The Miracle of Belief

At some point in our lives, we are faced with the inevitable question, “What do I truly want to be?” And there, when we find out the answer, comes the end we so carefully align our means to achieve. Dream, goal, life purpose, destiny, mission, call it what you want. If you wish or hope to achieve that goal, you leave it up to the unknown. But, if you believe you can achieve it, that’s up to you. Knowing how to utilize beliefs can help you be whoever you want to be and achieve whatever you desire. Ahhh.. the miracle of belief. In this article, I’ll help you assess your beliefs, find out where they come from, and make the necessary changes for you to learn that in the end, only you have the power to achieve your goal. At the latter part of this article, I will tell you how you can reach your highest potential through reevaluation of beliefs, visualization, and affirmations.

It may not always be obvious, but our beliefs play a crucial role in what we, as capable human beings, ultimately strive for: self-actualization. And the inquiry on how to be successful, achieve your goals, and be happy can all lie in a particular organ of our body, the mind. Let me take you to an ancient church in Rome as we discuss beliefs, behavior, and goals.

The current Basilica of San Clemente has been hosting believers since the 12th century, but its history is much older than that. It is an accumulation and product of old homes and churches from 500-27 BCE to the 12th century built on top of one another. From the second we were born to this moment, we have created a bit of history and accumulated beliefs. But just like the church, is there a bit of chance our beliefs started forming before our existence? 

Defining Belief

In the simplest terms, belief is the recognition of the existence or nonexistence of something. It is a system of thinking. Belief is, in no less, a force that influences a person’s thoughts and actions. However, to see how such thoughts and actions materialize, one must explore deeper. 

Acquiring Beliefs and Their Effects

1. Consciousness: Ego

We acquire beliefs through our consciousness, the current Basilica, if you may. We are conscious beings able to observe, sense, and form perceptions of our physical world. You may believe something you heard as a child. You may believe you should look a certain way because of what other people perceive as acceptable. You may believe a single measure of success. Nonetheless, you believe in something all in the realm of what’s physical.

2. Personal Unconscious:  Complexes

Let’s go one level deeper in that church because more than being conscious beings, we have to acknowledge our unconscious that dwarves our consciousness. Our consciousness represented by our Ego relies on external forces like the society to which it conforms. It is submissive to culture, what is perceived as right or wrong, beautiful and not, or acceptable and unacceptable. So, it has neglected, hidden, forgotten, and suppressed some parts of us. As a result, it has stripped us of the chance to confront who we truly are. Funnily enough, this layer of the church was used as a refuge for the persecuted Christians, just like the personal unconscious is where our persecuted self hides.

Though shoved down in our unconscious, the belief that we should repress parts of ourselves significantly affects our behavior. For example, you might notice that you are procrastinating. You may be afraid to face a challenge. You may have doubts about yourself. You might be a flight person instead of a fight in a situation. The problem with this is that you have to overcome obstacles to achieve your goals, not run from them. But because of repression, you have delimited your potential.

3. The Collective Unconscious

As we go another level deeper in the church, we discover that there is another consciousness within us that hosts the archetypes. These archetypes are the houses that were built before the church itself. These are the knowledge and experiences of the collective human history passed down to our genes throughout evolution and as we continue to evolve. The typical characteristics of our aggressiveness, weaknesses, and wildness that we shove down manifest in our Shadow archetype. Stripped of our darker side, the Persona archetype presents a false persona to the world. But make no mistakes; there are many archetypes. We have the nurturing Mother within all of us, the authoritative Father, the innocent Maiden, the champion Hero, and so much more! 

We are beautiful multi-faceted creatures despite our ugly side. Just like the church, we have layers and layers within us. There is light within, and there is darkness. And we should embrace every piece of ourselves. We are not here to lean toward a single archetype but tap on all of them to influence our behavior to achieve our highest potential. Once we learn to embrace the conscious and unconscious within us, we can then begin to reach for our dreams and fulfill our destiny.

Taking Steps Toward Your Highest Potential:  Reevaluation, Visualization, and Affirmations

Reevaluation of Beliefs

So, we found out that beliefs affect our behaviors, which help us reach our goals. It is then imperative that you reevaluate your beliefs. More than the Ego, go deeper and tap into the unconscious. Listen to it. Begin to question what you believe in that stops you from self-actualization. Look into your Shadow and face who you are. Confront your truths, no matter how dark. Before the path to self-acceptance, begin self-honesty. Who are you? 

Visualization and Affirmations

When you’ve done all this, perhaps it’s time to recognize the elephant in the room. You need to seek healing to be truly happy. Before healing, though, one must admit to one’s sickness first. So have you admitted to yourself that many of your beliefs are worldly? That you need to change them? Because healing is when we begin to clarify which beliefs to focus on transforming or upgrading to achieve our goals. This can be practiced by visualization. 

Visualization gives us a vision, a direction. As we have established, we have goals, and one of the most crucial ways to achieve them is to visualize them. For example, the Happiness Compass© course uses a wellness compass to clarify what our souls long for. When we know what we want to become, we get mental clarity on our beliefs that hinder us from achieving that goal and block our path towards happiness. Thus, we should change these toxic beliefs.

One of the quests in the Happiness Compass© course has something to do with affirmations. Repeating words to yourself vocally each day creates a shift in your mind. However, positivity is vital for affirmations because you want to attract success, contentment, freedom, and self-actualization. Through affirmations, you form a belief in your mind that can compel you to move towards achieving your goal.

What’s more, visualization and affirmations are the two steps you need in staying committed to your goals—seeing them and hearing them all the time can inspire you to act each day. They can motivate you even on the hardest of days, even in the thick of battle, because the belief that you can- gives you, in return, the willpower and determination to persevere. While it’s true that suffering and obstacles won’t ever go away, you have in your mind the power to overcome them. In addition, you can also start imagining the life that you want as part of your meditation. You can live as if you have already achieved your goal, a way of manifesting your dream into reality.

The Happiness Compass©

Of course, the Happiness Compass© will help you attain your goal through the various stages of self-actualization. From acknowledging your feelings to exploring your desires to creating your vision. The course will guide you to make plans and choose affirmations for your path to success. It will give you direction and redirection. The program will guide you in your healing and finding genuine happiness. 

To Believe is to See

With the right amount of confidence, you may be able to convince your mind that you believe you can be whoever you want to be, and as a reward, your mind unconsciously gives it back to you as faith. 

As they say, to see is to believe. But when you have faith, the saying becomes “to believe is to see.” By now, you should know where I am going with this. You, light and dark, have the power to convince the universe to conspire for your success. You, in your layers, are one self-reflection away from self-realization. You, in the balance of your archetypes, create one unique individual that is to be reckoned with. 

Utilizing the Power of the Mind

Your mind is more powerful than you think. It can establish the beliefs that will compel you to move mountains and defy anything to achieve your goal. It can give you unqualified happiness. Thus, it is time to reconcile your consciousness with your unconscious. It is time you made the steps for growth. It is time to become who you have always meant to be. You need only to believe.