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BELIEF SYSTEMS DETERMINE HOW YOU UNDERSTAND LIFE

Written by: Jonathan Payne

Article Overview: We need belief systems in order to filter information and create an understanding of life. These systems serve us well, but they can also get in the way and prevent us from new ways of seeing the world. An awareness of our entrenched beliefs gives us the power to accept them or change them depending on what best serves our achieving a fulfilled life.

BELIEF SYSTEMS DETERMINE HOW YOU UNDERSTAND LIFE

Imagine your mind as a complex filter. Each day it is bombarded with massive amounts of information to deal with. If it were to regard each bit of information as equally important it would not be able to function. What it does is to sort and sift the information into what is important, what is less important and what can be ignored. In this way your mind prioritizes information and ignores information which it regards as unnecessary.

It does this by a process of patterning. Over time the brain develops patterns of what information is necessary and what can be neglected, what is important and what is not. As each new piece of information comes in it is matched against the pattern and dealt with accordingly. As the patterns are repeated so they become more deeply entrenched in the mind, carving out neural pathways which help speed up the processing of the information. That is why practice makes perfect. The more the golfer practices his swing, the more entrenched the patterns become, increasingly automating the process until the golfer no longer has to concentrate as deeply in order to achieve the same result. Reciting the times tables or practicing a language have the same effect.
These patterns are developed over time and determine our responses to a myriad situations. They prioritise and ignore according to the behaviour we have practiced in the past.

Our belief systems, the way in which we see the world and how we understand life, are also entrenched through repetition building these mind patterns. We often refer to deeply entrenched beliefs. This could well be taken literally as the more firmly the belief is held and practiced, the more the neural pathways regarding that belief develop and entrench themselves.

Because of this our belief systems develop the mind’s filters and dictate the way in which we interpret life. Just as these filtering patterns help us to understand some things rapidly; they also literally prevent us from seeing certain things or from understanding things differently.

Our belief systems are one of the pillars of self development. We develop these systems to help us understand the world around us and to assist us in interpreting life. We all need to believe in something and we all believe in something. In order to develop as an individual we need to be conscious of that belief system, know what it is that we believe in and be aware of how the belief influences our live by moving us to prioritise some things while being blind to others.

If, for example, we believe the world to be a happy place full of opportunity, that will develop a pattern over time which forms a filter or a lens through which we view the world. Everything we do will be affected by this way of seeing the world. We will probably live without fear, appreciate other people, see the positive in all things and notice happiness in other people. We will notice these things because we have developed our filters to notice them while filtering out negativity, fear and other information which does not fit our belief system.

Appreciating and understanding your own belief system has two main advantages. Firstly it allows you to understand your responses to life so that you don’t react automatically, programmed by your beliefs, but can respond with a clear understanding of why you feel that way or why you have chosen that course of behaviour. The other advantage is that once you have acknowledged your belief system you can decide if it is still appropriate and whether it serves your best interests. You will be able to see where it gets in the way of your living a fulfilled life and so you have the option of reviewing and, if necessary, changing your beliefs and developing different filters.

And finally, acknowledging you belief system also enables you to acknowledge and respect, if not necessarily agree with, the belief systems of others. By recognizing their belief systems you appreciate their behaviour is not irrational but actually in keeping with the way they view the world and the filters their belief system has created.

We need belief systems in order to filter information and create an understanding of life. These systems serve us well, but they can also get in the way and prevent us from new ways of seeing the world. An awareness of our entrenched beliefs gives us the power to accept them or change them depending on what best serves our achieving a fulfilled life.

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  Beliefs And How They Limit Your Potential
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Article Tags: belief systems, brain, complex filter, massive amounts, neural pathways, repetition, swing, times tables



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