The Ultimate Source for Understanding Yourself and others

Why do we have limited potential?

Have you been to the circus lately?
I know it's an odd question to ask in a self-development article but just be patient. In the circus you'll find clowns, gymnasts and animals of all sorts and sizes, but there is one animal that you're almost guaranteed to find. It's the elephant. If you think about it, you'll find that the elephant is a huge animal. If it ever decides to run away, it could cause serious chaos and disruption in the whole neighborhood. The question is: Why doesn't the elephant try to escape?

Whenever a new elephant is brought to the circus, it is chained to a heavy iron ball. The elephant struggles in vain to escape. Everyday, the elephant repeatedly tries to escape until it finally loses hope of ever being free. The elephant has built up a false belief of the impossibility to escape. Even when the chains are removed, it will never try to escape again.

You've been Brainwashed

All of us have been in that elephant's situation at some point of our life. It's not our fault. We're being brainwashed everyday by our friends, colleagues and the media. Society is always creating certain 'barriers' that are supposedly impenetrable to any normal human being. They are simply out of reach, except if you're a genius or very lucky. Here is a list of some false beliefs that you may have acquired throughout your life:

• I can't learn a new sport now, I should have started when I was a kid.
• It's very hard to find a decent job these days, there is no way I could ever have a proper job.
• No one gets everything in life. You have to choose.
• When you get married you won't have time for any activities.
• I can't quit smoking. Even if I could, it will only be temporarily.
• I'm not lucky. If I had been lucky I would have had everything that I wanted.
• Luck DOES exist!

How false beliefs change people's lives

If you're still taking the issue lightheartedly, let me tell you a story that will change your perspective of things. It revolves around two friends: Joe and Bob, who were used to hang out and play basketball together regularly.

Joe, in particular, was taught by his parents that no one gets everything in life.
Joe and Bob started applying for jobs, and - by coincidence - they both got an interview at the same company. After passing the interview, they were told that the job requires them to work 12 hours a day with only one day off per week. This meant that whoever accepted the job would have to quit playing basketball, because he won't have enough time. Joe thought: "Well, I can't get everything in life. I'll accept the job and give up basketball" and so he took the job. Bob, on the other hand thought: "No, thanks. I'm sure there's a better job somewhere that suits my schedule. After all, I don't want to give up my favourite sport." and didn't accept the job.

After few months, Joe started to feel that something was missing from his life. He was used to the elevated blood flow that accompanies regular training. His brain was used to get more oxygen, thinking and feeling better all day.
As a result, Joe started to feel depressed without knowing why. He even left his job, thinking that boredom might be causing his current state of restlessness.

When people live in a Virtual World

Stories such as these happen every day because of people having similar false beliefs. Most people are unaware of their powers. Some people are held back only by these false beliefs, even though they have many abilities and opportunities for advancement. They convince themselves that they are fine as they are and this is the way life is meant to be, they just tend to describe life from their own unique perspective.

Lots of people are not taking enough action to improve their lives, thinking that the only way that could happen is through coincidence of luck.

Some people are not trying to learn anything new, thinking that it's so hard to get a decent job, regardless of how well you're skilled. They indulge in bad habits like smoking and drugs and think they can never give it up. People quit sports and get fat, thinking that their marriage and career should consume their whole time. "Well, you can't get everything in life, can you?" they say.

Some people even go a step further and stay broken for years after breaking up just because of false beliefs, in my book How to get over anyone in few days i described how false beliefs like "He is the one" or "He is my soul mate" can prevent you from recovering fast. A key element in getting over breakups in a short period of time is identifying these false beliefs then dealing with them.

Challenge Your Beliefs

It gets really funny when people start spreading false beliefs without even TESTING them. I was once seeking a certain computer certification, and whenever I asked someone I was told that it's very hard to pass the exam. I admit that at first I started falling into the trap of believing them, then I paused for a while and asked them "What is so difficult about the exam?". You'll be astonished by the reply: "We don't know. We never tried to take it." These people believed that the exam was so hard just because other people told them so!

So, what can you do about it? What's the correct action to take when you get to deal with such opinions?
First, you should test those opinions. If someone told you that you can't lift that box over there, don't just take his word for it, go and try by yourself. Just because he couldn't lift it, doesn't mean that you can't either. Similarly, if someone didn't have the qualities required to land a job, it doesn't mean that you don't either. People differ in their qualities, strengths and weaknesses. To sum it up:

"If you think you can do a thing or think you can't do a thing, you're right."
-- Henry Ford.

2knowmysef is not a complicated medical website nor it’s a boring online encyclopedia but it’s a place where you will find simple, to the point and effective information that is presented in a simple and obvious way. If you think that this is some kind of marketing hype then see what other visitors say about 2knowmyself.The book How to make someone fall in love with you was released by 2knowmyself.com; the book will dramatically increase your chance of letting someone fall in love with you.

Did that help?

No, luck may have played a major role in the previous stories.

ok,but whats the problem in believing in ideas that are told to me by people i trust?

tell me how are beliefs formed?