To believe in something is to give it an incredible power. Belief, or lack thereof, can make or break almost any truth. Are you always telling yourself and others around you that you can’t do something? That, no matter how hard you try, how much you practice, or how much help you get, it’s just not something you can do? That you will ever be able to do? With each of these statements, you are creating a powerful kind of mantra in relation to your identity. With each repetition, that mantra becomes your truth. As Tony Robbins says, “There are no true beliefs. There are only empowering and disempowering beliefs.” Disempowering beliefs limit you; they do not serve you.

Empowering Beliefs = Empowered Life

A staggering amount of people in today’s world suffer from low self-esteem. Regardless of where low self-esteem originates, it is a state of mind and it can be changed. This state of mind can cause us to doubt our abilities and even our character. Once we believe that we cannot do or be something, it becomes true. We begin to see this truth over and over again in our everyday lives, and often ignore any opposite representation. As an example, many people believe they are bad at math, bad at remembering things, or that they possess a negative quality (like that they are annoying or disliked for whatever reason). Once we believe these things, humans have a tendency to repeat it to ourselves and to others, thus reinforcing the belief and making it truer. However, if we can notice, acknowledge, and change this type of negative self talk, we can change our beliefs and our truths and improve our lives.

Overcome Disempowering Beliefs

Empowering beliefs, put simply, are beliefs that empower oneself. By saying, “I have never been someone who can remember things,”  you create a version of yourself that cannot remember things. Instead, by saying, “I can remember this, because it is important to me,” you create a new version of yourself that is going to remember that item, whatever it may be. Most people have already limited themselves with disempowering beliefs. They are already established, and that’s okay. The important thing now, is to overcome them. The first step is to notice when you disempower yourself with self talk. If you catch yourself saying something negative, acknowledge it and rephrase your statement. If your initial thought is something like, “I am not good at adapting to change”, instead try, “I am organized and create effective and efficient strategies and plans.”

Affirmations

In a recent conversation with my good friend and colleague, Luke Storey from The Life Stylist Podcast (which you can listen to here) he shared how each morning he looks in the mirror and recites a specific affirmation. This is a great practice that creates awareness and dynamic tension within our beings. Humans have what is called a Reticular Activating System (RAS) which filters the flow of information into our brain, allowing only what is perceived to be of importance to each individual. Without our RAS, we would be bombarded with so much unnecessary information that all of our senses would be severely overloaded and have to amp up into hyperdrive, thus limiting efficiency. Instead, our brain identifies necessary information according to our goals, needs, interests, and desires and allows only pertinent data to enter.

Begin the Transformation

There are a couple of things that happen when you repeat an affirmation multiple times. Firstly, it sends a direct message to your RAS that this is important to you. Then, your RAS will adapt to allow relevant information to enter. You will begin noticing different things that could help you achieve your goals. If success is your goal, relevant courses, podcasts, networking opportunities, etc. will move to the forefront of your consciousness. Secondly, if my affirmation resonates at a higher vibration than what I believe the truth to be, the dynamic tension will make me uncomfortable and create a need to rid myself of the tension. There are only two ways to do that: one is to stop saying the affirmation; the other is to make a lifestyle transformation that results in matching the affirmation and reality.

The Big Idea

Living an empowered life means living an unlimited life full of achievement, possibilities, and happiness. An empowered life is within reach for everyone. Empowered believing is empowered living. For more information about how you can achieve an empowered life, check out my interview with speaker, mentor, and strategist Jeffrey Van Dyk on my Get Yourself Optimized podcast.