The 3 Beliefs That Will Destroy Your Life
I know what you are thinking. Wow, that’s not a very positive tip of the month! Why would you want to talk about something that will destroy your life? Well, I believe that by having awareness around negative beliefs and the consequences of them, you can work to avoid them. Martin Seligman, a famous psychologist (known foremost for his work on learned helplessness), came up with what he calls “The 3 P’s”. These are beliefs that, if you focus on them, can destroy your life. Here are the 3 P’s, and how to avoid them:
P #1 is Permanent
When you start to believe that a problem is permanent or unsolvable, you’re right. Believing that your situation or problem is permanent leads to a place where there is nothing that you can do to address it. This type of thought process is devastating as it leads you down a path of thinking that there is nothing you can do to solve the issue at hand.
In my experience, no matter how bad things are, nothing is truly permanent. Remove this thought process from your thinking, and it will clear the space for you to move forward and find a solution.
P #2 is Pervasive
When you start to think that your problem or situation is pervasive, it starts to affect all areas of your life, and becomes an excuse as to why you aren’t moving forward. An example of this is, “I broke my ankle so I can’t do anything.” If you start to believe that, it provides you with a built in excuse that prevents you from moving forward.
Pervasiveness allows you to connect deeper with your problem and provides an avenue to self- pity. This is very dangerous, as it can create a situation or catalyst for you to go on a downward spiral. The key to avoiding this is to realize that you are bigger than any situation or problem that you may face!
P #3 is Personal
The only thing that will keep you from achieving whatever you want is the story that you create around it. When you start to tell yourself that, “I’m too slow”, or “it’s because of the way I was raised”, or anything that’s focused on you personally, you start to believe that there is something wrong with you. This type of belief system can become your jailor, and prevent you from having the success that you deserve.
The key to moving past this is to change your story around whatever the belief is that’s causing your personal barrier. Realize that you created the story in the first place, and you can change it just as easily as you created it.
One of the main keys to success is having belief systems that empower you and support you and where you want to go. By avoiding the 3 P’s, you’ll be avoiding one of the major traps that will destroy your life and prevent you from having the success that you deserve!
