Different events that you experience in your life become evidence for the beliefs that you have about yourself. Some people choose to focus on negative events that they have experienced. Examples include;
- The time you failed that test
- That relationship that did not work out
- That job you lost
When you choose to focus on negative events, they become evidence of the negative beliefs that you have. You could say that you are not smart enough, no one wants to be in a relationship with you, or that you are just not good enough to maintain a job. Instead of focusing on those negative events in your life, focus on positive events that become evidence for constructive beliefs about yourself. Examples include;
- That time you got a promotion at work
- The trip that you took with your friends
Based on those two events, you could conclude that you are successful and that you have friends that think you are fun. Whenever we are going through everyday life, we must focus on the positive events that have happened no matter how small they may be. Mr. Robert Criner told me “Whatever you focus on, it will expand.” This means that we can expand the evidence for positive or negative beliefs by simply thinking about them repeatedly.
I was 9 years old and I could not read. I remember how stupid I felt and I would use my inability to read as evidence for why I felt stupid. A very short time later, I learned how to read and I read 55 books from the Animorphs series within 3 months. I used that positive experience to confront the idea of me being stupid or dumb. Knowing that I was a powerful reader motivated me to start writing.
Next time you are criticizing yourself, think of one positive experience that is evidence of how awesome, intelligent and beautiful you are.
Terrance Thomas
