The Cycle of Belief Change

Posted on February 01, 2020 by Chris Wagnor, One of Thousands of Health and Fitness Coaches on Noomii.

Yet, people spontaneously and very naturally change many beliefs during their lifetime.

This is the process of maturation and personal growth – growing out of the childlike beliefs (or opinions) that we developed in our youth. Changing beliefs is a natural process. There used to be a time that you would bet your life on the existence of Santa Claus. But then you got some doubts. Was it really Santa who brought the presents?

And then the time came that you knew he didn’t. It was the elves who did the hard work. And so, what you used to believe is not true anymore. And there are also things you would like to believe. You make yourself open to believing until you believe it. In fact, when you seek the evidence of a new belief and persevere you will find it. Period. And so you can believe it.

Using this natural course, it was a psychologist named Robert Dilts who developed the belief change cycle, an exercise to change what you believe. And because you get what you believe it will alter your life.

The natural cycle of belief change can be likened to the constant changing of the seasons:

‘Metaphorically speaking’, a new belief is similar to a seed that gets planted in the Spring time. Throughout the months that follow, the seed matures, takes root in the surrounding soils and eventually becomes firmly planted.

In the Autumn, the belief starts to become outdated and irrelevant, its initial purpose has been served, and it is therefore no longer needed. The fruits of the belief, however, (the positive intentions and goals behind it) are retained, harvested, and separated from the parts that are no longer required by the beholder.

When Winter eventually comes, the parts of the original belief which are no longer needed are then dismissed, forgotten and fade away into insignificance, thus allowing the cycle to repeat all over again.

As we prepare for the different stages of our lives or careers, for instance, we ‘want to believe’ that we will be able to manage them successfully and resourcefully. As we enter that stage of life and learn the lessons that we need to learn, we become ‘open to believing’ that we may, in fact, have all of the capabilities and resources that we need to be as successful as we hope for in any area of our life or career.

As our abilities become validated, we develop confidence in our ability to move from where we are, our present state, to where we want to be, our desired state. As we pass beyond this stage of life, we can look back and see that what used to be relevant and valid for us is no longer the case.

It’s at this stage in the cycle that we can identify how what we ‘used to believe’, did serve us throughout the past season of our life, but if we are to progress further, we will be required to develop further our understanding of self and what we are capable of. This can only happen through setting and outworking goals that stretch us.

All one needs to do is to reflect upon the cycles of change that one has already progressed through since childhood, and the stages of adulthood so far, to identify many examples of this ongoing cycle.

As we continue to enter and pass through relationships, jobs, friendships, partnerships, etc., we develop new beliefs and values which further serve us and dismiss them again as we transition to a new segment of our life’s journey.

What we ‘want to believe’, what we ‘currently believe’ and what we ‘used to believe’, are how we can quickly identify the landscape of evolution in our beliefs.

A Few Idea’s for Getting Started:

Here are some steps to get started identifying and changing your beliefs.

1) Identify the limiting belief.

There’s two ways to do this, the internal way and the external way. The external method is to just look at your actions and results on a day to day basis; sometimes you can get a good read on what you believe just by how you act.

The internal method is essentially paying attention to your thoughts and see what thoughts you tend to gravitate towards. That’s one reason why keeping a journal and meditating are such potent tools, they help you become aware of repeated thought patterns.

2) Once you’ve identified those beliefs, start doubting!

Poke holes in them. Find situations in your life and the lives of others where those beliefs aren’t true.

3) Start focusing on the new belief and build it up.

Find situations where the new belief is true. Make them for yourself, if they aren’t readily apparent. Act as if it’s true, imagine what it’d be like if your new belief were true, do whatever it takes. Eventually, your new belief will incorporate into your belief system.

In closing:

The Belief Change Cycle is a simple tool that we can all utilize. It works in seduction as well as every form of self-development. We can use it to improve our life, as well as the lives of others.

There’s no telling how fast you’ll find yourself incorporating your new beliefs. It may take a while; it may happen overnight. It only depends on how radical the new belief is, and how you start to incorporate it.

Remember, if the belief is radically different from your existing belief system, you may have to prime your belief system for it first!

QUESTIONS FOR SELF REFLECTION:

PART 1: Think about people you work with who are caught in negative belief cycles.

Q1) How might you use mindfulness to help them break out of this negative cycle?

Q2) What questions would you ask to raise their awareness of their limiting beliefs, emotions and behaviours?

PART 2: Now think about times when you get caught up in negative belief cycles.

Q1) What lessons from this article could you use to help move yourself from a negative belief cycle towards a more positive belief cycle?

Q2) What impact might a more positive belief cycle have on your working relationships and activities?

If you are having difficulty in these areas than I invite you to book a free consultation with me