One year into her new job, Sonya was passed up for promotion. She worked hard; met her targets and yet when the time came for rewards, she was ignored. Subsequently, she changed three jobs but had similar experiences. Slowly the resentment built up in her and she started to slack off at work. What was the use; she would never get promoted anyway. And for the next 12 years or so of her working life, she believed that she was unlucky and things would never change. And they never did. So Sonya’s belief of being unlucky came true.

Now, some may argue that she could not be blamed for her belief, as it was an outcome of her experiences, or more likely, it was her destiny.

But, when digging deeper, one might find that the process of belief creation is not elementary. It’s complex – shaped by multiple occurrences. In short, our beliefs deserve a much more examined approach than we care to give them.

Let’s examine the various aspects of belief creation and its impact on our lives.

1. Subtle yet powerful mechanism – Our beliefs are often molded before we are even consciously aware of them. And imperceptibly, we start subscribing to them. Most of them are not even our own. They are borrowed or forced upon us by parents or society, when we are children and at our most vulnerable. But, the belief roots deep within us, and with every experience or situation, we add more substance and drama to it. Gradually it becomes a fundamental premise of our life and a filter for all our life experiences.

2. Open to interpretation – Two people might see the same painting and arrive at completely different opinions. While Sonya attributed her failure to bad luck, someone like Abraham Lincoln who lost elections eight times might have attributed it to a poor understanding of what the public wanted. We are quick to create beliefs, and latch on to them without checking if they have weight. And if you keep repeating an experience, it is usually because you continue to do the same thing, and not because life is out to punish you. In your ardent need to affix blame, you keep missing the vital lesson contained therein. Thus, the experience repeats.

3. Using the belief as a shield – Once you start believing something, you can settle back in your comfort zone and feel absolved of the responsibility of trying something different. Plus, you can hide behind it every time you are asked to try something new. So belief often becomes a façade for obsolescence and complacency.

4. Self-affirming phenomenon – The universe is an open field of potentiality. You start creating what you can imagine, and what you want to believe. In short, whatever you focus on becomes stronger. So if you believe you are creative, then your intent, your approach, as well as all that you attract in your life, including people and situations, work towards re-affirming your belief. And once you make a choice, you give up your right to the choice lying at the other end of the spectrum. So as soon as you choose Belief A, you choose to miss out on the possibilities brought on by Belief B. As long as your beliefs are expansive and life-affirming, you are safe. But if they are limiting, then you are shutting yourself out from many wonderful possibilities in life.

Ultimately, what we choose to believe is a decisive part of how we choose to experience life.