Reply To: Exercise 8: Adopt a New Belief
8 – Adopt a new belief (minor)
Background. Senior leadership announced a return to the office 5 days a week for all employees effective January 1st. This is occuring in the midst of a major reorganization and employee layoff.
1. Find a belief that leads to emotions you don’t like.
I and others feel helpless and betrayed that senior leadership is enforcing 5 days in the office as a means of getting rid of people for the cost cutting initiative.
2. Think of emotions you would prefer in that context.
I would prefer to feel happy and empowered
3. Think of a belief that would generate the emotion you prefer.
I believe this is an opportunity to create work hour options for people that will meet the mandate AND give employees an adjusted schedule that works for them and that convinces them to stay with the company, all other factors considered.
4. Consciously and deliberately think the new belief
I’ve actively worked on this belief throughout the past week to make it come true in reality.
I explained to employees it is a positive to know this now, while there is time and some flexibility to adjust hours to make it workable AND for those who won’t be happy in a fully work from office environment to make a decision that is in their control.
I evaluated each person’s situation and discussed preferred options.
Approved these with my supervisor. Likely result: 2 people not affected at all, 3 people with acceptable compressed work week, one person likely to leave with a package.
REFLECTION
1. Did your initial belief feel fake?
No, it was real and instant once I first read the announcement. Jumped to a negative conclusion on what management was thinking.
2. Did that feeling change?
Yes, it started a whole cause and effect analysis in my head. Was thinking how this would affect me, that I worked for many years 5 days in the office and why was I feeling this way about the announcement (negative). How it would affect my group when 2 for sure had said earlier they would quit and were in tears about it.
Overall my feeling changed from betrayal to hopeful to empowerment as I thought of a new belief that revealed an opportunity.
3. Did you feel like you could change not just a belief but beliefs in general?
Yes, I’ve changed a handful of my beliefs recently and using this experience as a template, I can be more effective at analyzing and changing my beliefs for the better, and helping others to change theirs. In fact met a new contact this week and had a conversation about people with different beliefs having conversations about how to get past their differences to solve common problems.
4. Did you sense how your mind adopts beliefs and changes them?
Adopting a belief can be instant when you hear or interpret something that aligns with what you think your identity is or should be, or you are influenced by someone. I think our mind adopts and builds beliefs to make sense of the world. They become our reality whether true or not. Adopting a belief tends to lock you in to a certain perspective that makes it harder to see things differently. We use beliefs to keep us safe and preserve them and guard them carefully. Our minds will constantly look for proof to validate and strengthen them.
Changing or questioning your belief can feel like losing part of your identity. That’s why they are hard to give them up. Over time they create blind spots that you don’t realize you have and you don’t even see other possibilities in a situation.
Limiting or negative beliefs prevent us from fulfilling our true potential, hold us back, and give rise to negative thoughts and emotions. Empowering or positive beliefs allow us to act resiliently, believe in ourselves, and generate more positive thoughts and emotions.
5. Where and how might you apply your experience in the rest of your life?
Pretty much everywhere in my life to challenge and change my beliefs from limiting to empowering, to realize opportunities that are right before me but I don’t see. Specifically, in the areas of inspiring myself to reach a greater potential and no longer accepting the limitations of the current structure I’m in as it is or as the only option. This topic is also applicable to leadership and maximizing my ability to inspire others to reach further for what they desire.