“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path.” -Steve Jobs
Our brains are constantly being trained. We can leave the training of our brains to others, or we can learn to take on the responsibility for ourselves. You will be met with resistance if you attempt to take control.
People will tell you you are not in control, but if someone ever tells you that you do not have control over your life, they are probably trying to take control of it for you. Trust your intuition and believe in yourself, even if the path seems uncertain.
Choose Yourself, for Yourself
At some point, we all experience a dissonance between what we are told to believe and what we really feel is true. By choosing what to believe, yourself, you gain control over your own actions. By choosing to believe in yourself, you gain control over your future.
The pressure to believe certain things and act in certain ways can be immense, but to blindly accept the opinions of others is to give up all hope of living an authentic life and of following your own path. We were all born with the ability to make decisions for ourselves. When someone else decides for us, it takes away our power.
Our Beliefs are Beacons
Each time you act in accordance with your intuition and work towards your goals, you invest in yourself.
When you have a problem, you are being given a choice: do something about it and change your life, or continue down the same path. You attract a future that shares your current goals.
Your beliefs are powerful. People who have similar beliefs are drawn to you, and you are more likely to notice the stimuli around you that align with your beliefs. You may even become aware of someone at the end of the path you are heading down and can use him or her either as a beacon to strive towards or as a warning that you are on the wrong path. Our beliefs create a cohesive whole out of a chaotic, fractured world.
Our Beliefs are Lenses
We do not see the physical world objectively. It is tinted through our thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. Out of the three of these, beliefs are what you have the most control over. What you believe largely determines the opportunities you notice. Your beliefs are what enable you to see the good or bad in your surroundings.
Our beliefs largely determine how we spend our lives. If you are unsure what you believe, look no further than your actions. Our beliefs both determine and are determined by what we most often do.
Notice Your Mistakes
By paying attention to how our day-to-day activities make us feel, we can engineer a lifestyle that actualizes the person we wish to be. We all know, hypothetically, that doing the same thing and expecting different results is insane. Yet, most repeat the same mistakes, day after day.
Each day we are either moving towards or away from who we want to be. If we are moving away, we need to figure out what we are doing wrong and stop repeating the same mistakes.
Don't be afraid to look at your mistakes. Our weaknesses are all bark and no bite. Once we stare at them head on, we realize they never were monsters. When we fail to consider our flaws, we risk feeling hopeless. We're blind to the solution to our problem if we're too scared to face it.
This feeling can be paralyzing. If you feel afraid of making a change in your life, it's a sure sign you should make one.
Choose What Makes You Happy
Many people spend their lives doing things they don't enjoy because they don't think they have another choice. We need to find the strength to spend our time doing the things that energize us. When we don't spend time having fun, we don't grow. Having something we are passionate about gives us a sense of unifying purpose and a belief that the universe is working on our behalf.
This belief gives you grit. It leads to perseverance. If you believe that you can eventually achieve something, that you will get better despite failures, you are more likely to achieve your goal than even those who are more talented than you are.
The Bottom Line
Don't blindly follow others' beliefs. Choose your path and take control of your life.
Your beliefs are powerful, they shape your reality and attract experiences that align with them. We see the world through the lens of our beliefs, so choose beliefs that empower you.
Learn from your mistakes and don't be afraid to make changes to move towards your goals. Pursue what excites you. Believing in yourself is more important than having a perfect plan.
To believe is to surrender. It is a form of wandering with purpose. You don't need every twist and turn planned. Once you know your virtues and goals, you can believe that acting in accordance with them will get you where you want to go. Believing that you can do something is more important that understanding how you plan to achieve it.
