The Dark Side of Your Beliefs

Hey everyone, this is John Assraf, New York Times best selling author of Having it all and the Answer. I want to talk to you about something I call the dark side of your beliefs. When I was about five years old, I moved from Israel to Montreal and put into kindergarten and then first grade and second grade. And I remember developing the belief that I wasn't smart enough. Now you may think, why would you develop that belief when you were so young? Well, I spoke Hebrew as a child, and then I had to learn English and French at the same time. And because it was difficult, I was made fun of by the other kids. Now, I don't want you to feel bad for me, but when I was 5, 6, 7 years old, feeling like I wasn't as smart as the other kids caused me to have an inferiority complex. And that one simple belief that I'm not smart enough hindered my ability to really feel like I can do well in school. Coupled with the fact that I was told that if I don't go to university, I wouldn't really be able to take care of my family and afford a decent lifestyle. So at a very, very young age, I was ingrained only because I didn't learn to quickly enough where I didn't understand a language, that I believed that I wasn't smart enough. Now today, I know I'm more than smart enough. I know you are as well. But what happens is beliefs. If you look at beliefs from a neurological perspective, whatever it is that you believe, you will think, feel and behave in accordance with those beliefs. But more importantly, you'll make those beliefs real in your life and in your world. Why? Well, the brain is conditioned to make sure that your outside world of results match your internal map of reality. So if internally you have a belief that you're not good enough, you're not smart enough, you're not worthy, you're Caucasian, you're black, you're Asian, whatever belief you have that may have a negative association to it, you will make that a reality in your life. If, for example, you want to earn $100,000 a year, or $75,000 a year, just an extra thousand dollars a month, but secretly you don't believe that you deserve it, that you're not smart enough, or you're not good enough, or you don't know how to, even though you have the desire or the goal, your underlying beliefs are going to drive the behaviors and the actions that you take or don't take. And even if you use willpower or persistence to try really hard, these Beliefs will pull you back. Like a thermometer or a thermostat works in a room that has a certain temperature setting. Whatever your financial thermostat is coupled with your beliefs will make sure that that belief and that thermostat always keeps you at the income level that you are used to earning. And so, one of the keys for every one of us, if we want to get healthier, happier or wealthier, one of the first places to start is by altering your beliefs. And here's three simple things you can do right now to alter your beliefs. Number one, write down what belief would you have to have? For example, earning the amount of money that you want to earn. That's number one. Number two, ask yourself, how can I emotionalize and feel? Act as if that belief was real right now, and all you need to do for that is pretend you're a Hollywood actor actress that was going to get paid to pretend that you own that belief. Then number three, ask yourself this question. What one or two actions could I take every day in the next seven days towards A, feeling that belief and then B, taking action towards not just owning that belief, but towards the goal that you want to achieve. So A, write down the belief you need, B, emotionalize it and circumstances. Think about what you could do every day to believe it even more. And take two actions towards making more money, for example, and you'll start to develop the inner part of your mind around the beliefs that you need in order to increase your income.