The Power of our Values and Beliefs
Posted on February 20, 2010 by Jane Barr-Thomson, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.
What are the values and beliefs that shape your life? Understanding the impact our beliefs have is crucial in making deep long-lasting changes.
_"Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disempowers them or one that can literally save their lives." _Tony Robbins
This is one of the most fascinating topics for me as a coach. The impact both positively and negatively on our lives of our beliefs and values is continually demonstrated for me both in my life and the lives of my clients.
This quote by the highly acclaimed motivational speaker and author Tony Robbins says that “Beliefs have the power to create and to destroy” – wow!
It’s a big statement – how does that sit with you? Can you think of any examples in your own life or in the lives of those close to you where by changing their beliefs has literally changed their lives?
In this article I would like to explore:
1. what are values
2. what are beliefs
3. why examine them
What are Values?
It seems to me the clue to the distinction between values and beliefs lies in the words themselves.
Values are literally what we value the most, hold dear to ourselves, what is precious, important and what we couldn’t live without. A value is a principal, a quality intrinsically important to you – it’s very personal and our core values are formed at an early age.
Some common examples are: love, freedom, independence, fun, safety
Values help us to understand why we are here and for what purpose. They give parameters for the meaning in our lives. They can also include our beliefs, convictions and ethics.
What are Beliefs
Beliefs are the ideas and the concepts we have about who we are and about how the world operates. Beliefs are the ideas that we live by either consciously or unconsciously. Interestingly our beliefs are not necessarily based on objective proof or evidence – yet form the basis of our convictions about life.
Beliefs can be broken down into two distinct categories
1. limiting beliefs- beliefs that limit us in some way – for example “I am too old to get married”
2. empowering beliefs – beliefs that support us and inspire us to action – for example “ Anything I put my mind to I can achieve”
I’d like to tell a true story that illustrates both types of beliefs in action:
Mr Wright was diagnosed with terminal cancer of lymph nodes. He was determined to get well and had read about a new drug called Krebiozen. Convinced that it would cure him he persuaded his doctor to give it to him and within a few days was well and walking around – the tumours literally melting.
Mr Wright continued to recover until he happened to read an article casting doubt on the new drug.His confidence undermined he relapsed and ended up back in hospital. His well-intentioned doctor told him that the batch of drugs he’d been given was substandard – and a new improved formula was being sent to him. The doctor just gave him distilled water and within a couple of days Mr Wright was again making a full recovery and was able to fly his own plane once again.
He was the very picture of health until he read an article that the American Medical association had declared the drug useless in treatment of cancer. Mr Wright was dead within two days. *
To me this story illustrates not only the power of our beliefs – but also the importance of examining our underlying core beliefs.
As Tony Robbins said – it can literally save your life!
It seems to me that Mr Wright had an empowering belief that by taking this drug it would make him well and quickly.
It also turns out that Mr Wright probably had a limiting belief that he was at the mercy of his cancer without the drugs.
What could have happened if Mr Wright believed in the power of his own body to heal the cancer?
Why examine our values and beliefs?
Most of us have a complex set of beliefs and values – and you may have found like me that many of them are in conflict. We may believe it is important to spend quality time with our families and yet highly value financial independence and freedom – and its often our unconscious or underlying beliefs that can control how we live our lives. This kind of values conflict can lead to all sorts of stress and unwelcome results in our lives.
In actually taking the time to identify what we value, what we believe and why is a wonderful way of understanding yourself at a deeper level and gaining clarity as to who you are and why you do the things that you do!
A life based on a personal code of values brings meaning, purpose, and direction to living.
• Life vision and goals are clear
• Decisions are easier
• Choices are clear
• Stress is reduced
• Life is easier
Great reasons I believe to get your values and beliefs clear!
Our thoughts and beliefs colour our vision and perception of the world. They determine our actions or inactions. Thoughts affect feelings. Feelings affect behaviour. Behaviour produces results (or the lack of them). It all begins with our thoughts, since we have to accept a thought for it to become a belief.
It’s been said that whatever you believe becomes your reality. You do not believe what you see; rather you see what you already believe.
What we can or cannot do, what we consider possible or impossible, is rarely a function of our true capability. It is more likely a function of our beliefs about who we are.
Tony Robbins
- Klopfer, B. (1957) Psychological variables in human cancer. Journal of Projective Techniques, 21, 331-340 (The original report by one of his personal physicians, Dr. Philip West)
