I have been to a youth leadership camp for the past 5 years…sounds lame right? That’s what I first thought. Turned out to be the most positive, up-lifting, encouraging, supportive and motivating environment I have been in. Ever. I have made some very close and life-long friends around Australia. One of the group discussions on camp this year, changed my life. It was a discussion about limiting and empowering beliefs.

What is a belief? Beliefs noun: An acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists. Something one accepts as true or real; a firmly held opinion or conviction.

Every action, emotion and feeling is controlled by your beliefs and your values. All beliefs carry with them consequences, whether they be good or bad.

• Empowering beliefs are beliefs which positively affect you and cause you to feel good about yourself.
• A limiting belief negatively  affects you and causes you to feel bad about yourself.

Take a pen and paper and go to a quiet place. What is a negative belief you hold about yourself, that has been holding you back? What is a negative experience you have had from this belief? -write these down (however confronting they may be).

Creating new beliefs.

New beliefs can be created in a heartbeat. Have you ever heard someone say “Hawaii is one of the most beautiful place in the world?” Your mind processes this statement and when you are talking to someone next, you say “Well I hear Hawaii is one of the most beautiful places in the world.”  -Whether you know it or not, you have formed a new belief.

Create new beliefs for yourself. If there were no limits on your life, if you had everything you wanted such as friends, happiness, money, love, what do you think your beliefs would be? Write out each of your limiting beliefs again, this time crossing them out and writing your new empowering beliefs next to them.

Example:
I am not as pretty as other girls.
I am too much of a tomboy. I AM UNATTRACTIVE.
I AM BEAUTIFUL!

To be honest with you, this was one of my limiting beliefs. Being brought up in such a superficial society, with influences from TV, magazines, radios, newspapers, saying “you’re not pretty enough – wear this make up.” or “people will like you more if you have fake boobs/cosmetic surgery.” Telling me that beauty is underfed and underweight. Influencing me as a young teenage girl, to grow up with a limiting belief that I was not beautiful as I am. I now know I AM BEAUTIFUL! I have an amazing boyfriend who tells me so. I don’t watch tv or read trashy magazines, and I don’t waste my time on people who think otherwise.

What limiting beliefs are holding you back? What can you sever ties with, that is influencing and creating limiting beliefs in your life?

Write down your limiting beliefs. Break it down, where did these beliefs come from? Create new empowering beliefs. Re-affirm them to yourself DAILY. One day you too, will have no shame in telling people your old stupid limiting beliefs, because you will be so empowered from your new ones.

Beautiful Bec x