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This is the force that shapes your destiny . . .

“Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy.” ~Anthony Robbins

Where you are right now is, for the most part, the result of what you believe.

• About the world
• About people
• About success
• About money
• About effort
• About Yourself

Proven Fact: Our beliefs shape our reality.

What else can there be than that? Our perceptions are formed on what we think is true, not what really is! People once thought that smearing mercury all over themselves healed many ailments. Guess what? People did it — and it proved effectively fatal.

And it’s been used like that for thousands of years.

That’s the power of belief.

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So what do you believe? Look at your life, at your actions, at what you do and don’t do, and you’ll find part of the answer.

• You brush your teeth because you believe, without a shred of doubt, that it will maintain your health and that beautiful smile.
• You exercise not because it hurts, but because you believe it will make you fit, healthy, and sexy.
• If you’re like the majority, you go to work because you have that certainty that you can A) do the job, and B) get paid for it.
• You don’t drink and drive because you believe it’s a really stupid thing to do.

This seemingly small, simple concept influences every aspect of your life, every action you take, and every idea you act on or leave unfinished.

You try only as hard as you believe you must.

You do only as much as you believe must be done.

We only do the things we believe are worth doing, and the things we believe are worth doing are those we believe we have a shot at.

If your deeper belief is that you can’t succeed at something, you’ll probably be right.

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One of the most well-known experts on this power is Anthony Robbins. In his book, Awaken The Giant Within, he notes that our beliefs are largely generalizations about our past, based on interpretations of painful or pleasurable experiences. He posited a threefold problem:

1. Most people don’t consciously decide what they believe.
2. Our beliefs are often based on misinterpretations of past experiences.
3. We often forget that our adopted beliefs are mostly interpretations, not realities. We rarely, if ever, question our long-held beliefs.

That is dangerous.

We pay so much attention to what others say or think about us, yet we pay little to no attention to the beliefs that shape our destinies! Could you sit down and write all of your core beliefs about life right now? Or would it take some digging?

We must know why we do what we do, and the why can be traced to our beliefs.

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Most of us have core beliefs that hold us back.

If we believed that we would get into a fatal accident every time we went for a drive, we would never start the engine. Sounds ridiculous right? Yet most of us do that with our dreams! We believe, mostly unconsciously, that we can’t achieve them.

• Being a millionaire won’t happen for me.
• I don’t have what it takes to become the best in my field.
• A life of world-class success and happiness is all about luck.
• I’m not worthy of her.
• I don’t deserve someone like him.

I. Can’t. Do. It.

We don’t get up in the morning and tell ourselves these things. You don’t wake up, throw off your covers and proclaim: “It’s a brand new day and I can’t do jack all to make my dreams come true!”

Instead, we do it quietly, subtly, and mostly from our subconscious minds. We don’t even know what we believe half the time! But it’s there, and it affects us, for better or for worse.

It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“Your belief determines your action and your action determines your results, but first you have to believe.” ~Mark Victor Hansen

Where do we start? With ourselves, and who we really are.

Take a moment, sit down with a pen and paper, set a meditative mood, and ask yourself what you really believe:

1. About your ability to achieve those goals you’ve set for yourself.
2. About your place in this world and with others.
3. About success and those who achieve it.
4. About your capacity to have and be what you’ve always wanted.

If you get an answer you want, great. If you get one that scares you, that’s great too: because now, unlike before, you can change it.

So how do we change limiting beliefs?

For a primer, I recommend this wonderful article by Gustavo Razzetti. The key to changing anything in your life is to begin. So begin now.

Identify what you believe in the key areas of your life. Find the beliefs that limit you. Change them. Don’t give up until your core beliefs stop LIMITING you and start SERVING you. And that’s the magic . . .

When you change, everything changes.