Beliefs and Emotions Article

[Chado2423]

Steve in his article on beliefs is correct to say that our beliefs direct much of our life. Unfortunately it isn't always easy to change a belief, especially when there are external factors, that are either literal or figurative limitations. I think, now that part of the trick is not seeing a limitation as a limitation, but rather as just a roadblock that you can figure out how to get around or bypass. But did you ever think why it is sometimes difficult to change a belief in the first place? The answer is emotional involvement. We become emotionally attached to a certain belief. We become accustomed to our state, as I had done for a very long, and am only now becoming minutely aware of what I was doing to myself and to the one's I loved. We feel the belief with intesity on a supreme level, and both FEEL and BELIEVE that we either can or can't accomplish anything. And there are times when we do FEEL as though we can accomplish something, but we fail, and then we become depressed. Ironically I also had times in my life, when I thought and felt that I wasn't going to be able to do something, but I tried, and surprised myself in spite of my doubts. So the question is then what should we do, and how do we change our feelings and beliefs and actions in uniform motion on a consistent basis? If it were so easy, as just changing the belief, we'd all be millionaires. That's why I think there is more to story... emotions direct much of our life, and much of what we believe, say and do. Think of a relationship, i.e. You may believe "I can communicate better with my wife.", but you may feel upset or hurt, and not wanting to communicate. This is why we have to change on multiple fronts... just changing a belief or an emotion itself can produce minimilistic results. You have to change on ALL fronts, anything else is just a waste of time. Or should I say, at least that is my opinion.

[qiflow]

Hi Chado,

I have found that the key is questioning our unrealistic expectations of reality. These often come in the form of "shoulds" and "musts". See if these beliefs are really accurate. Also look at how bad you feel when you believe in that thought vs. when you don't see things that way. You won't want to keep the belief anymore.

[evelynlim]

Chado,

I think you are right to say that the problem lies in the emotional attachment to the belief. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with having a belief. But sometimes we become so emotionally tied to the belief, that we fail to see that others have a different way of looking at things.

It's always good to take a step back and ask ourselves why do we feel so strongly about a certain belief and why others have an opposing one. Putting aside our emotions for awhile can allow us to see more things clearly.

Evelyn