Mistaken Beliefs
September 30th 2007 05:11
There are innumerable mistaken beliefs. You have your own collection as a result of what you learned from your parents, teachers, and peers during childhood and adolescence. Sometimes you take on a false belief directly from your parents, such as when you are told “Big boys don’t cry” or “Nice girls don’t get angry.” At other times you develop an attitude about yourself as a result of being frequently criticized (thus “I’m unlovable”) over many years. The unfortunate thing is that you may “live out” these mistaken attitudes to the point where you act in ways-and get others to treat you in ways-that confirm them. Like computers, people can be “preprogrammed,” and the mistaken beliefs of childhood can become self-fulfilling prophecies.
Below are some examples of fairly common mistaken beliefs that tend to influence many people. Following each are the counterstatements which replace the negative belief with a positive one. Positive statements that counter mistaken beliefs are known as affirmations.
1.I’m powerless. I’m a victim of outside circumstances.
I’m responsible and in control of my life. Circumstances are what they are, but I can determine my attitude toward them.
2.Life is a struggle. Something must be wrong if life seems too easy, pleasurable or fun.
Life is full and pleasurable.
It is O.K. for me to relax and have fun.
Life is an adventure-and I’m learning to accept both the ups and downs.
3.If I take a risk, I’ll fail. If I fail, others will reject me.
It’s O.K. for me to take risks.
It’s O.K. to fail-I can learn a lot from every mistake.
It’s O.K for me to be a success.
4.I’m unimportant. My feelings and needs are unimportant.
I am a valuable and unique person
I deserve to have my feelings and needs taken care of as much as anyone
else.
5.I always should look good and act nice no matter how I feel.
It is O.K. simply to be myself.
6.If I worry enough, this problem should get better or go away.
Worrying has no effect on solving problems; taking action does.
7.I can’t cope with difficult or scary situations.
I can learn to handle any scary situation if I approach it slowly, in small enough steps.
8.The outside world is dangerous. There is only safety in what is known and familiar.
I can learn to become more comfortable with the world outside. I look forward to new opportunities for learning and growth that the outside world can offer.
Just recognizing your own particular mistaken belief is the first and most important step toward letting go of them. The second step is to develop a positive affirmation to counter each mistaken belief and continue to impress it on your mind until you are “deprogrammed.”
Below are some examples of fairly common mistaken beliefs that tend to influence many people. Following each are the counterstatements which replace the negative belief with a positive one. Positive statements that counter mistaken beliefs are known as affirmations.
1.I’m powerless. I’m a victim of outside circumstances.
I’m responsible and in control of my life. Circumstances are what they are, but I can determine my attitude toward them.
2.Life is a struggle. Something must be wrong if life seems too easy, pleasurable or fun.
Life is full and pleasurable.
It is O.K. for me to relax and have fun.
3.If I take a risk, I’ll fail. If I fail, others will reject me.
It’s O.K. for me to take risks.
It’s O.K. to fail-I can learn a lot from every mistake.
It’s O.K for me to be a success.
4.I’m unimportant. My feelings and needs are unimportant.
I am a valuable and unique person
I deserve to have my feelings and needs taken care of as much as anyone
else.
5.I always should look good and act nice no matter how I feel.
It is O.K. simply to be myself.
6.If I worry enough, this problem should get better or go away.
Worrying has no effect on solving problems; taking action does.
7.I can’t cope with difficult or scary situations.
I can learn to handle any scary situation if I approach it slowly, in small enough steps.
8.The outside world is dangerous. There is only safety in what is known and familiar.
I can learn to become more comfortable with the world outside. I look forward to new opportunities for learning and growth that the outside world can offer.
Just recognizing your own particular mistaken belief is the first and most important step toward letting go of them. The second step is to develop a positive affirmation to counter each mistaken belief and continue to impress it on your mind until you are “deprogrammed.”
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