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b'If you don\\u2019t change your beliefs, your life will be like this forever. Is this the good news? - William Somerset Maugham and/or Robert Anthony\\n\\nI find this combination of an observation and a question to be valuable because it gives us the opportunity to examine the degree to which our beliefs are helping us create the experience of life we want. This comes from a major component of my \\u201cLife from the Top of the Mind\\u201d philosophy which states that one of the most powerful factors that determine how we experience life are the beliefs we hold about ourselves and the world around us.\\nThese include beliefs about our worth or value as a husband, wife, mother, father, employer, employee, etc., as well as our belief about our own power or ability to shape our experience of life.\\n\\nIf we see ourselves as bringing valuable qualities to each of our roles (i.e. integrity, conscientiousness, compassion, trustworthiness, etc.) then we tend to go into each situation confident in our worth. On the other hand, if we see ourselves as less than worthy (or worthless) and at the mercy of the random events, we tend to be hesitant or worried about what might happen, which results in a reactive versus proactive experience of life. It all depends on our beliefs.\\n\\nWhere do these beliefs come from? Well, for the most part, they are formed in our past by the people and experiences we encounter as we grow up. If we are fortunate enough to have loving parents or positive adult role models who believe in themselves and their ability to create a meaningful life, then chances are, our own beliefs will reflect this confidence and worth. That\\u2019s the good news. Unfortunately, if what we saw growing up were people who were frightened by life and/or worried that somehow they weren\\u2019t good enough, then, chances are we inherited some of those beliefs as well.\\n\\nThat\\u2019 why I love this quote and question, because together they give us an opportunity to determine whether we want to keep the beliefs we have accumulated or change them. What\\u2019s the criteria? Our experience of life. In other words, if we look at our lives and are, for the most part, pleased with what we see, then we need not change a thing, because whatever beliefs we have inherited from the past are obviously serving us very well. \\nOn the other hand, if we look at the different aspects of our lives and determine that we are not pleased with what we see, then we can begin to change the foundation for this experience (our beliefs) which will then begin to change our experience of life. \\n\\nThe bottom line is that life is always the bottom line, which means that how we experience life will always give us wonderful feedback about the quality of our beliefs. If we are willing to clearly acknowledge the impact of these concepts on our lives, we can confidently keep those that are serving us and access our creativity to change those that need to be changed. Here\\u2019s to the belief that we can bring this clarity, confidence, and creativity to life.'