the actions that you choose to undertake.Your values and beliefs are always expressed in your actions and behaviors.The wonderful thing is this. Each of us is in a state of becoming. We are unlimited.

Many years ago, a great teacher of mine said that each human being is in a permanent state of transformation. You are constantly evolving toward the fulfillment of your individual possibilities. To develop beliefs that serve your life better decide exactly where you want to end up in the future. Dr. Roberto Assagioli calls this your “ideal result.”

Robert Fritz, in his book The Path of Least Resistance calls this your “future vision.” The clearer you are about your ideal result or future the easier it is for you to alter your actions and behaviors. Once you’ve clearly decided on the person you would like to become, you are on the path toward developing new beliefs.