By Leo Babauta

There’s a practice that I find to be really valuable, and I call it “Examining Beliefs.”

If you regularly engage with this, it will transform you.

Let’s say there’s something you want to do but you feel stuck — maybe you’re procrastinating a lot, maybe you’re stuck in an old habit. The practice starts with trying to discover the thought or belief that causes your action (or inaction).

For example:

I don’t want to do this because I’m going to do a bad job (belief: I’m going to do a bad job)

I’m dreading doing this because it’ll be boring (belief: it’s going to be boring)

I don’t want to do this because it’ll be really hard and uncomfortable (belief: it’ll be too hard/uncomfortable)

As you might expect, these beliefs don’t help you to achieve your goals.

You might also examine any beliefs that cause you to be frustrated or resentful with someone else:

They shouldn’t behave that way

They don’t love/respect me

They don’t support me

These beliefs cause you to feel unhappy with…