THE NATURE OF BELIEFS

• The truth is a function of whatever works in relation to what we are trying to accomplish at any given moment.
• There are some subtle yet profound dynamics involved in the process of learning how to install new beliefs and change any existing beliefs that are in conflict with the new ones.
• It is important that you not take for granted the amount of mental effort you may have to expend to train your mind to fully accept these principles of success, regardless of how well you understand them.
• Bob, the CTA, believed he thoroughly understood the concept of probabilities, but didn’t have the ability to function from a probabilistic perspective.
• Direct conflict between your old belief that you need to know what will happen next to be successful and your new understanding that you don’t need to know.
• Memories, distinctions, and beliefs exist in the form of energy—specifically, structured energy.
• Earlier, I lumped these three mental components together to illustrate that memories, distinctions, and beliefs do not exist as physical matter; the cause-and-effect relationship that exists between ourselves and the external environment brings these components into existence; and the cause-and-effect relationship reverses so that we can perceive in the external environment what we have learned about.
• Pure memory as sensory information stored in its original form.
• A belief, on the other hand, is a concept about the nature of the way the external environment expresses itself.
• A concept combines pure sensory information with a symbol system we call language.
• When the positive or negative energy from our memories or experiences become linked to a set of words we call a concept, the concept becomes energized and, as a result, is transformed into a belief about the nature of reality.
• Concepts are structured by the framework of a language and energized by our experiences, it becomes clear why I refer to beliefs as “structured energy.”
• Since beliefs are such important component parts of our make-up (in terms of their impact on the quality of our lives), it certainly has to be one of life’s great ironies that they are also the least thought about and understood.
• Characteristics of beliefs is that they make what we experience seem self-evident and beyond question.
• Most people have a belief that "Free money doesn't exist", which can lead to a feeling of relief when avoiding a confrontation.
• Instead of being happy over what they got, people who lament what they could have had but didn't get are tapped into a negatively charged belief about what it means to miss out on something or not get enough.
• If beliefs limit our awareness of the information being generated by the physical environment, so that what we perceive is consistent with whatever we believe, then how do we know what the truth is?
• If we are not experiencing satisfaction, then we must be operating out of a belief or beliefs that don’t work very well relative to the environmental conditions.
• Each of us has internally generated forces (curiosity, needs, wants, desires, goals, and aspirations) that compel or motivate us to interact with the physical environment.
• Some people can be so intrigued and curious about the possibilities that they decide to temporarily suspend their belief that "Free money doesn't exist", allowing them to act outside the boundaries created by a belief, in order to see what happens.
• If our beliefs were a true, 100-percent accurate reflection of physical reality, then our expectations would always be fulfilled, leading to a perpetual state of satisfaction.
• The truth, whatever it is, will determine: the possibilities we perceive in relation to what is available from the environment’s perspective, how we interpret what we perceive, the decisions we make, our expectations of the outcome, the action we take, and the state of our satisfaction.
• The relative degree of truth inherent in our beliefs can be measured by how useful they are.
• The environment can express itself in an infinite combination of ways, and until we have acquired the ability to perceive every possible way in which the environment can express itself, our beliefs will always represent a limited version of what is possible from the environment’s perspective, making our beliefs a statement about reality, but not necessarily a definitive statement of reality.
• The beliefs that prompt any particular state of mind may not be the truth with respect to the possibilities available from the environment’s perspective.
• Usually, it takes years of extreme frustration before people begin examining their beliefs as the source of their difficulties.
• “Life is wonderful” will perform its function in the same way as a belief that “Life is awful.” The beliefs themselves are different and the effect that each has on the quality of the holder’s life will be vastly different, but both beliefs will function in exactly the same manner.
• Our beliefs shape how we feel about the results of our actions.