The first time I heard the phrase, “What you believe determines how you see”, I had no idea what it meant or what I was about to learn. A new friend walked into my life and began asking some hard questions. Fast forward a couple of months, and she was pushing me towards health and healing. She taught me quickly…”Those lies you believe about yourself are affecting everyone in your life. It’s time to rewrite them.” I was not yet in a place where I was ready to admit all the lies I believed to be true about myself, other people, and the world around me.
When I began creating a list of the lies I believed were true, I began to see that these lies were the driving force behind every decision I made, every feeling I felt, and the very foundation of my identity. I began to see just how the way I was living life was impacting every single person that was in my world – my family, my friends, my coworkers, and anyone I came into contact with. I encourage you to consider what you may believe about yourself and how those lies impact your daily life.
I do want to give you a disclaimer. This specific decision and journey is not one you should walk alone. Over the last 2.5 years I have spent time on a consistent basis with a trained professional while doing this work. It is in no way easy, but it is so worth it. Because I am a champion for vulnerability and the power that comes when you bring dark things into the light, I am going to share the lies with you that I first admitted to believing:
- Everyone is fake.
- People don’t mean what they say. No follow through.
- I am not good enough.
- Everyone leaves me.
- I can’t trust anyone.
- Broken promises. Always.
- People like what I can do, not who I am.
By making the decision to list the lies you believe about yourself, you are making the decision to dance with vulnerability. Creating the list of lies you believe about yourself is a powerful step in the right direction towards emotional health and living in real freedom. Remember, you don’t have to walk this journey alone and I encourage you to do this with someone else.
GOOD NEWS! Here is where the dead things come back to living. This is where you can start to breathe deeply again. There is hope. Joy – Freedom – Peace – it is all possible. What you believe determines how you see. Instead of believing the lies, you can begin to believe what is true for you.The truth about who you are. You can feel the joy of being emotionally healthy. You can feel the freedom of living life without carrying the weight of what life has dealt you. You do not have to stay where you are, doing life the way you have been.
The lies you believe about yourself – they aren’t true. The people who breathed that lie into you – they aren’t who gets to determine your worth. As you continue or begin your own journey towards health and healing, you will learn more about what is true about your identity and most importantly, you will learn who can determine your worth – after all – there is only one who can, and that is where your true freedom will be found.