What Do you Believe That’s Not True?

Would you ever purposely do something to make yourself less effective or less efficient? If you type using a standard computer keyboard, typewriter (there are a few people who still use those!) or even the standard keyboard layout on your smartphone, the answer is yes!

 

The QWERTY keyboard was invented in the 1870’s because the type bars for the most commonly used letters were so close together that people who typed rapidly would jam the machines, so this layout (named for the first six letters on the top row of the keyboard) was invented so those letters were farther apart and to slow down people’s typing speed for those common combinations.

 

Fast forward 130 years, give or take a bit, and people were still using this layout, but now keyboards were electronic, and many people even had computers. The problems that had plagued the old mechanical typewriters were no longer relevant. But people were so used to using this keyboard layout that it never occurred to most of them to change it.

 

It did occur to a few people, though. August Dvorak and his brother-in-law, William Dealey, invented the Dvorak Simplified Keyboard in the 1930’s. It’s a strange layout, but not really any stranger than QWERTY. Others have come and gone since then, too. But we still use QWERTY.

 

Is Dvorak unquestionably better and more efficient? No. Might it be for some people? Definitely. And yet most have never even tried it. Why? Maybe because it’s different and unfamiliar. Maybe because it’s more difficult to find. Maybe because they’d rather just stick with what they know than try something new that may or may not work.

 

Where are you doing that in your life? What belief or behavior are you holding onto even though it no longer has a purpose in your life–perhaps it never did?

• “I need to keep people at arm’s length. I don’t want anyone to hurt me,” because of your childhood relationship with your parents.
• “I can’t possibly exercise enough because I’m out of shape, so why even try?”
• “No one likes their job. That’s why it’s called ‘work’.”
• “I don’t deserve _________.”
• “If I studied more, or learned more, then I could do what I want to do.”

 

Statements like these hold people back every day. They may have at one time had a basis in fact, but often they don’t any more, but people hold onto them anyway. It’s easier. It’s familiar.

It’s also an excuse. Don’t let excuses stand in the way of your growth, your true success, and the “you” God made you to be.

1. Identify your beliefs and behaviors you hold onto that you would like to change or that are holding you back. 
2. For each one, ask yourself the opposite question. For example, if one of your beliefs is, “I can’t possibly get enough exercise,” ask yourself, “What exercise can I do now, even if it’s just a little?” If one of your beliefs is, “I can’t love my job because no one does,” ask yourself, “How can I make a change in attitude, perspective, or even job duties that would give me a greater sense of satisfaction?”
3. If it’s a belief about your identity (like “No one could love me because I don’t have any real talent,” or “I’ll never succeed at anything because I always mess things up,”) go the Bible. See what God has to say about you. 
4. Every morning, repeat your new beliefs–either what God says about you or the answers to the questions you’ve asked yourself. 
5. Throughout the day, listen for your internal negative talk. When you catch yourself, repeat the new belief that counters the negativity.

 

It takes practice, but changing your current situation, growing in new ways, and becoming the “you” God made you to be starts with being transformed by the renewing of your mind–and this is a great way to do just that!

 

Question: What is one old belief or behavior you’ve been holding onto? What is a positive counter to it? Talk about it in the comments below, or on our Facebook page and maybe help someone else who has the same one but hasn’t recognized it or is afraid to admit it.