We human beings are more than just flesh. We are more than just physical bodies with embedded minds. There is something innate in humanity that is distinct and different from all other creatures. And that innate something is tied to our core beliefs. Combining our innate uniqueness with our core beliefs sets the direction our lives take.
To put it more simply, the things we believe influence the actions we take. Our beliefs influence our thoughts, emotions, and reactions. So much so that experts like international yoga educator and mindfulness business mentor Scott Moore say the key to overcoming self-limiting behaviors is to change one’s belief systems.
The Yoga Example
Given that Scott Moore is a yoga educator, I will tap into what he does to explain the principle of core beliefs setting direction. A key tenant of yoga is that each person has innate gifts that, when contributed positively, make the world a better place. Yoga also teaches that self-awareness is key to unleashing said gifts.
Yoga practitioners lead their students through guided consciousness exploration in hopes of helping each one get in touch with the true inner self. With self-awareness comes an understanding of one’s beliefs. In addition, self-awareness can also reveal when those beliefs are limiting a person’s potential.
By changing self-limiting beliefs, a person can change thoughts and emotions. A person can change outward actions as well. Throw all that together and you have a recipe for changing the direction of one’s life. That is exactly the point of the yoga nidra that Scott Moore teaches.
We All Believe Something
One of the common criticisms against organized religion is that practitioners allegedly believe fables and stories. Whether or not that’s true, it can’t be denied that we all believe something. Even atheists and agnostics have core beliefs. The thing about these core beliefs is that they are the filter through which we see the world. They directly impact how we behave in the world and, more specifically, how we relate to other people.
Core beliefs are sometimes referred to as a ‘worldview’. Here are two commonly cited worldview examples:
- Judeo-Christian – The Judeo-Christian worldview is a religiously-based worldview with core beliefs rooted in the Jewish and Christian scriptures. Jewish history plays a very big role in this worldview.
- Scientific – If the Judeo-Christian worldview has a polar opposite, it would be the scientific worldview. A scientific worldview embraces scientific knowledge and empirical evidence as its foundation.
The Judeo-Christian worldview supports the idea of a literal creation. The scientific worldview explains the origins of the world through the Big Bang Theory and evolution. The two worldviews could not be any more opposed on this particular topic.
Core Beliefs and Morality
Why does all this matter? Because core beliefs are intrinsically tied to morality – our understanding of what is right and wrong. Core beliefs influence what a person thinks about himself and others. It all plays out in how a person lives their life in the broader context of the rest of the world.
Highly successful people tend to have a certain mindset rooted in core beliefs that support traditional values like hard work and perseverance. Creative people demonstrate core beliefs supporting things like exploration, discovery, and self-expression.
The point of all of this is to say that each of us has core beliefs that dictate the direction our lives take. If we find ourselves on a path that is unacceptable, the key to finding a new direction is to re-examine our core beliefs and change those that are getting in the way.
