Personal Development Passion

Beliefs play a very important role in achievement of success. Experts in the field of personal achievement have concluded that what you are and what you will be, is determined largely by the set of beliefs you operate with. Beliefs are a great force in a person’s life. Beliefs are not just creatures of imagination. Beliefs are for real.

To cite an example. Look at the belief system of Mahatma Gandhi. Because he strongly believed in his right of self-determination and especially in the power of his Non Violence and Civil Disobedience movement, it became possible for him to free India from the clutches of British who had been ruling India since last almost 400 years. From the viewpoint of any other common man of his times, it was just impossible to overthrow British Government who had so tightly gripped India since last hundreds of years. However, Mahatma Gandhi strongly believed in his weapon of Civil Disobedience that he soon had a large following and with their aid he succeeded in getting India freed.

What is true about great people is also true about us : the common creatures. The set of beliefs we hold in our heads goes to determine our destiny. What is a belief after all? The dictionary tells me these meanings of the word "belief "

Noun: belief
1. Any cognitive content held as true
2. A vague idea in which some confidence is placed

Source : WordWeb Dictionary (wordweb.info)

In other words, confidence placed in an idea becomes belief. The confidence in the idea (subject of belief) is based upon certain experiences, observations either personal or those of others. The beauty of this, however, is that what is believed need not always already exist in reality. A confidence is reposed merely in the possibility of something and certain decisions or actions are taken and results achieved. Take for example the belief "I have a good memory". Strongly believing this would certainly lead one to improve his memory whether or not his memory is already good. The reason is: your mind simply acts on the belief held in mind consequently leading you to take actions in the direction of actualizing the belief into reality. No belief is right or wrong. It is either empowering or limiting.

Now there is a good news and a bad news.

The bad news first. Whether you choose or not, you mind, by default forms and holds certain beliefs and acts on them. This means that your mind does not operate with a "vaccume". Based on your life experiences, such as your upbringing, your adulthood, you will acquire certain opinions and form certain beliefs. Those default beliefs play an important part in shaping you eventually. In all probabilities the result of what you are today is based on the beliefs you have been holding since years together.

The good news: You can choose your beliefs. You can program your mind to hold your chosen beliefs for your benefit. As I said earlier, the mind simply accepts the long held beliefs as true without actually bothering about whether or not they are true. This fact can be used to our best advantage. Choose your beliefs. Hold them in your mind everyday. Program your mind to hold them permanently for you. You will certainly benefit in the long run.

There are certain beliefs which I practise holding in my mind on a consistent basis. I call them power beliefs. They have really inured to my benefit in the long run. Here are some of them.

I take 100% responsibility for whatever happens to me.

It is possible.

Everything happens for the good.

I can do it. or Yes I can

As you sow you shall reap.

Without God’s backing it is not possible to succeed.

There is abundant wealth everywhere.

( I may add more, as I keep on identifying the beliefs)

The point is. Choose your beliefs. Make your destiny. Let the energy of your mind not go waste.

Has it ever happened with you?  You are in the toilet, or you are driving a car, or climbing or descending a staircase, bathing, or reading a book, or doing any routine thing. Suddenly a great creative idea which has the potential to greatly improve your life flashes in your mind. You sense from within that the creative idea which has just flashed in your mind is a very powerful one, and you are quite sure that if implemented, that creative idea has a great potential to improve your life or work area in a positive way. But afterwards you just forget the creative idea and never implement the creative idea which flashed in your mind.

It has happened with me. Unfortunately those creative ideas were not put to use and and were allowed to dissipate. The life simply missed an improvement opportunity.

I pondered over the reasons why, in spite of generation of these creative ideas having a great potential to improve my life in a positive way, were never put to use.

The reason appears to be that the creative idea having a great potential to improve my life was never caught by me in the first place. The creative idea which flashed in my mind was never recorded. Just like when you fail to photograph a great event when the event happens. Only if you take a snapshot of the event, you are able to look at the picture again and again and enjoy it, or do something about it.

The same happens in the case of creative ideas too. Before writing this post, during the course of the day, I had many many interesting and useful topic ideas flashing across my mind, which I feel I should share with the readers through this blog. But then, I suddenly realised that the ideas will simply be gone if I do not record them somewhere , or catch hold of these creative ideas in some way, in some form or the other. So I wrote down the creative ideas on a piece of paper.

Let us not underestimate the importance of creative ideas which flash in our minds. Each creative idea generated in our minds, I believe, is a priceless gift of God. God has so designed this creative faculty in our brain that by taking opportunity to implement these creative flashes in our mind, we can elevate our lives.

Follow these simple steps for recording your creative idea:

1 Make a pocket size note-book and name it Creative Ideas Book. Always carry the Creative Ideas Book and a pen with you whereever you go. Note down any idea which you think is important for you in the Creative Ideas Book. Do not be bothered about the rightness or wrongness of the idea at this stage.

2. If possible, carry a pocket voice recorder (it can be a microcassette recorder or a mp3 player with recording feature) with you whereever you go. Record any creative idea flashed across you mind in it. Later note down the ideas on a paper. Agian, do not be bothered about the rightness or wrongness of the idea at this stage.

3. Make a list of all your creative ideas and think over them.

4. Take steps to work on the ideas which you find are useful to you. Eliminate the ideas which you think are not useful for you.

The famous author, Napoleon Hill, in his timeless classic “Think and Grow Rich” mentions the late Dr Elmer R. Gates of Chevy Chase, Maryland who created more than 200 useful patents through the process of cultivating and using creative faculty. He records as under:

“Dr Gates had a personal communication room which was soundproof and so arranged that all the lights could be shut out. There was a small table on which used to keep a pad of writing paper. When Dr Gates desired to draw upon the forces available to him through his creative imagination, he would go into this room, seat himself at the table, shut off the lights, and concentrate upon the known factors of the invention on which he was working, remaining in that position until ideas began to flash into his mind in connection with the unknown factors of the invention. On one occasion, the ideas came through so fast that he was forced to write for almost 3 hours. When the Scots stopped flowing, and he examine his note, he found they contained a minute description of principles which had not a bad level among the known date of the scientific world. The answer to this problem was intelligently presented in those notes. Dr Gates earned his living by “sitting for ideas” for individuals and corporations. Some of the largest corporations in America paid him substantial fees, by the hour of four “sitting for ideas”.”

Such is the power of creative ideas. The greatest asset which we possess, is not the house we live in, is not the car we drive, or the latest electronic gadget that we own. Our greatest gift is our own brain, and the creative ideas generated by it are real diamonds and pearls which we must catch hold of and put to use.