When Polish scientist, Nicolaus Copernicus, published his book ‘On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres’ after decades of research, he proposed that the earth was not the center of the universe. This at a time when practically everyone believed it was. That theory, among others in his book, divided opinion but would kick-start a movement, one that would later be referred to as the Scientific Revolution.
Though he had his detractors and those who opposed his theories, by 1700 most scientists had adopted Copernicus’ ideas, building on it as time went on. Today, a mere 500 years after his work was first published, it would probably draw disbelieving amusement if someone were to suggest otherwise.
Just like that an old truth was obliterated and a new truth took its place.
Copernicus’ story highlights the nature of beliefs and the immense power they can hold over us. It illustrates how far we’ll go to defend them and the amount of resistance we will have to go up against to change them. But it also shows that in spite of those obstacles it is possible to question, dismantle and rebuild beliefs anew.
It starts with us questioning the status quo, the assumed truth of how things are or should be.
Because beliefs determine how we see ourselves, and the world we live in. They define for us what is good and bad, what is possible and impossible, what we’re capable of and what we should expect of ourselves, others and the world.
Beliefs determine who we are and who we aspire to be.
So what do YOU believe … about yourself, others and the world?
Are your beliefs uplifting and inspiring or do they limit you and hold you back?
Are they simply what’s been passed on to you by generations before, truths that you’ve never questioned or challenged? After all it’s scary to question what is in essence the basis of your entire life.
Yet if you never question you never get a chance to find out whether:
- What you believe is holding you back from even trying.
- What you believe is preventing you from seeing and taking advantage of opportunities.
- What you believe has you giving up at the first hurdle.
- What you believe keeps you settling for mediocrity.
Remember, like Copernicus showed five hundred years ago:
Just because you believe something doesn’t make it true.
At any point you can question what you believe and change it. You have the ability to choose a different path. You have the power to dismantle those beliefs that hold you back and choose to believe something different. You can choose to believe in something that moves you in the direction of your goals, something that fuels your soul rather than drains it. You can choose those things that bring happiness, fulfillment and a sense of purpose.
You can choose to believe that you really do have the power to change your reality.
True Confession
I remember believing that I wasn’t creative so I never really tried to express myself.
I used to believe that I was too old to really have big dreams, that my time had passed, until I chose not to believe that anymore.
How?
By taking action in direct opposition to the belief. By doing the opposite until the belief slowly began to crumble, until it just couldn’t be true anymore.
So what do you believe?
Is it helping or hindering you?
What is one thing you can stop or start believing about yourself today that can move you forward?
Let me know in the comments.