What Belief System Do You Need To Install?

I’ve been thinking a lot over the past several months about my belief system (when you go to events like Power Players you can’t help but start pondering this!). There are a lot of questions that come up when thinking on this topic:

• What exactly are my conscious beliefs?
• What are my unconscious beliefs—the ones I don’t even realize I have?! (this is an especially tough question!)
• Which of these beliefs did I consciously choose to have?
• Conversely, which of these were chosen for me? Which of them were instilled upon me subconsciously?

It’s an interesting set of questions, and one that prompts a lot of deep reflection. But there’s a second set of related questions that I am finding are even more interesting and important:

• Are there any limiting beliefs in me—whether I chose them consciously or not—that I need to uninstall?
• Which beliefs do I need to install, in order to reach my goals?

The net result of all this reflection is a two-step “start with the end in mind” brainstorming process:

1. What do I want to happen in my life?
2. What beliefs do I need to have in order for these things to happen?

Here’s an example from my own life:

My wife and I want to live in France, and we want our real estate investments to give us the financial ability and flexibility to do that. For a long time, I unconsciously had a belief system that “I am a 1-4 unit residential real estate investor—that’s what I’m capable of and comfortable with.” First off, I didn’t even realize I had this belief until I really did some deep reflection. Secondly, even after I identified this belief, I didn’t really perceive it as limiting. After all, there’s nothing “small” about owning 1-4 unit residential real estate.

But after a while of thinking all this through, I realized my belief system was limiting what I was actively pursuing. I wasn’t actively looking for apartment buildings or commercial properties, because my belief system quietly told me, “you’re a 1-4 unit guy—you should stick to what you’re capable of.” This meant that my road to living in France (my goal) was only going to be paved with small properties, which was likely to take longer and be more work.

So I decided to consciously uninstall this belief, and deliberately reinstall a replacement belief: “I am a specialist in custom-tailoring real estate investments, regardless of their size.” As soon as I started installing this belief and reinforcing it in myself, I was able to confidently open up my search to a wider variety of properties, including much larger properties. Now, I feel like I am on a better—and frankly more fulfilling and interesting—path toward achieving my goal of living in France.

I suggest you ask yourself this: “what beliefs do you need to install—and which do you need to uninstall—to get where you want to go in life?”