Eradicating Irrational Beliefs

I think it is safe to say that every person has irrational or limiting beliefs. They hold us back, and sabotage us from creating a life that we hope for and deserve.

The past year I've been changing my own irrational beliefs. First, I discovered them. And it wasn't pretty. Or fun. But I did it for the outcome. 

For example, say you are 'in love' with someone who does not return your affection. If you hold an irrational belief that "I am only loveable under certain conditions" then you are likely to continue after the person who, for his/her own reasons that do not reflect your worth as a human being in any way, does not choose to be with you. The underlying belief ends up becoming a self fulfilling prophecy. I held this irrational belief and it became my truth by my longing to be with someone who could not fulfill my desire to be in a healthy relationship. And I continued at it because of my subconscious belief that I was only loveable under certain conditions.

The tough thing in uncovering our own irrational beliefs is that we often hold them in our subconscious, so they can be difficult to uncover. The way to uncover your beliefs is to look at your actions. What is the problem you are experiencing? What are your actions? Your actions are a reflection of your thoughts.

Basically all of my irrational beliefs stem from childhood; as it is with most. Ah, if only I had a perfect childhood, then perhaps I would already be the complete, whole person that I have been striving towards for the past six years. However, I am perfectly imperfect. And it's nice to be able to see my own imperfection. There was a time when I was blind to it. Or at least hid it from myself and others, but to hide your imperfections is hiding a part of yourself which in turn leads to a lack of authenticity.

But I digress....

For me, it was important, for my own knowledge, to discover where my irrational/limiting beliefs came from. It helped me to understand, and thus forgive myself for having them. However, in my opinion, it is not absolutely necessary to discover where they come from. The healing comes from acknowledging and working to change the belief.

Are there outdated beliefs about yourself that you need to let go of? We've all got them. My life has been forever changed since I acknowledged them. It's not a pretty picture, at first. But it is freeing, enlightening and ultimately leads you to the wonderful life you deserve.