How your beliefs can shape your life
Psychological research has shown us that we feel happier and more content in our lives when we act in accordance with our beliefs. The problem is, life gets so busy that it can be hard to even find the time to sit down and ask yourself - what do I believe in? If you’re not even sure what your guiding core beliefs are, you might find it a lot harder to make decisions in your daily life. They could be big decisions like what job to accept, what to study, where to live - but it also trickles down into the smaller everyday decisions too. What you eat, how you spend your money, what products and companies you support, what your daily goals are and who you spend your time with.
Beliefs are a huge motivator when it comes to setting and achieving goals. Motivating yourself to do something can be really hard! Especially hard if you aren’t even sure what the purpose is behind what you are doing. By taking the time to work out what is important to you and what your values are, these beliefs can start to shape and define what sort of goals you set for yourself. For example, if one of your beliefs is to care for the environment, articulating this belief and being conscious of it can help shape your daily decisions. You may set a goal to reduce your garbage waste, or to compost food scraps. Perhaps you have a strong belief in caring for the poor. This belief may influence your goals such that you become more aware of how you spend your time, and you may choose to allocate more time to volunteering. You’re more likely to achieve these goals when you know WHY you were setting them in the first place. Further than this - when you’re more motivated you’re more likely to achieve these goals, which will help you feel like you’re leading a more fulfilling life.
Now you know a little more about why it is so important to be conscious of your beliefs, and to write them down and be aware of them, you may want to give yourself some time today or this week to sit down and pray, reflect, and write down your core beliefs. You can do this in your Become Book or another special planner.
We hope this helps you feel a sense of purpose in your daily goals and life!