Lesson 3: You Become What You Believe

This workbook is designed to help you shine a light on your negative beliefs, so that you can move on from them. These workbook questions were curated by Martha Beck. The goal is to continue the conversation and go deeper into the lesson. Your answers are private, no one else can see them.

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Close your eyes and "fast forward" to a moment 5 years from now, when you are living your best life to its absolute fullest. Describe the room where you wake up—where is it, how is it decorated, and who is there with you?

Think of something you wish to make happen— and in your mind create a concrete symbol to represent that wish coming true. What did you wish? What is the symbol?

What is the feeling in your body as you imagine this wish coming true? Feel for ways to shift and reshape your vision until it feels possible and peaceful. In fact, it's most likely to happen if it feels like a done deal—normal.

What is it you know you can do, with your eyes closed on your worst day? Thinking about your falling-off-a-log-easy skill, how might you see that leading not just to pleasant outcomes, but to huge success?

To find out what you truly believe, write a description of your life situation—the people around you, your circumstances, and "blind spots" where your self-concept fails to align with the beauty of your real self.

Look back on your previous answer, and investigate the beliefs that correspond to your life's worst elements. Rethink those beliefs.

When Oprah's grandmother said she'd be hanging out clothes as an adult, Oprah knew it wasn't true. When has a negative statement called forth a strong feeling in you that said, "No, this person is wrong. I am meant to succeed"?

In J.K. Rowling's first book, someone says of Harry Potter, "One day every child in the world will know his name." What offhand remarks have you said—or heard someone else say about you—that turned out to be a sort of prophecy?

Are your actions in alignment with what you say you want in life? Where are you staying in a situation where other people are treating you badly, waiting for them to change? Passivity in a situation of injustice creates a damaged life.

Do you undermine yourself by thinking, "I'll never..." or "that doesn't happen for people like us"? Instead, find examples of times your negative belief was wrong. Focus on the places where your life plays out in defiance of your negative beliefs.

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Published on October 12, 2011

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