“There is only one cause of unhappiness: the false beliefs you have in your head, beliefs so widespread, so commonly held, that it never occurs to you to question them.”
"I'm not good enough; you can't change the way you are; I don't need anyone; I can't trust anyone; if I am not in control, something bad will happen; I am a victim; I am superior to others; if I am vulnerable, I will get hurt; I am bad; I am stupid; I must be perfect; I'm a loser; I am my flaws; whatever I do won't be enough; I don't deserve to be happy; when bad things happen, it is my fault; others can but I can't; I deserve to feel bad; my needs are not important; if I give in to others, I will lose my point of view; there's something wrong with me; you're stuck with your beliefs; I'm not worthy of love; I have to do everything perfectly; I shouldn't show my true feelings; I am responsible for how others feel; I must be in control; having problems means I don't have it together; success is for better people than me; I won't succeed so why bother trying; I have to do as I am told" ...and a thousand others likewise, and that's just those relevant to personal development. We learn these things in childhood and they are contagious from person to person. And often false. We need to need to remain open to revising our beliefs in order to move forward with our lives.
“Most people do not see their beliefs. Their beliefs tell them what they see. This is the simple difference between clarity and confusion."
We see the world through the filter of our beliefs. But beliefs and reality may conflict, and we walk into walls. By suspending belief and observing directly - both the world around us and our inner world - we can then differentiate the truth of what is from a perspective ruled by conditioning. Eventually we have to make up our minds, to judge what makes sense for us to believe in. But there's a difference between being judgmental and making a judgment; we can't sit on the fence the whole time, we'd be good for nothing if we weren't able to make a decision based on informed opinion and our heartfelt values (rather than assumption or prejudice).
“Success is an attitude, a mindset, a commitment, a promise. A belief that it can be done, should be done and WILL be done.”
