They can be powerful, often determining the way we act and think. Are yours preventing you from taking a well-deserved break from the rat race? Challenge your beliefs and enjoy life with some helpful advice from The Little Book of Stress Relief.
How many of you feel comfortable getting up from dinner on a summer evening and going for a walk or a bike ride before you clean up the kitchen and wash the dishes?" This is the question I posed at one of my work-life balance seminars. A few liberated souls put up their hands, but most people felt uncomfortable with the idea. (A few even shuddered at the notion.) We then explored the thinking behind this reluctance. We discovered it was based on a series of beliefs they held about work and leisure -- the most basic of which was "work should come before pleasure." As we probed deeper, someone blurted out, "My house has to be clean before I can enjoy myself." As soon as she said it, she registered a look of surprise at her own discovery. This message had been in her mind (and guiding her behaviour) for years without her ever being aware of it until that moment.
Notice the certainty with which the remark was made -- like it was some fundamental, unassailable fact of life. This is what makes belief systems so fascinating.
Here's why beliefs are so powerful:
1. Beliefs are premises and assumptions that we hold about how things should be, how people should behave and how the world works.
2. We generally hold our beliefs subconsciously, unaware of them and their power over us. In fact, they're more powerful because they're hidden from view.
3. We hold our beliefs to be "the Truth" -- therefore they become the Truth for us.
4. Beliefs guide and often dictate our behaviour and decisions. They literally run our lives. (And you thought it was your mother, your boss and your homeroom teacher!)
