So, here we are again, ringing in another New Year. What will this new year hold for us? Do we have any say in that or is it all random? Will we carry through on our resolutions or will they fall by the wayside? That’s the question, right? Thinking about this got me thinking about the word ‘belief’.
be·lief
biˈlēf/
noun
noun: belief; plural noun: beliefs
1.
an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists.
“his belief in the value of hard work”
something one accepts as true or real; a firmly held opinion or conviction.
2.
trust, faith, or confidence in someone or something.
“a belief in democratic politics”
A belief is not merely an idea that the mind possesses, it is an idea that possesses the mind – Robert Oxton Bolton.
Let’s take a standard New Year resolution or two – “I’m going to lose weight” & “I’m going to stop smoking” – and try to find out why they work for some people and not for others. If we resolve to lose weight but we live in the heart of the country with not a gym in sight and no real plan other than a vague wish to shed a few pounds then the chances of succeeding are slim if we’re honest with ourselves. Likewise, if we resolve to stop smoking but we just opened a new pack on New Year’s Eve and there’s still 14/15 cigaretts in the box then the temptation to at least finish the box before we really get started is strong, right?
However, even if we tip the circumstances all the way in our favour, I’d put money on most people not succeeding because underneath whatever it is we say or do is often a lack of real belief that we’ll succeed. Let’s be honest, we say the words, we hope it (will happen) but often we don’t really believe it. So, without real belief nothing will change. Change can only happen when the underlying belief is in keeping with the proposed action.
So perhaps it is more useful to have a good look at what we (really) believe before we put ourselves through the charade of ‘I’m giving up the fags’ or ‘I’m definitely going to lose the weight’ only to see ourselves back at square one by the time February rolls around!
Happy New Year? It’s up to ourselves really, isn’t it?
“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve” – Napoleon Hill.