Aligning Beliefs and values for personal growth

Many people struggle to find success in life. Have you ever read a self-help book, and say these are great concepts, but you have no idea how to apply them? If so, you probably have values that agree with what the book says. However, you may have limiting beliefs that contradict those values. One of the keys to personal growth is learning how to align our beliefs and our values. They are the lense through which we see the world. Lets us explore the difference between beliefs and values. Learn to see how they shape our views of the world around us.

Know Your Values

Values are the core principles which you believe to be right and wrong. Most of the values you develop during childhood will guide you through the rest of your life. Honesty, integrity, generosity, respect for others, and faith are all examples of values you hold. How you see these and what they mean to you will determine how you behave and judge the behavior of others. They are usually very logical and directly taught to you by elders, teachers, or parents.


There are many ways to find your values. The best method I have found is to write your own eulegy. Say you were to die in 5 years. Write out the eulegy you would like to have written about you. What would it say about your honesty, character, and how you treated others. What would it say about the way you were with money, and friendships. This can take some time and several rewrites to get what you want it to say. Once you are done you can see what it is you value and how you want to express them in your life.

Understanding Beliefs

Beliefs are the subconscious ideas you have about how the world works. Many of the beliefs you have were formed during late childhood and into early adulthood. Once you can find your beliefs, you can change them to fit with your values. Beliefs are much harder to track because they are usually subconcious. You never really think about why you believe them, you just do. Most limiting beliefs are created during a crisis. Beliefs are usually more emotional than logical.Fear is a result of negative beliefs that cause you to avoid certain situations.

One method I have found to map out beliefs is to pay attention to all the choices you make during a day. You will find that many of these choices have no logical reasoning behind them. THey simply are what you do. Try going back in your mind and seeing why you made these choices. write down what you find in a journal.

Changing your beliefs to match your values

Any negative beliefs you have can be changed over time. You can change your beliefs by repeating positive affirmations that are in alignment with your values.
Spend some time in relaxing meditation. Meditation will help relax your mind. It can also help you bring your subconscious mind into consciousness.By meditating on your limiting beliefs, you can replace the old negative ones with new ones which reflect your values.


If you Have a specific limiting belief, the next time you are faced with a choice in that area, remember your values and try to choose to react in a way consistent with those values, rather than reacting out of fear. This can take some practice, but keep trying and you will succeed.