It’s easy to find happiness and success with a positive belief system. The power of positive thinking is a cliché and can be easily ignored or lampooned because of that. It’s not so easy to dismiss creating a positive belief system when we consider that in some cases this can literally mean the difference between life and death. The placebo effect is well documented in medical research. Quite simply if people are given ‘drugs’ that they believe will cure them in many cases their health will inexplicably improve even if they are given a coated piece of sugar, known as a placebo. In some cases people have recovered from life threatening diseases, and this illustrates the power of creating a positive belief system. What does this mean for you? If you choose to believe in yourself and the world around you as a safe, secure, benevolent environment you will:

1. Be more likely to succeed because you are more confident
2. Be more relaxed because you do not fell threatened
3. Be less likely to suffer ill health because you will be less stressed
4. Look better because you will be more likely to look cheerful
5. Retain your youthful appearance because you will be less likely to scowl and develop wrinkles
6. Be more attractive to others because you are more likely to smile at them
7. Find it easier to make friends because you wil be more open
8. Be more likely to succeed in business because you will believe you can
9. Be more likely to feel happy because you will be more at ease
10. Be a better communicator because you will have positive feelings about other people.

I have discussed the distinction between beliefs and values in another posting, and now you can see just how having a positive belief system can change your life for the better. We’re not just talking about ‘positive thinking,’ here, what we are dealing with is something more central to your well -being. It is building up a system of belief that supports you every day of your life. Having a belief system that does you justice doesn’t always happen by accident; you may have to work at it.

Johnny was a good looking young man who had learnt to play the violin to a high standard, but had few friends and was lonely and unhappy. Although he had a wide circle of musical acquaintances he had never learnt to trust people. His parents had continually argued and had finally divorced. He was an only child and had no role models to give him the feelings of security and positive regard for others that he needed to help him establish close relationships. He had the advantages of good looks and talent, but he had a poor regard for himself and others. He needed to develop a positive belief system. Compared to Mary, who was neither good looking nor talented, he was losing out. Mary had a string of close friends and admirers and was confident in her world. She had been taught to value herself and others highly. Her parents had a loving relationship and accepted Mary as a good person who was worthy of love simply because she was a human being. She had the advantage of seeing the world, and other people as safe and secure. Her background had given her a positive belief system which made her much more likely to achieve happiness than Johnny.

It is no surprise that poverty and social deprivation are hard to break out of, after all these factors give people more stress and create a world in which it is much easier to look on the world as a hostile environment. This in turn creates a negative belief system, which becomes a self -fulfilling prophecy. In my next posting I will look at ten beliefs which can assist you to change your life for the better, If you are interested in changing your beliefs with one to one assistance then contact me on 0131 556 5685.