5 Things You Should Know About Personal Beliefs
Five Things You Should Know About Persoanl Beliefs
In my last blog I wrote that self-awareness is one of the five components of emotional intelligence. In helping people to become self-aware I found it useful to engage them about their personal beliefs together with their strength finder profile or DISC assessments. Johann Goethe points out that “Man is made by his beliefs. As he believes so he is.” (Johann Goethe). So, any discussion on self-awareness should begin with one’s personal beliefs. Here are five things that you should know about personal beliefs.
- One’s personal belief is something that one assumes to be true and is the lens through which one understands the world. A person’s core beliefs are defined as “fundamental, inflexible, absolute, and generalized beliefs that people hold about themselves, others, the world, and/or the future. (Beck) Core beliefs influence how people live their lives. As such not all beliefs can be challenged and change. At the same time not, everyone may have core beliefs.
- Beliefs can limit one’s potential, limiting beliefs. Albert Bandura, a psychologist points out, “People’s beliefs about their abilities have a profound effect on those abilities. Ability is not a fixed property; there is huge variability in how you perform.” Change your beliefs and it could possibly change how you perform.
- Knowing one’s personal beliefs nevertheless is the beginning of wisdom because they affect how one carries out one’s responsibilities in the variety of roles that one undertakes in life. One’s belief about being a wife or mother or employee will determine how one performs in these roles. One’s beliefs could have been formed from one’s experiences, that is from things that happened. Or the source of one’s beliefs may be from someone whom one believes is an authority on the subject. Such an authority need not be an expert. So, know why you believe could be the beginning of changing some limiting beliefs.
- One’s beliefs are the source of one’s values. Values are “broad desirable goals that motivate people’s actions and serve as guiding principles in their lives”. For example, one’s desire to be kind could be motivated by one’s religious beliefs. One’s desire for pleasure, self-indulgent maybe influence by one’s belief that life is lived once. So, if one values being competitive, wealth, authority, and success and so forth, examine the underlying beliefs of these values. Could it be that this individual experienced poverty and so believes that success is measured in terms of material gains? So, when you take a values assessment, examine your values in the light of your beliefs.
- Attitudes are the mental dispositions that people have towards others, things, and the current circumstances that influence their responses towards them. Their responses are expressed in their behaviors. People primarily form their attitudes from underlying values and beliefs. Therefore, the next time when you question why people behave differently, consider asking them about their beliefs.
About the Author
Dr JEREMY GWEE
I am currently director and principal trainer in ITOL Asia. My mission is to promote training and occupational learning. I believe that training can be deployed more effectively as an organizational transformational tool. I also believe that through occupational learning everyone is a trainer because everyone has unique experiences, knowledge and skills that enable them to train others differently.
I hold a BA, MBA and doctorate in transformational leadership. I am trained in positive psychology and qualified in ACTA. My approach to training is to equip learners use transformational tools to enable them to make their training more holistic. I employ a variety of tools in the training to fit the needs of the learners. These tools include, Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP), Gallup Strength Finder and Business Profiling, VIA Character Strength, LEGO Serious Play, The Organizational Zoo, Action Learning, DISC and Points of You.
