Tag Archives: beliefs

When you step on the brakes your life is in your foot’s hands

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“When you step on the brakes your life is in your foot’s hands.”

—George Carlin, American comedian, actor, author, and social critic

Where in your life are you going along for the ride?

Where in your personal or professional world are you accepting things as they are without voicing your opinion that is not in step with the status quo?

On what issues is it time to put your foot down and take a stand for what you value and believe?

EXERCISE:

Select an important topic in which you have been going along to get along.

How can and will you step on the brakes regarding this issue and take more of your life into your own hands?

Friday Review: Beliefs

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Friday Review: Beliefs

How often do you review and reorganize the beliefs you hold? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.

“Plant the seeds of beautiful ideas in your mind and water them with belief and action.”

 

 

 

 

“The truth you believe in and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.”

 

 

 

 

 

“You must look into people, as well as at them.”

 

 

 

 

 

Re-examine all that you have been told. Dismiss that which insults your soul.

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“Re-examine all that you have been told. Dismiss that which insults your soul.”

—Walt Whitman, 19th Century American poet, essayist and journalist

Image from Unsplash by Markus Winkler

In our journey toward greater mindfulness and self-awareness it can be helpful to stop and re-examine our own perspectives and views of the world around us.

Where and when did you first become aware of specific beliefs?

What factors had you embrace them as your own?

To what degree do you remain open to examining your thinking and not simply accepting what you’ve been told to believe and how to act?

Just because we have done something a particular way for many years does not necessarily mean it is the way to go when you have new information to consider.

EXERCISE:

What are some of your current beliefs that no longer serve you? How might revisiting your thinking through a more soulful lens help you live a more fulfilling and meaningful life?

Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness.  Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.

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“Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing.”

—August Wilson, 20th Century American Playwright

Image from Unsplash by Benjamin Davies

Consider the following statement on a one-to-five scale in which one is absolutely not and five is definitely yes.

I have a clear view of where I am and where I am going in my life.

This statement is part of my discovery process to help determine a potential client’s readiness to move their lives forward with a supportive coaching relationship.

For optimal success, these relationships benefit significantly through the deep and thoughtful process of examining and wrestling with their limiting beliefs and habits. Through careful illumination and generous self-forgiveness, each individual will most likely realize far more of their fullest personal and professional potential.

EXERCISE:

What steps can and will you take to more fully examine your own demons to help your angels sing? Consider picking up a copy of the book Taming your Gremlins by Rick Carson as a way to open this door of deeper discovery.

To explore your own readiness for coaching, please consider filling out my free Coaching Readiness Assessment.

“Do something about it!”

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“Do something about it!”

—Author Unknown

Image from Unsplash by Clark Van Der Beken

How often do you experience the feeling of being upset? Examine your world and note things that are not where they should be, based on your beliefs and expectations. How often do you point your finger and blame others for the situations and events that are not proceeding as you wish?

The act of observing your thoughts, feelings, and emotions, can be troubling. Practicing our capacity for equanimity and accepting things as they are rarely satisfies us for long. We simply revert to seeing far too many things out of place.

Consider a recent day in which everything seemed right in your world. Think back to your levels of intentionality and efforts to move things forward. How many T’s did you cross? How many I’s did you dot?

EXERCISE:

Where is your world showing you a puzzle with some pieces missing? Where is it time to do something about it, bringing a better picture of your world into view?

 

“Your beliefs don’t make you a better person — your behavior does.”

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“Your beliefs don’t make you a better person — your behavior does.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Unsplash by Matt Collamer

18th Century English writer, Samuel Johnson, once said, “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.”

Beliefs, values, and good intentions are simply not enough to improve our world.

Until values become virtues that manifest through committed action, things stay the same and can even regress.

EXERCISE:

Where in your life are you and others more talk and less action?

What issues are so important and urgent in your world that it’s time to leave the stands and get on the field with others in order to move things forward?

Friday Review of Beliefs

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FRIDAY REVIEW: BELIEFS

How often do you review and reorganize the beliefs you hold? Here are a few belief-related posts you may have missed. Click on the links to read the full messages.

 

“A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.”

 

 

 

“Sometimes you just need to be reminded: ‘You Got This!’”

 

 

 

 

“The truth you believe in and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.”

 

 

 

Your Chances of Success

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“Your chances of success in any undertaking can always be measured by your belief in yourself.”

—Robert Collier, 20th Century author of metaphysical books

Cartoon of a man with devil/angel on his shoulders

Image from theconversation

Think back to when you were small, watching your favorite cartoon. For me, it was Saturday mornings with Looney Tune characters such as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck.

Can you recall an episode or two in which your favorite character is faced with the pivotal choice of good versus bad, or perhaps a “Yes, you can!” versus “No, you can’t!” coming from an angelic or devilish character standing on opposite shoulders?

Through science and technology, it has recently been determined that the energies associated with our optimistic and positive beliefs actually correlate to better outcomes in our lives.

EXERCISE:

How can you increase your chances of personal and professional success by exercising and building your angelic belief muscle on a daily basis?

For Things to Reveal Themselves to Us

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“For things to reveal themselves to us we need to be ready to abandon our views about them.”

—Thich Nhat Hahn, Vietnamese monk

My first career out of college was that of a science teacher. I’m still that guy who watches nature programs, The Discovery Channel, and I never miss an episode of How the Universe Works!

Are you a student of science, the scientific method, or the notable rock star Nobel Prize winning scientists of history? You might be shocked at just how long it took for their scientific contemporaries and the public to consider and adopt what many, at the time, thought crazy ideas about how things work.

EXERCISE:

In what areas of your life would holding on too tightly to what you know and believe be limiting?

How would loosening your grip or even abandoning some of your current views reveal new possibilities and opportunities to better your world?

You Must Look Into People as well as at Them

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“You must look into people, as well as at them.”

—Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield, 18th Century British Statesman

Image of a man on the beach staring into space

Taking a sincere interest and seeking to fully understand the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs of another could be one of the most important things we can do to change the world around us.

How many of your problems and life challenges – not to mention those of the world – are due to breakdowns in relationships and communication in general?

How often do you find yourself or someone else engaged in surface observations of others, with a critical or judgmental perspective? How does doing so diminish the relationship qualities including respect, trust, and cooperation?

EXERCISE:

Where and how can you look more deeply into the people in your professional and personal life, to change your world for the better?