by O.Grimstad

Created on: February 11, 2009   Last Updated: February 18, 2009

What is a belief? I think the following definition from dictionary.com covers most of the word's meanings well: "Mental acceptance of and conviction in the truth, actuality, or validity of something".

It's obviously difficult to identify ones own beliefs when seeing them as truth, actuality or validity. They are more apparent to us when seeing other people's beliefs, which don't match ours. We are then often quick to tell them about their "false" beliefs. We don't have false beliefs of course because we believe in truth. "Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye" are ancient words of wisdom in this context.

Even when beliefs are recognized they may be hard to change. Years and decades of habitual thinking, experiencing and behaving may be built around them a so integrated part of you that trying to change them may feel like an attack on your identity. But after changing one you realize that you are still yourself without it, or even more so after having rid yourself of belief that has turned false retrospectively. After getting into the game you most likely start to realize that you are not what you thought you were at all. The ideas about yourself were all circling around beliefs and still are. The illusory nature of your ego starts to show.

There are several ways of changing beliefs. Some methods may work for some and others not. I have been using subliminal hypnosis with success. First it didn't work for several years, but rather accidentally my experimentation finally gave results. I remember sitting in a lousy apartment in a bad part of a city. The colours on my TV seemed to have changed. I tried to adjust it but the settings seemed to be right. Soon after I realized it was not only the TV that had changed but everything. An old chair I had, for instance, somehow seemed to have more value. Somebody interested in old chairs would probably pay me well for it' was the idea that entered my mind. I went outdoors and was experiencing a new world with shock and amazement. Everything seemed truly different. After a while somebody contacted me and gave me a well paid job, after not being able to even get the worst paid ones using all my time and effort. I experimented with the method in all kinds of directions back then, some of which were not that smart seen in retrospect.

Another thing I have discovered is that the change of one belief may conflict with other beliefs and result in undesired or surprising side effects. There are reasons for your situation, which you may not be aware of. Changing a belief may make them apparent, like discovering the negative beliefs you once projected onto other people in your new situation. By judging others you always seem to end up judging yourself. So in your search for happiness you need to aim for unconditional love, of yourself and others. If not you will be chasing an illusory kind of happiness that will cause pain in the long run. I guess such words may sound like religious dogmas for some, but I think there were valid reasons for the ancient Masters having so many followers.

Another thing is that you need some persistence for a belief to be realized. If you believe you are a successful writer before you "really" are, for instance, the effect may be loosing your luxury distractions with nothing to do but write. Our egos often want things without considering the bigger picture of it, while our beliefs always blend into the entire artwork of our experience.

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