Your beliefs shape the way you see the world, influence your actions, and determine how you respond to life’s challenges. The tricky part? Sometimes those beliefs are hidden beneath the surface, operating unconsciously and holding you back from living the life you truly want.
By eliciting your beliefs, you gain clarity and awareness, making it easier to shift away from limiting thoughts and embrace beliefs that serve your growth. I want to share 10 tips to help you uncover your beliefs and live more in alignment with what’s true for you.
- Examine Your Automatic Thoughts
Your automatic thoughts are a window into your deeper beliefs. These are the thoughts that pop into your mind without you even realizing it—often triggered by specific situations. For example, if something goes wrong and your first thought is “I’m not good enough” or “This always happens to me,” that’s a sign of an underlying belief.
Start paying attention to these automatic thoughts, especially in moments of stress, disappointment, or failure. Write them down and ask yourself: What belief is behind this thought? By tracing your thoughts back to their origin, you’ll start to uncover the core beliefs driving your reactions.
- Look at the Stories You Tell Yourself
We all have internal stories that shape the way we see ourselves and the world. These stories might sound like, “I’m the type of person who always plays it safe” or “People can’t be trusted.” These narratives can reflect both positive and negative beliefs about yourself and others.
Take a moment to reflect on the recurring stories you tell yourself. Are they empowering, or do they limit you? Your beliefs are often embedded in these stories. If you catch yourself saying things like, “I’m not creative” or “I don’t deserve success,” you’re likely holding onto limiting beliefs that could be holding you back from growth.
- Reflect on Your Early Influences
Many of your core beliefs were shaped during childhood, influenced by your family, culture, and experiences. Take some time to think about the messages you absorbed growing up. What were you taught about success, failure, relationships, or your own worth? How did your caregivers or teachers shape your worldview?
For example, if you grew up in an environment where mistakes were heavily criticized, you might have developed a belief that failure is something to be feared. By reflecting on these early influences, you can start to identify which beliefs came from others and decide whether they still serve you today.
- Pay Attention to Your Triggers
Triggers are emotional reactions that are stronger than the situation seems to warrant. When something triggers you—whether it’s a comment from a friend, criticism at work, or a disagreement with a partner—it’s often because it’s touching a deep-seated belief.
For example, if you get overly defensive when someone points out a mistake, it could be that you hold a belief that making mistakes makes you unworthy or incompetent. By exploring your triggers, you can uncover the beliefs that lie beneath them and start to challenge whether they are still valid.
- Explore What You Avoid
Avoidance is often a sign of a limiting belief. What are the things in life that you tend to avoid or procrastinate on? Whether it’s public speaking, taking risks, or setting boundaries, the areas you shy away from often reflect deeper fears and beliefs.
If you consistently avoid speaking up in meetings, it might be because you believe that your opinions aren’t valuable, or that others will judge you harshly. When you identify what you’re avoiding, you can begin to unpack the beliefs that are fueling that avoidance and work toward shifting them.
- Ask “Why?” When You Hit a Roadblock
When you hit a roadblock in your personal or professional life, it’s often linked to an underlying belief. Let’s say you want to start a new project, but you find yourself hesitating or making excuses. Instead of pushing through, take a moment to ask yourself “Why am I holding back?” Keep digging deeper into the “why” until you reach the core belief behind your resistance.
Your initial answer might be, “I’m afraid it won’t work out.” If you dig deeper, the real belief could be, “I don’t think I’m capable of success.” Once you uncover that core belief, you can start to challenge it and reframe it into something more empowering.
- Notice Your Judgments
The way you judge others often reflects your own beliefs. Pay attention to the things that frustrate or irritate you about other people—whether it’s someone’s laziness, confidence, or lifestyle choices. These judgments can reveal hidden beliefs you hold about yourself.
If you find yourself judging someone for being “too confident,” it could be a sign that you believe confidence is either something you lack or something negative to express. On the flip side, if you admire someone’s determination, it might reveal a belief that hard work is something you deeply value.
- Consider Your Reactions to Success and Failure
How you react to success and failure offers important insights into your beliefs. Do you downplay your accomplishments or feel like an imposter when you succeed? Or do you spiral into self-criticism when you fail? These reactions often point to beliefs about your self-worth and capabilities.
If you’re uncomfortable with success, you might have a belief that you’re not deserving or that success will come with negative consequences. If failure sends you into a tailspin, you might believe that failing makes you a failure. By examining your reactions, you can start to uncover the beliefs you hold about yourself in these key areas.
- Check Your Self-Talk
Your inner dialogue reveals a lot about your beliefs. Are you kind to yourself, or do you engage in harsh self-criticism? The way you talk to yourself is often a reflection of the beliefs you’ve internalized over time. For instance, if your self-talk is filled with statements like, “I’m not good enough,” “I always mess up,” or “I’ll never succeed,” these are clear signs of limiting beliefs at play.
To shift this, try writing down your most frequent self-criticisms and then challenge them. Ask yourself: Is this really true? Where did this belief come from? What evidence do I have to support or disprove this belief? By questioning your self-talk, you can start to replace negative beliefs with more supportive and realistic ones.
- Use Journaling for Deep Reflection
Journaling is a powerful tool for eliciting your beliefs. Set aside time to write about specific areas of your life, like relationships, career, money, or personal growth, and explore what you believe to be true in each area. You might be surprised at what comes to the surface once you start writing.
To dig deeper, try asking yourself reflective questions like:
What do I believe about myself in this area?
What do I believe about what’s possible for me?
Where did these beliefs come from?
Do these beliefs serve me or hold me back?
Writing freely allows your subconscious to express itself, helping you uncover beliefs that may have been hidden from your conscious awareness.
Rewriting Your Belief System
Eliciting your beliefs is the first step toward transforming them. Once you’re aware of the beliefs that are guiding your actions and decisions, you have the power to change them. Remember that beliefs aren’t fixed—they are thoughts you’ve repeated so often that they’ve become part of your identity. But just because you’ve held a belief for a long time doesn’t mean it has to stay with you forever.
I write about building a thriving lifestyle as a high-achiever on social media, I'd love you to connect with me on www.linkedin.com/in/drlizsewell/
By consciously choosing beliefs that uplift and empower you, you’ll not only change how you see yourself but also how you experience the world around you. Your beliefs shape your reality—so why not choose ones that create the life you truly want to live?
