Our beliefs are colored by our knowledge – or lack of knowledge.  Only a few hundred years ago, even the best-educated scholars believed that the earth was flat.  Until recently, most of us held the general nutritional belief that we can’t eat too much protein.  And the belief that germs cause disease continues to flourish.  As more and more is learned about our physical world and body, these and other generally accepted beliefs are falling by the wayside.

We readily adjust our beliefs to conform to new-found scientific and archeological evidence.  Perhaps we need to reassess our beliefs about ourselves.  Perhaps with a periodic reassessment of your beliefs about yourself, you would find that your beliefs haven’t kept up with your personal advances.

If your life isn’t going how you would like it to go, you can inventory beliefs that could be obsolete or create static in your field.  Identify beliefs that govern your actions and responses and beliefs that lead you to respond the way you do to everyday situations.  Your thoughts and beliefs should enhance your success, not stifle it.  To help you begin to relate beliefs to actions, here are a few sample questions to get you going.  Once you get the hang of it, you will come up with belief-related questions of your own.

• Are juvenile beliefs conflicting with your adult life?
• Do you believe that your best efforts are never quite good enough?
• Do you believe you are destined to develop the same physical problems as your parents?
• Are you convinced that you must constantly be plagued by negative experiences of the past?
• Do you have the same types of negative thoughts day after day?

Your beliefs color your thoughts.  Your thoughts influence your field and determine the way you respond to life.  And the way you respond to every situation determines your health, happiness, and success.

So, take a hard look at the beliefs that guide your life.  If you determine they are outdated, you can replace them the same way you formed them – by thoughts and feelings.  Consciously changing your thoughts and feelings can help you update outdated or inaccurate beliefs.