Reply To: Exercise 4: Write Your Beliefs
Beliefs
Hi Friends! I’m writing to you from Painted Post, NY where I am attending the New York State Outdoor Education Association annual conference. This is a pretty sweet way to lead into the final week of my internship. Today was full of workshops and some networking and tomorrow will be the same. I’ll also be giving my own workshop tomorrow! Well, kind of. I’m going to be sharing the Spodek Method, which is obviously not my creation. I’m very excited and nervous.
The nature of my workshop and the nature of my mind going into it are both relevant for the beliefs I recorded for homework this week. We moved up from writing our inner monologue to writing our beliefs. This means thinking about and writing things like “getting enough sleep is important to be healthy” instead of things like “I should get more sleep.” The latter is a judgment based on the former which is a belief. I enjoyed this exercise as it helped me realize the roots of why I think the things I do. When I noticed a thought that sounded like it was coming from a belief, I sat with it for a few moments and tried to discern what the underlying belief was. I didn’t do a great job keeping up with this exercise throughout the week but still wrote down 41 beliefs. I’d like to do more, but I wanted to still reflect on these for now.
Did I notice any trends or patterns?
Yes. Most of my beliefs were related to health and wellbeing. And many existed in juxtaposition — I’d write one thing and immediately think about the opposite belief. I think this is most common when thinking about my own self-worth and abilities. There’s a belief that I’m not smart or good, etc. but then a rebuttal to that belief, like “no, I actually am smart, etc.”
Did I notice unexpected beliefs?
Yeah, a few. I didn’t expect to have as many negative beliefs. Like I said above, they were countered by a positive one that I felt like is my true belief. But the negative belief is there in some capacity nonetheless.
Did I notice the difference between beliefs and strategies?
Yes, I think so.
How do beliefs work?
Honestly, I don’t think I know. They can come from many sources and experiences. Sometimes I have no idea why I believe certain things and not others. They can also be changed!
How do beliefs affect my life?
I think beliefs can play a big role in guiding my decisions. They make me look at the world in my own specific way. They’re the source of my judgment of others and myself. They can make me happy or sad.
Where and how might I apply my experience in the rest of my life?
Similar to past exercises, I’d like to simply continue this practice of noticing my beliefs. I hope to apply it by taking pause when I have a judgment and considering what belief it is stemming from. Knowing the breadth of my beliefs will be helpful for understanding myself and others.
I think I have a lot to learn when it comes to being mindful of my thoughts and beliefs. I’m not confident in all of my answers to the questions above but looking forward to learning more. This will be a lifelong process, I’m sure 🙂
I keep having thoughts about being more mindful, meditating, or exercising more but then give myself a pass to do it when I’m less busy. I have to say, I’ve never felt so busy in my life but I also know that by prioritizing those things, even just a little bit more, will add to my life and give me more time rather than taking it away. Just last night a coworker commented that I’m like the little engine that could. In a way it felt good — I’m being acknowledged for my hard work. Mostly, however, it made me feel kinda sad. I don’t want to be a person that just keeps going, going, going. I don’t want to try too hard to impress others and end up exhausting myself and ignoring other more important parts of my life. So, on that note, I’m going to stop writing and post this!