Transformational Effect of Useful Beliefs

A belief is a mental aspect where you are convinced that something is true. A 'useful belief' is a better tool for getting out of a rut and achieving your goals than wallowing in misery.

Our beliefs create our reality. Since many of our beliefs are untrue, for example, an anorexic who believes she is fat, these false beliefs create a distorted reality, a reality that does not help us and keeps us unhappy and unfulfilled. When you realize you have a belief that is not serving you well,  consciously try to remove that belief and replace it with another one. 

Some of us don’t want to believe that unhealthy foods, lack of exercise, chronic lack of sleep, alcohol, too much sugar, stress without relief and regeneration will all contribute to overweight and obesity. We “know” these things but we don’t really believe them. If we learn and are convinced what roles they play in our health, we’ll begin to change our self-damaging behavior.

Acquiring new behaviors requires understanding and examining the beliefs and assumptions that drive new actions. They provide the rationale for our intended outcomes, our best-laid plans, and our expectations for success. Beliefs are deemed accurate when we achieve our intended outcomes; they should be questioned when results differ from expectations.

Many change initiatives such as losing weight fail because people focus too much on actions (dieting) and not enough on their underlying beliefs. New behaviors often are not sustained over time because people’s beliefs have not been transformed, and the principles and assumptions needed to sustain the effort are not deeply embedded in the individual.

Useful beliefs challenge you to look at the helpful things in situations that can't be changed, which can end up making the worst situation manageable.  Each time you catch yourself falling into a negative trap, be conscious that you're doing so and ask yourself: Is this useful?

Boosting the belief that you can do it.

When you go into any situation with the attitude that you will surely fail, you greatly reduce your odds of succeeding.  It is essential to focus not just on behavior, but also on your perception of your ability to make the changes you want.

The best way to improve your belief in your ability to succeed is actually to have some success.  Setting concrete and achievable goals, such as eating a healthy breakfast or replacing an after-dinner TV show with a family walk, can build your confidence to set more ambitious goals.

If you’re looking to improve your sense that you can do it, it also can help to look for people in similar circumstances who have made the difficult changes you are trying to make and to surround yourself with people who will encourage your efforts. Read success stories on the internet. If others have done it, so can you.

Lasting change requires more than a quick fix.