The Lies We Tell Ourselves

I was talking to one of my clients about a certain goal she wants to achieve.  She is thinking about going back to school but there are a lot of things that seem to be standing in her way - her age, her desire to go, family pressures - she just wasn't sure which way to go.

She said to me "So these are my beliefs and thoughts about it."  My response, " Well, those things we tell ourselves - we wouldn't lie to ourselves, would we?" 

We all have our beliefs and thoughts about ourselves.  And everyday we have an inner dialogue about many things.  But who says we're telling ourselves the facts?  We may THINK they are the facts but they may not be.

Consider the times that we've had a belief and then something - an experience, for example - has turned us around into a different belief.  For example, when we were kids, we might have told our parents that we didn't like a certain food.  (Usually, it was a vegetable, right?)  And we'd ultimately get the question back, "Well, have you tried it?  How do you know you don't like it?"  Many times, we'd take a taste and realize that we actually liked it after all. 

Our beliefs are not always based on the truth.  Yes, they may be things that we have reasoned out, ideas that we own about ourselves and experiences we've had.  These things form our inner dialogue and we repeat many of these beliefs everyday. 

However, what if we decided to look at a different idea, view or new belief about ourselves?  Maybe we have to have an inner dialogue where we challenge those beliefs.  Maybe we push our boundaries.  Maybe it's having courage to tell yourself you can do something or rise above.  The "lies" hold us back, make us feel bad and stop us in our tracks.  Maybe it's time to tell them to stop getting in our way.

If a belief has been held for a long time, this inner dialogue won't change overnight.  It will take time, repetition and moments where we to push ourselves to not buy into the negative, tough and judgmental voice that comes up.  It's work but it's possible to give yourself a new truth. 

So start today - Write a new truth for yourself.  Stop believing the lies.