**Video version at the end of the post.
Belief. What is that? Why does it matter to health? Welcome to letter B in the ABC’s of Health!
Belief is defined as
1. an acceptance that a statement is true or that something exists.
2. trust, faith, or confidence in someone or something.
Simply put, belief is accepting that something is true. This matters to our health in two ways: what you believe ABOUT yourself, and what you believe FOR yourself.
What we believe determines how we will act, how we act determines our future, so it’s all linked together.
Let’s take a deeper look:
Belief ABOUT self
When you look in the mirror, who do you see?
When you describe yourself, what kinds of words come up?
What would your best friends, your family, the people you love say about you? Do you believe them?
Who you believe yourself to be influences how you treat yourself. If you believe you are capable, worthy, strong, intelligent, resilient, beautiful… if you believe good things about yourself, you will treat yourself better than if you believe bad things about yourself. It may seem incredibly simplistic, but it’s profoundly true.
Think of the objects you have that you value versus the ones you don’t. The things you own that are meaningful to you are either put on display, used with care or kept with care – maybe it’s a family heirloom, a piece of clothing or jewelry you really like, a decoration item that brings you joy, a gift someone gave you – whatever it is, if it has value to you it is used with a degree of care and respect. Now think of what doesn’t hold value to you, for instance, the carton of milk after it’s been drunk. You trash it without a second thought.
This is true for our bodies and minds as well. If we place value on ourselves as individuals, we treat ourselves better, we push ourselves to be better, and we find ways to improve, which leads to more self respect and the cycle continues. Conversely, if we do not hold ourselves in high regard… well… we treat ourselves as junk.
Changing your self talk is a process, it’s a journey in itself, replacing the lies your brain tells you with the truth of who you are is something that you learn and learn and learn all over again throughout your life. The bottom line is this: the worth you place on yourself determines the quality of treatment you give yourself, and treatment you allow others to give you.
Why does this impact your health??
If you believe in your own worth you will invest in your body and in your mind not to look like whatever is deemed beautiful, or sexy, or even healthy in the culture you are part of, you will invest in your body and mind to consistently improve on the person you are – this includes the food you eat, how you move your body, the information you consume, the relationships you have.
Health… it starts in your mind. What are you worth to you? Are you worth half an hour a day to improve your body’s performance? Are you worth eating foods that fuel your body instead of draining it? Are you worth sleeping enough? Are you worth leisure time to pursue your hobbies? Are you worth relationships that build you up instead of tearing you down? Are you worth content that stimulates your mind to learn and grow?
What are you worth to you?
Belief FOR self
The other side of belief is what you believe for your future. One of my favourite quotes is this:
Create the highest, grandest vision possible for your life because you become what you believe. (Oprah)
Where do you believe you can go? Many times we want to improve our health but we don’t have a future in mind, or we don’t think we can get where we would like to go. If you don’t believe for yourself… it doesn’t matter if anyone else does, it doesn’t matter if you have good intentions, it doesn’t matter… if you don’t believe that you can get where you want to go… you simply won’t get there.
What you believe about yourself is what makes you take action now, but what you believe FOR yourself is what makes that action matter enough for you to do it consistently, and I’ve said it before, I’ll say it many times again: everything you want is on the other side of consistency.
Who do you want to be? It may sound weird, whowho, crazy, too out there… let that go for a moment. Who do you want to be? Write that down. Take a moment to reflect on who you would like to be – you have this one life that is going by. Who do you want to be?
If you believe you can get where you want to go, you can believe that you are worth every step you need to take now in order to get there. And if you take these steps… if you show up for the person you want to become, you will become her. The highest, the grandest version of yourself is right there in you… all she needs is your action today.
Believe in yourself… for yourself. Be consistent with the things that build you up and make you grow and improve. Suddenly… you’ll find you’re already there.
Keeping it simple,
Aline