Wednesday, September 8, 2010

How Our Beliefs Shape Our Reality

I remember a story about Roger Bannister, the first runner to break the four-minute mile. The belief was that no one could break the four-minute mile, and for a long time no one did. Our thoughts were our reality. Roger Bannister made a conscious and intentional decision to release that limiting thought that shaped the world’s reality.

Roger set out to break the record. He ran the next mile in 4:02. He persisted. On May 6th, 1954, Roger ran the mile in 3:59.

The following year, and the year after that, runners kept improving on their times. New records were set. Roger had broken the barrier, the dream mile that changed the belief for so many who were thinking with constraints and limits.

Try this exercise:
Sit back, get comfortable, and close your eyes. Focus on your breathing. You can meditate on these inquiries or just take a quiet time and think about the following:
Think about a time in your life when you felt self-imposed limits were holding you back. How did you get past them? What did you say to yourself? What inspired you to break down the barriers that you or someone else set? How good did you feel when you succeeded?

As Buddha so eloquently phrased it, “We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we make the world.”

You are capable and competent. Shape your thoughts and your reality in a positive way. Internalize your success.

Benefits From Positive Emotions

There are so many benefits when your thoughts come from positive emotions. It’s my belief that what we think is what happens in the outside world. Our beliefs and thoughts become self-fulfilling prophecies.

Here are a few benefits when you come from positive emotions:

· Improving physical health

· Increasing creativity

· Overcoming negative emotions more easily

· Looking at obstacles as stepping stones

· Turning hardships into challenges

· Shifting failures into success

· Increasing motivation and energy

· Internalizing success and growing from it

Next time you notice negative thoughts and emotions, remember that our mind determines the outcome. Be aware of your Self Talk. Our beliefs shape our reality.