Change Your Beliefs to Change Your Reality

To change our feelings and behaviors, we must first change our consciousness and beliefs. While classical conditioning suggests a simple stimulus-response relationship, humans are more complex than the dogs in Pavlov’s experiments. In people, there is a belief structure that lies between the stimulus and the response. It is this belief that determines how we respond.

Consider this example: John makes a comment among friends. His buddy Jim laughs, but his other friend Bob gets upset. The difference here is that Jim and Bob have different beliefs about John’s comment, which leads to their different responses. In reality, the comment itself doesn’t "make" Bob mad. It is Bob’s belief about the comment that triggers his anger or upset feelings. If Bob were to change or let go of this belief, he wouldn’t make himself angry (note how Bob is taking full responsibility for his emotions here).

Reflect on your own beliefs and identify which ones lead you to happiness and which lead to suffering. Remember, you are the only one who can change your beliefs.

See you next Sunday! Peace