6 Steps to Acquire New Beliefs

Note: This article is by Erin Falconer, who talks about how to create beliefs that help us achieve our goals in life.

These values include both professional and personal goals that are significant to you.  In terms of the workplace and professional life, they could resemble the following:

1. Customer service.
2. Creating unique products that add value to your work.
3. Saving money for an enjoyable vacation.
4. Participating in collective humanitarian service.
5. Helping others progress and improving their thinking skills.

This means that people should identify their values and then begin searching for a career that aligns with them and allows them to achieve their goals. As a result, people experience self-satisfaction when they work on projects that spark their interest and passion, which makes them feel fulfilled.

Goal Setting

Some people find satisfaction in deciding their future paths based on their current passions and interests. However, this strategy isn't always effective because people sometimes undervalue the significance of particular skills required for their desired career.

Assuming you strongly desire to study biomedical engineering and chemistry but hate conducting in-depth analytical research, and you find out when you research this major that you have to write experimental reports, some people might decide to look for another academic major because they are convinced that the major is unfit for them, as they dislike details and are not skilled at handling them, This decision is tough and not as easy as it seems to others.

“If you plan on being anything less than you can be, you will probably be unhappy all your life,” stated American psychologist Abraham Maslow. Therefore, why pursue another academic path if biomedical chemistry is your area of passion and existential purpose?

Forming New Beliefs

The answer is acquiring the beliefs and emotions necessary for an individual to accomplish a task. Some people argue that acquiring new beliefs is impossible. Therefore, people who successfully adopt new beliefs outperform those who believe that forming beliefs is impossible. Others argue that this process requires modifying and manipulating the thoughts and the mind, which is entirely correct.

Note that the definition of "manipulation" is essentially handling something and modifying it as necessary. Humans interact with their thoughts and try to control them constantly. Forming beliefs necessitates increasing the effectiveness and advantages of this process.

It's perfectly acceptable to aspire to a simple life where you go to work every day, come home at the end of the day, and spend your free time however you please. Many people live this way and are happy with their jobs and lives.

The author George Bernard Shaw said, “The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”

Let's say I don't have the necessary skills for a job or that I'm not interested in or attracted to these skills. In that scenario, I will use Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques to make these skills valuable and important to me. Then, I will behave according to the mental image I have created, giving me the freedom to manage myself. Here arises the question, “How do you stay focused and add value to something that you don't enjoy but is essential to achieving your goal?”

You can ask experts for assistance in these situations if you'd like. Business owners employ accountants to assist them with financial matters. On the other hand, to avoid falling for an accountant's fraud or deceit, an employer ensures they understand accounting principles. Conversely, some people would instead rely on themselves, take charge of their lives, and develop the necessary abilities and attitudes on their own without assistance from others.

Referring back to the values list at the start of the article, one can see that "profit-making" or any money-related ideas are not included. What if you want to start your project, but making money is not your priority at this stage? Since most businessmen concur that the main objective of commercial projects is to turn a profit, their advice to you in this situation would be to "change your attitude or goal," and they might even suggest that you start volunteering or charitable organizations instead of starting your own business.

The remaining objectives of your business project will require a substantial sum of money, so it might occur to you to hunt for a high-paying job while saving up the cash needed to start the project. However, you also believe you don't want to work for anyone else; these opposing needs and objectives cause paralysis and keep you from starting your project. The answer is to form a belief that money is a necessary means to achieve goals and satisfy desires.

Acquiring New Beliefs Mechanism

You must have wondered, “How can I care about something that means nothing to me? How is it done?” Therefore, you need to elevate your thinking to solve this dilemma. As the physicist Albert Einstein said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”

The following are the fundamental steps in applying researcher Michael Hall's "Mind to Muscle process" to develop a concrete belief. The secret to making the process effective is to master it to the point where you feel as though you fully believe in the concept with your body, mind, and senses. This idea applies to the presumptions you take for granted in your daily existence and that you find impossible to abandon or stop believing in, like riding a bicycle or typing on a keyboard. The process is perfectly finished when you have the same feelings about the belief you are applying.

Forming New Beliefs Process

The following six steps outline the process of forming new beliefs:

1. Identifying the Belief

The first step is to identify the concept or belief you want to ingrain in your mind and base your decisions on. A belief is a principle or idea applied in a specific field. Beliefs are abundant in the self-help field, as evidenced by books about achieving wealth, such as The Millionaire Mind or Inside-Out Wealth. According to the ideas presented in these books, the wealthy make decisions and take actions based on a wealth mindset.

One of the most significant books in this regard is Rich Dad, Poor Dad by American author Robert Kiyosaki. Kiyosaki tells us that assets are “things that generate material profits for an individual” and says that “the rich buy assets, while the poor buy liabilities and financial obligations. Therefore, you should buy assets.” We can infer the idea that "assets are possessions that generate material profits for an individual" from this.

2. Understanding the Belief

This step involves understanding the belief and defining its meaning and purpose. Referring back to the previous example, stocks and securities are assets because they generate material profits. The same principle applies to renting houses, as rental payments can be used to pay off the mortgage, just as it can be profitable to purchase a business that needs capital and generates a certain amount of profit.

This step helps in analyzing the belief and understanding its importance, value, and practical benefit. “What is the benefit of applying this belief in practical life?” one may wonder. This belief encourages people to save money to buy more assets, to be prudent and consider what they buy, and to ensure a comfortable life for their grandchildren and children. Also, it entails visualizing the satisfaction that arises from expanding endeavors, investments, and accumulating personal wealth.

3. Reframing the Belief as Understood

The following questions help in reframing the belief: “What do you think about the belief? Do you want to be convinced by it wholeheartedly? How will your life and mindset change when you are convinced by it?” You might use online techniques and methods to change beliefs, ensuring you are convinced of the belief's value and its positive impact on your life.

The brain creates rational justifications for new beliefs when someone adopts them. Because of this, you shouldn't give up when you don't immediately see something's significance and worth. By forming beliefs, you can find logical arguments that support your beliefs about something's importance and worth.

4. Reframing the Belief as a Decision

Once you are entirely convinced of the belief's significance to you, it is only natural to want to invest in it. Believing in something and not practising it in your life is irrational. As such, you must decide how to apply the belief in your daily activities.

This step helps integrate the mind and the body, making your beliefs tangible and practically applicable using your body parts. Referring back to the earlier example, the logical decision in this case would be to prioritize purchasing assets over items that do not produce material profits.

5. Identifying the Decision-Related Emotions to Apply the Belief

This step involves identifying the emotions associated with understanding the belief, believing in it, and deciding to apply it in your life.

6. Determining the Belief’s Practical Applications

At this point, you decide how to put the belief into practice, like purchasing stocks, for example. As you visualize putting the belief into practice, keep the following things in mind:

• I am doing this because I understand that.........
• I am convinced that........
• I have decided that..........
• I have understood and been convinced by the belief, and I have started using it in my life, and I feel that.......

Also, you should imagine your appearance, attitude, and perspectives when applying the belief.

In Conclusion

Repeating the steps outlined in the article can help a person develop a concrete belief and put it into practice. The process may succeed when the belief becomes one of the givens of one's life that one cannot do without.