About a month ago I reached out to my friend and mentor, Steffany Barton, about a project I had been offered to take on which felt out of my comfort zone and quite frankly not my main area of expertise.

Knowing that nothing happens by accident, I was curious to find out her perspective on why this client was reaching out to me with a request for this kind of work.

We connected via email and Steffany’s response really assisted me in seeing the value for both myself and the client in agreeing to take on this project. But what struck me the most was her last word.

Believe.

I was honestly filled with self-doubt as I dug deep, sifted and sorted through technical work not in my wheelhouse. So, I thought about this word as I began the first few hours of research. And I chose to believe in myself and my ability to stretch out of my comfort zone for this project. I then reinforced the power of belief as I sailed through the first deliverable of work, which turned out far better than I had even imagined. And finally I basked in the glory of a job well-done and fueled by my choice to believe.

I believe. I believe. I believe.

But belief is more than just a tool to bring out before a big presentation or daunting task.

Fast forward a month. My family was bequeathed with the dreaded stomach bug as a “Merry Christmas” surprise. It happens. That’s life. My youngest daughter the day before. My middle daughter, my son and I all had it the day after. And for various reasons, above and beyond the illness rampage, I was feeling disorganized, distressed and even slightly down.

At one point, I was too sick to fall asleep, watch TV or read — and so I could do nothing but search for inner stillness. In the process, I revisited the word.

Believe.

And it occurred to me that all of the concerns currently plaguing me were reflections of my self-doubt. On some level, deep within me, I was plagued with fear and doubt. And that’s exactly what my reality was showing me. Beliefs (which I didn’t even realize I held) were quite literally interfering with my ability to create the experiences I preferred.

But the great news was that I was now aware of these definitions I had acquired along the way and could therefore choose new ones which better supported me and my creations. All that I had to do was choose differently. But not just before big client deliverable. In each moment. Each and every moment.

What you believe is what you conceive.

You cannot have an emotion, a feeling or really a thought about anything unless you have definitions upon which to base them.

And what you believe is what you conceive:

• You have basic definitions or beliefs about life. Some you are aware of and some you are not. But you have them about everything, because if you didn’t, you wouldn’t feel anything about anything. Simple example, “When it rains, my day tends to be miserable.”
• You then have thoughts, feelings and perspectives about your experience based upon these definitions. “Oh, it’s raining today, I know it’s going to be an awful day.”
• And then, because reality gives you exactly what you create, you have the gift of experiencing a miserable day compliments of your thoughts and beliefs.

I believe. I believe. I believe.

Call to Action:

Figure out what you believe. Decide what you want to keep and let the rest go. Do this on a regular basis using the awareness and observation of your creations. Know and choose your beliefs because they paint the picture of your life. It’s that simple and yet oh-so-powerful.