Day 20: Your Beliefs Are Not My Beliefs

I believe what I believe. I believe many things. These beliefs started when I was born. First, my parents gave me beliefs. Don't sleep in your clothes, stay clean, don't crawl out your bedroom window or we will kick your butt. And as I got a bit older they started using fear beliefs so they could control me. If I don't clean my room I will be punished. If I don't do my homework I will not be able to watch TV. So on. And then school gave me beliefs. You must go to school. You must go through 12 grades. And fear beliefs became more prevalent for me. I must get good grades or I will be held back. I must be quiet or I will be sent to the principal's office. I must not pass notes or I will get detention. By the time I finished school almost all my beliefs were given to me by parents, school and religion. Give your money to the church or go to hell. You are a sinful ingrate. But at the same time, we begin to wonder what we really believe. It’s a natural thing to challenge beliefs given to us by others. 

Then I got a job. And more beliefs were given to me, very much based on fear. I can't be late or I will lose my job. And culture and government and society gave me fear beliefs as well. Pay your taxes or you will go to jail. Get a car. Get insurance. Get more bills. Pay your bills or go to jail. Wow! Getting a bit overwhelming here! And now you have the picture of Joe America!A whole bunch of beliefs given by other people that are making Joe feel terrible and he isn't even taking the time to look at what he believes and to see if those beliefs are even working for him! 

Many sages throughout history have told us that what we believe creates our reality. If we believe that elevators are dangerous, we cannot ride in an elevator. If we believe that we are less than wonderful, then we are less than wonderful. If we believe that old religious belief that we are going to hell, then we are going to hell. We create our reality with what we believe. And if you look at how people live you can actually sometimes see what they believe. Take the homeless person on the street. Look at their reality. They may honestly believe they cannot have a home. And so they don't. You can stop here and think of other examples.

Now each person has their own set of beliefs. And they base their judgments on their beliefs. But that has nothing to do with your belief system. 

It is a little microcosm, a person’s beliefs create his or her reality, create his or her judgments, create his or her choices based on beliefs. 

Well, that homeless person may be convinced that he cannot have a home but I am not convinced of that. So his belief system does not work for me. And that's OK. That's called the right to choose, free will choice. Even if it is messed up, it is still his free will choice. But what if he told me that I cannot have a home because he believes he can't have a home so no one should have a home. How valid is that judgment for me? Not very valid at all. I don't believe what he believes. And how valid is any judgment he makes about me? Not very valid at all, as he is judging from his own belief system, not mine. And how valid is my judgment of him? Not very valid at all, because I would be judging him based on my beliefs which may or may not be his. So what is the point of judging someone else? There is none. And what is the point of being affected by someone else's judgment of you? None. It is not based on what you believe so it has little to no bearing on you. So relax! 

Understand that people walk around within their own microcosm; their own belief system, their own reality. We are like a million unique snowflakes. The good thing is that you can change your reality by changing what you believe.

I can help you eliminate negative beliefs and end the struggle in your life if you want.  I have been doing this work for over 40 years. Just email me at shaman@shamanelder.com

Shaman Elder Maggie

www.shamanelder.com to visit my site and read more wonderful articles and take the course I teach online.