Curious about Belief(s): How Do Yours Direct You, Your Life, Your Business and Your Relationships?

Definition of Belief: Assent to a proposition or affirmation, or the acceptance of a fact, opinion, or assertion as real or true, without immediate personal knowledge; reliance upon word or testimony; partial or full assurance without positive knowledge or absolute certainty; persuasion; conviction; confidence; as, belief of a witness; the belief of our senses. A tenet, or the body of tenets, held by the advocates of any class of views; doctrine; creed.

“It has always been my belief that a man should do his best, regardless of how much he receives for his services, or the number of people he may be serving or the class of people served.” - Napoleon Hill, American writer

I chose belief(s) as this week’s theme, because with all of the new information I am receiving through the Internet, CDs, and books, I realize that many of my long time beliefs are being challenged and may not be accurate.

One example is my belief about how to lose weight. For years I have told my fitness students that the answer is a five word phrase, “Eat less and exercise more.” Many of the current fitness gurus challenge this – both the eating part and the exercise part. I would probably dismiss their claims, except that there are plenty of people who have succeeded with the new approaches.

And then there is the rampant business fraud so prevalent in our society today. It seems that almost daily we read or hear about a well known executive and/or politician being questioned in court for shady practices. The products we have purchased and depended upon are being taken to task for known imperfections. What has become of ethics? And, who can we believe?

I certainly don’t want to be negative, but I admit that I am confused about a lot of my former beliefs. I used to scoff at the skeptics, but now find a bit of skepticism sneaking into my beliefs. How about you? Have you lost some of the certainty you once possessed?

On to quotations about beliefs. There were many that touched on faith, belief and religion. I have skipped those, rather than getting into an area of contention, but think you will enjoy those quotations I will include – there were many to choose from:

• “Money motivates neither the best people, nor the best in people. It can move the body and influence the mind, but it cannot touch the heart or move the spirit; that is reserved for belief, principle, and morality.” - Dee Hock, American businessman
• “There is no greater level and form of belief than believing in yourself.” - Darren L. Johnson, American author
• “Believe that life is worth living and your belief will help create the fact.” - William James, American philosopher
• “If you believe you can, you probably can. If you believe you won't, you most assuredly won't. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad.” - Denis Waitley, American writer
• “It is my belief that we all have the need to feel special. It is this need that can bring out the best in us, yet the worst in us.” - Janet Jackson, American musician
• “Most executives, many scientists, and almost all business school graduates believe that if you analyze data, this will give you new ideas. Unfortunately, this belief is totally wrong. The mind can only see what it is prepared to see.” - Edward de Bono, English psychologist
• “Good advertising does not just circulate information. It penetrates the public mind with desires and belief.” - Leo Burnett, American businessman

And three more to chew on and think about:

• “We are all captives of the picture in our head - our belief that the world we have experienced is the world that really exists.” - Walter Lippmann, American journalist
• “I am confident that, in the end, common sense and justice will prevail. I'm an optimist, brought up on the belief that if you wait to the end of the story, you get to see the good people live happily ever after.” - Cat Stevens, British musician
• “The four characteristics of humanism are curiosity, a free mind, belief in good taste, and belief in the human race.” - E. M. Forster, English novelist

What beliefs of your have be questioned or challenged? I would love to hear from you.