The topic of belief has been top of mind for me recently as I talk with clients and colleagues about what they are creating. I am noticing that beliefs are often the number one reason why their business isn’t as successful as they would like it to be.
You might think that you need more marketing or better marketing or more money to market… but I would argue that what you need more of is BELIEF.
- Belief in yourself.
- Belief in your dream.
- Belief in your creative gifts.
I am a huge fan of Game of Thrones and the character Daenerys Targaryen. I admire her character’s fierce commitment to justice and how she stands in her power, again and again. One of my favorite show quotes is: “I am no ordinary woman. My dreams come true.”
Why do her dreams come true? Because she believes they will.
Our beliefs have a profound impact on our behavior. The behaviors that we display over an extended period determine the quality of our lives.
For example, I was talking with one of my clients this morning who shared that her belief is stopping her from attracting new clients to her coaching business. On the one hand, she didn’t believe that anyone would want to work with her but on the other hand, she believed that taking on new clients would add to the current complexity and chaos of her busy life. She has an aging mother who is taking up a considerable amount of time, attention and energy.
As we explored these stories around belief, she realized that she needed to implement better boundaries around her time and get crystal clear on how many clients she could work with every week. Together we determined that 6 clients would be the maximum number she would want to work with at a time. 6 is not a daunting number. It’s crystal clear. She believes she can find 6 of her ideal clients and now she has the right mindset and the right strategy in place to go and find them.
Here are some of the questions we explored around her beliefs. You can do this process yourself right now. Grab a pen and paper and go!
Write down your answers to these questions:
- Which belief do you want to change? You need to be able to see it to work with it effectively. So write it down. For example, one limiting belief you might have is: “I will never make a lot of money in my business.”
- What has the belief cost you? Make a list of all the ways this belief has negatively impacted your life. Really think about it, because it helps to have as much negative ammunition to get rid of that old belief as you can get. Spend some time; it might even take a couple of days to get a complete list.
- What advantages has the belief provided you? Maybe believing that you could never be wealthy has allowed you to avoid taking risks. Or perhaps it has allowed you to work at a profession that’s easy for you. It might be hard to figure out what the advantages are, but they are there.
- What new belief would you like to have as a replacement? For example, for the belief listed above, a new replacement might be: “I can make any amount of money I set my mind to.” Be thoughtful and develop a new belief that will serve you well in the future.
- How is the new belief better than the old belief? Come up with an emotionally charged list of ways in which the new belief will impact your life for the better. Consider how you would feel. What could you become? How would your lifestyle change? Would it help other people around you?
- How can you start demonstrating the new belief today? Following our wealth-theme, it might not be the right time to plan the interior of your private jet just yet. What could you do right now? Make a plan to make more money? Start looking for a better paying job? Look for ways to invest the money you already have? Even a small change can help the process.
Start Living Your New Belief
It might not be easy at first, but taking the time to complete the steps above will make it easier. Each day try to behave as if you hold the new belief. What would you wear? How would you speak? How would you view the world? How would you make decisions? How would you react to good news? Bad news?
While our behaviors determine the quality of our lives, our beliefs largely determine our behaviors. Beliefs are really the core to everything you do and become.
Beliefs can be challenging to change, as they’re frequently developed at a young age, so you might have lived in accordance with your limiting beliefs for a long time. However, with diligence and attention, they can be altered. Changing your beliefs will change your life.
Look at what belief did for Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones. If she can be the Mother of Dragons, walk safely through fire and save the world, can’t you?
