What Are Beliefs?
Change Your Beliefs,
Change Your Reality
In the coaching world, you’ll often hear the phrase “shifting limiting beliefs.” But what are beliefs, really? And why do they matter so much in transformation work? Let’s break it down and make this concept practical and easy to understand.
What Are Beliefs?
Beliefs are ideas we accept as true, often based on past experiences, trusted sources, or repeated messages. They’re generalisations we make about ourselves, others, and the world around us. And while they feel real, they don’t always reflect the full truth.
Beliefs have layers, like an iceberg. At the surface are the beliefs we’re aware of: familiar thoughts, stories, and assumptions we can easily access.
But beneath the surface lie deeper, more ingrained beliefs. These are harder to spot and often operate unconsciously. To reach those deeper layers, we need focused attention and specialised tools, like a skilled diver exploring the depths. This is where real transformation begins.
Surface Beliefs are flexible and often shift with new learned experiences.
For example, you might believe “morning exercise helps me focus,” but later discover that afternoon workouts feel better for your body and schedule.
Deep-seated beliefs are formed through emotional experiences or repeated patterns. They shape how we see the world, without us even realising it.
These beliefs influence our choices, reactions, and behaviours quietly, from beneath the surface. Because they’re so embedded, they can be hard to shift alone. Sometimes, it takes someone outside of us, someone trained to spot the patterns, to help bring them into awareness and create meaningful change.
BELIEFS:
Beliefs are everywhere, but we rarely stop to define them.
They shape how we think, feel, and act. They influence our relationships, our goals, and even our sense of self. And when it comes to manifesting, beliefs are the silent architects behind what we attract.
You don’t manifest from what you want; you manifest from what you believe is possible, available, and safe to receive.
So what are beliefs made of? And how deep do they go?
Let’s explore the layers, because the deeper your awareness, the clearer your manifesting power becomes.
Facts are things you can observe and engage with using your five senses. They’re concrete, measurable, and singular in perspective, something either is or isn’t.
For example: “This is a picture of a chair.” You can see it, touch it, name it. It’s a fixed point in reality.
Beliefs, on the other hand, describe your relationship with an idea, person, project, or place. They’re not just about what is; they’re about how you feel, interpret, and respond.
For example: “I believe you can have anything you want and be anything you want.”
Beliefs connect multiple layers of experience. They’re like a dance between your inner world and outer reality, formed through emotion, meaning, and response.
Your experience + your interpretation = your belief.
The Soul’s Journey
Your soul is always seeking growth. It’s drawn to explore what lies in the shadows, to understand the power of embodying neutral light. This journey isn’t about a singular focus ….it’s about rising together, supporting one another to elevate and evolve.
When your soul begins its journey to Earth, you carry a purpose and a radiant light waiting to be embodied. Your intuition holds the blueprint for your purpose.
In the womb, before thought takes shape, there is only pure experience. You and your mother are one
….no separation, just presence.
As you grow, you begin to sense what it’s like to be separate. Your ego forms, and you embark on the human quest to learn what it means to belong (to your “family”) and to be independent.
Family Roles and Belief Systems
In many families, the nurturing role (often the mother) seeds internal validation, self-trust, and a sense of enoughness. She nourishes you with food and gently passes on her beliefs about how to survive in this world. She forms you in her image, reflecting the good she most hopes to offer the world. As a child, you adopt these beliefs as survival strategies, whether they truly serve you or not.
The protective role (often the father) seeds external validation. He also shares his beliefs about navigating the world, trusting in your brilliance as you carry his lineage and reputation. Instinctively, he hopes his legacy shines through you. The child internalises these unspoken beliefs, striving to prove they are good enough
…even if it comes with pressure.
As a child, your unconscious mind accepts everything as truth ….there’s no logic gate, no internal fact-checker, just pure absorption. If someone told you the moon was made of cheese, you’d believe it. You may have been told: “Don’t be greedy, share with others.” These patterns become your core beliefs, formed long before you had words.
Over time, some beliefs become outdated, like those passed down through generations. Yet, regardless of when they were formed, they still live at the core of your identity, influencing how you show up, what you tolerate, and what you believe is possible.
Reward and Avoidance Patterns
You learn which behaviours get you included and praised, and which behaviours to avoid to escape exclusion. These form your motivation from your beliefs.
DESIRE:
BELONG
SIGNIFICANCE
SECURITY
VALIDATION
AVOID:
FAILURE
REJECTION
SHAME
CONFUSION
Your Limiting Beliefs Push Away Your Wants
As an example, you’re praised for holding your mum’s hand when crossing the road:
“Good job, you’re being safe.”
But if you step too close to the road or let go of your mum’s hand, her tone shifts. It’s tense, sharp, and may even give you a scare.
That contrast teaches you: safety comes from staying close. Moving too far away from mum and her way means you’re not safe in this big world.
Over time, you build the belief: “I’m not safe on my own.”
If early safety beliefs aren’t updated as you grow, your neural pathways repeat the message: “I’m not safe on my own.”
Limiting beliefs are powerful; they whisper convincing lies that make you feel trapped, such as “You can’t move forward,” “You can’t go back,” or “You can’t go beyond the barriers that once kept you safe.”
The childhood rules that were meant to protect you now define your limits. As an adult, these old beliefs shape where you feel stuck and hold you back from moving freely through the world.
The real issue isn’t the belief itself, or even feeling stuck …it’s how you manage that belief and the experience of being stuck.
Many limiting beliefs are formed in childhood and stored deep in the unconscious. They shape how we see ourselves and what we believe is possible. If you picked up a belief like “I’m not worthy of success” or “Money is hard to earn,” your mind will cling to that story …even if you consciously try to manifest abundance.
Your unconscious constantly scans for evidence to confirm what it already believes. If you hold the belief “I never have enough money,” your brain will:
💭 Focus on financial struggles, reinforcing scarcity
💭 Overlook or reject opportunities for abundance
💭 Create circumstances that match the limiting perspective
This cycle causes frustration. It can feel like the universe isn’t responding
…when in reality, it’s mirroring the beliefs stored within your unconscious.
Matching Beliefs to Desires
To manifest with clarity and ease, your beliefs need to match your desires. That means looking at the emotional story underneath …the meaning your unconscious has attached to the thing you want. It may not be objectively true, but it’s driving your behaviour.
This is where coaching helps.
A skilled coach can bypass the logical mind and help you identify the exact pairing that’s blocking you. For example: “New car” + “unfamiliar” = “not me.”
Then, through small, safe experiences, you begin to rewrite the story and build a new identity …one that feels aligned with what you want so you can receive.
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