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From: Alan Badmington (to Shannon) (part 2)
Date: 20 Oct 2007
Time: 04:21:21 -0500
Remote Name: 195.194.75.225
Hi Shannon, Thank you for commenting upon my paper. I am not familiar with the ‘personal construct theory’ – my article is based upon my own life experiences. I think it is useful (and interesting) for us to gain an understanding of how we develop the belief system that, effectively, runs our lives. When we are born, we are provided with a blank slate, totally free of any beliefs, opinions and prejudices. We learn from our parents, grandparents, family members, school teachers and other persons with whom we come into contact. We inherit their beliefs about a variety of things – literally thousands of beliefs relating to the environment, everyday life, and the world in general. They are wide and varied. My understanding is that the majority of our belief system is in place by the age of 14/15 years. So, irrespective of your current age, the beliefs that dictate the way in which you live your life NOW were primarily decided by early adolescence. That critical period will continue to play such a hugely influential part in our CURRENT lives, unless we take time to reassess our true worth, our true values and our true beliefs – based upon fresh updated and relevant information that challenges those long-established and pre-conceived ideas. The beliefs that you hold will stay with you for the rest of your life, unless you examine them, or learn from an experience that brings them into question. If you hold a belief that you are inadequate, ugly, or unlovable; if you believe that you are stupid, incapable, or incompetent, and you do not challenge that belief, then it will remain with you forever. It will unconsciously limit your future success. The beliefs are latent – they lie hidden – they exist without you being totally aware of them. They shape our expectations and influence our attitudes. Our unfounded beliefs confine us because we accept them as being true. When your mind believes something to be true, it will (at a subconscious level) perform the necessary actions to help you maintain that belief. What we believe about ourselves shapes the way in which we perceive the world, and the manner in which the world perceives us. It influences our educational and employment paths; it determines our relationships and social interaction. But, most importantly, when we believe that we cannot do something, then it’s almost certain that we will not do it. The subconscious mind always moves in the direction that the conscious mind points it. So, if we tell ourselves that we cannot speak in front of an audience, it helps us to behave in a way that supports that statement or belief. Self-limiting beliefs act as a block to stop us achieving things in life. Your mind has a tendency to maintain the status quo, unless challenged by the conscious part of the brain. When you challenge your subconscious by means of a goal, or some aspiration, it will respond to that demand and continue to work towards a solution. If you do not challenge the beliefs that are holding you back, they will remain to shape your destiny. Your future will merely be a repeat of the past. Change really can be made – things don’t have to remain as they always have been. If you want to change your mindset (and life), you must become pro-active. You must take responsibility – you must do something to make things happen. I genuinely believe that our ability to change our lives lies in our ability to harness the immense power of thought and belief. Thought is the originator of all our ideas. Either you shape your thoughts – or your thoughts will shape you. I focussed on the desired changes, rather than dwelling on the past unpleasant experiences. I consciously cast out negative data and concentrated on my successes. Taking action does not guarantee success, but not taking action is a certain guarantee that nothing will happen. In life, we have a choice. Do nothing, or do something. Only when we do something, do we give ourselves any real chance of success and accomplishment. You need to place yourself in the very situations where you experience difficulties. You need to remove yourself from your safe environment, face your fears, expand your comfort zones and tread unfamiliar paths. You need to do the things you think you cannot do. Shannon, I wish you every success with your studies. Kindest regards Alan