Warning: naughty language ahead!

“I choose to feel safe.”

I used to think positive affirmations were bullshit.

And, in my work, I find that when you apply a random positive affirmation, like some new age salve to a wound, you will likely indeed find it to be bullshit…or at least ineffective—which is essentially the same thing.

But, “I choose to feel safe” is not an affirmation that I am blindly using.

It is actually a statement on how I choose to live, that I have uncovered through a deep process of discovering my core beliefs.

A core belief is something you feel about yourself, other people and the world around you.

They are primal, raw beliefs that often center around how safe, loved or worthy you feel. Your core beliefs can be supportive or destructive.

You have both.

Though you tend to have one major core belief, you also have a series of sub-beliefs that circle the main one. That collection of beliefs forms your core story. And your core story rules your life. If you are not aware of your core story, you are more likely to suffer at the hands of it—as it creates the perception through which every experience in your life is filtered.

But, when you know your core story, you have a choice. You can begin to affect your life in a different way, because you have awareness. You begin to see that your perceptions have been biased by these destructive core beliefs and you can begin to make more conscious responses to situations, rather than just being at the mercy of the subconscious.

My life has changed dramatically, since I uncovered my own core story. For instance: I recognize when I am making decisions from a place of fear. That recognition allows me to make choices of when I am going to push through it and when I am going to give myself grace. I consciously move through the fears more effortlessly, when they do arise. This process allows for more risk taking, as well as a general sense of well-being.

The lives of my clients have also changed dramatically since they have uncovered their core stories. There have been job changes, as well as complete career shifts. Their relationships have shifted and improved. Their day to day actions are inspired by their new levels of awareness.

I work with people in a deep and personal way to identify and shift the stories that are holding them back from the life they seek to live.

And every day, I am reminded how much one thought can rule our entire life. And perhaps, even more powerful, how much identifying and shifting that one thought can change your life.

Much like all the apps on my phone need regular updates, so do I. And by concentrating on the new beliefs that I consciously choose, I have the opportunity to change my sub-conscious programming rather than feel victim to an old storyline.

So, the real question to ask yourself is this: are you ready for a new story?

Author: Susan Shehata

Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: Christi Nielson/Flickr