How to develop new beliefs

Hey everybody, welcome to this mini episode of This Daring Adventure. I like doing these bite sized mini episodes just to elaborate on a certain concept or idea that I've covered, particularly in my Monday Mindset newsletter that I share with my list, obviously every Monday, the link to sign up if you're interested is in the show notes, and I just send out this weekly email. It just gives you a little taste of the work that we do in our coaching sessions. And hopefully they provide a little bit of inspiration, a little bit of support, a little bit of guidance, and something that you can tangibly take away each week. As I said, if you're interested in learning more, you can sign up in the show notes. I also wanted to let you know about the workshop that I'm doing this Sunday, January 12th at 11 a. m. Eastern, given that it is the new year and we are all about making changes, starting over, setting goals. I have the 2025 Change Blueprint Workshop. And it's a great opportunity to get some support and some guidance and to actually start working on what you want to accomplish this year. I truly believe that you can change your life in one year. And I'm going to give you some of the work that you can do in your life to make those changes and to truly start to learn new tools and skills and to go after what it is you want. That's the work that we do in coaching and that's what I want to share with you on Sunday. The link to sign up will be in the show notes as well. All right, so let's get to it. So how can you start believing something new? And particularly, how can you start to believe something new about yourself? Most of us don't realize that the beliefs that we carry about ourselves, our lives, and even what's possible for us aren't fixed. They're not facts. They're just practiced thoughts. A belief is something that you keep thinking over and over again until you just believe it. And you have these well worn neural pathways in your brain, and so they just come up very quickly, automatic, and you just think them over and over again very easily, which your brain loves. The fact is, they're not facts. And they're just practice thoughts. And the best part is that you can choose new ones. You can do the work to start to believe something new. So if you've ever felt stuck or frustrated by the stories that your mind keeps replaying, this episode is for you. I want to explore how to start to gently shift your beliefs and open up a new world of possibilities. So let's start here. What is a belief? A belief is just a thought you've practiced over and over until it feels true. Think about that for a moment. What you believe isn't set in stone. I know it feels like it is. It's simply familiar because you've repeated it so many times. But here's the thing, not all beliefs serve you. Some will keep you stuck. They will keep you playing small. They will keep you in a loop of self doubt. They're not helpful. The good news is that you can rewrite the script. And that's where some bridge thoughts come in. So what are bridge thoughts? When you're trying to believe something new, jumping straight to the final destination of rainbows and daisies can feel overwhelming and it's basically fake. That's why bridge thoughts are so powerful. A bridge thought is simply a stepping stone. It's a thought that feels better than your old belief, but is still believable. So let me give you an example. Say you want to believe I am confident and capable. But right now, that thought feels out of reach. Instead, you might start with a bridge thought I'm learning to believe in my abilities. Or, some days I feel capable and that's a good start. Or you could even try, I'm open to the idea that I can become confident. So you can see how these thoughts gently glide you towards your goal without triggering any resistance. They don't, feel difficult to believe. They don't bring up that resistance by your brain saying, no, that's not true. That's not possible. The bridge thoughts meet you where you are and help to take you to the next step. Once you've created or found your bridge thoughts that feel helpful, that feel better, now you want to look at how to make that new belief stick. The key here. is practice, right? You're developing these new neural pathways in your brain. So once you choose a new belief or bridge thought, you need to train your brain to look for evidence that it's true. For example, if your new thought is, I'm learning to trust myself, start noticing every little moment where you make a decision and follow through. Even tiny wins count. And you want to celebrate those. You want to take note. The more you practice noticing, the more familiar the thought will become. Over time, it starts to feel natural, and eventually, it will replace the old belief. You are creating new neural pathways in your brain. It takes work, it takes effort, it takes practice, but it's completely possible. Now, what about those old beliefs that keep pulling you back? Here's a powerful question to ask yourself. Why are you holding on to this belief if you don't like the result that it's creating? Sometimes our brains hold on to old beliefs because they think they're keeping us safe. For example, a belief like, I'm not good enough, probably is your brain's way of protecting you from failure. Your brain is designed to keep you safe. That primitive part of your brain likes you. To keep you alive. That's its job. And it sees failure, since, we're no longer trying to survive physically, day to day, right? We have our, all of our physical needs met. It sees failure as a great threat these days. when you question these beliefs, you take away their power. You can say, thank you for trying to keep me safe, brain, but I'm ready to let this go. Understanding why you're holding on to an old belief is a big step to releasing it. So here's your takeaway. You get to believe anything you want. Think about that. You truly, there, there's no thought police. Nobody's gonna come and tell you that you can't believe it. They might tell you that you can't believe it, but they can't stop you from believing it. You get to believe anything you want. Start small. Find a bridge thought that feels good and true. Practice noticing evidence for your new belief and don't be afraid to question the old ones. Believing new things about yourself isn't just possible, it's transformational. And it's the key to making sustainable change in your life and creating whatever it is you want. If you want to get unstuck, you need to be looking at these beliefs. And just a note, I do have a free online mini course called Overcoming Limiting Beliefs that can help you to identify some of the beliefs that are holding you back and keeping you stuck. I will put the link to that course in the show notes. So thank you for listening today. If the episode resonated with you, I'd love to hear about it. You can send me a message or share your new bridge thought. I'd be so excited to cheer you on. Until next time, take care and keep believing in your ability to grow. Keep going. You've got this.